Fund Raiser: Project Trip Expenses...
Juvenile white sucker captured while e-fishing Cheesecak Brook upstream of a supposed fish-blocking cement slab at its confluence with the Charles River…
NFC runs very lean when it comes to administrative expenses. With no formal office, very few assets, and only two paid, and marginally at that, staff members, we spend the bulk of our money on direct conservation efforts.
There are however times when we need to travel to initiate projects, expand projects, and check up on progress. MA NFC has 2 projects going on in Newton, Massacusetts: Cold Spring Brook and Cheesecake Brook. These 2 projects represent our first forays into the world of suburban and urban waterways.
Cold Spring Brook within Cold Spring Park was long considered fishless. That was until NFC found multiple age classes of golden shiners in multiple places within the park using seining nets and minnow traps. We have also done some eDNA metabarcoding testing that has provided some interesting but inconsistent results.
Cheesecake Brook is an urban stream that is straightened, walled in, dug down, and separated from the Charles River via a sloped cement slab near its end. Prior to getting involved, the only fish confirmed in the stream was a pond comet that was likely a released pet. Through seining, trapping, and e-fishing, NFC has been able to confirm the presence of white suckers, carp, and American eel as well.
As part of a 3-day trip, NFC Executive Director Bob Mallard will be visiting both Cold Spring Brook and Cheesecake Brook to help expand our scope at Cold Spring Brook by checking the next segments down from Cold Spring Park, direct some additional trapping/seining at Cheesecake Brook, and manually clear decaying organic matter from upper Cold Spring Brook to make room for more fish.
Please consider donating to help NFC offset travel costs for this critically important 3-day trip. Thanks in advance for your support, we greatly appreciate it.
Golden shiner captured while netting a tributary to Cold Spring Brook, a previously believed to be fishless stream…