Virginia NFC Assists with eDNA Sampling
In early 2023, Virginia NFC Chair Michael Smith and board member Chuck Maguire joined nearly 150 government agency employees and volunteers in a large and innovative citizen science project to survey streams for the presence of brook trout using eDNA.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) can be used to detect the presence of specific species via discarded flesh, urine and excrement. While not proof of absence, eDNA is considered proof of presence.
Hosted by Shenandoah National Park, the project, nicknamed “Shenandoah Park Brook Trout Blitz,” collected water samples from every stream in the Park, said to be in excess of 90 waters under the supervision of Shenandoah’s fish biologist Dr. Evan Childress.
The project was supported by the Park Service, Shenandoah National Park Trust, Friends of the Rappahannock, several Virginia chapters of Trout Unlimited chapters, as well as volunteers from other organizations such as NFC.
Like native trout elsewhere, the brook trout of Shenandoah National Park are stressed by the presence of nonnative fish, including trout, as well as reduced summer flows and elevated water temperatures caused by a changing climate.
