Be Stream Smart
Like most people who live in the area, I know that Maine has many many lakes, streams and rivers. Water is one of our prominent features and for what the state is known for across the country. However, what I never thought about until recently is how we manage the land greatly affects our waterways. Not only when thinking about pollution that runs into them but how fish and animals use these waterways as their highways. Road crossings can be a huge barrier for aquatic organisms. Many of our roads both on State highways and the seemingly endless miles of logging roads in our north woods have stream crossings that are inadequate or just failing over time- perched culverts – culverts that are set too high for fish or other aquatic organisms to get into. undersized- making the velocity of water to high that fish can’t swim against. Or the road erosion causes sedimentation in the streams – also causes safety concerns and costly repairs if not installed correctly or maintained.
Working with The Nature Conservancy, Piscataquis County Soil and Water in partnership with USDA/NRCS has really helped me to see the need for change. There are many fantastic, dedicated people working in our state to correct the wrongs of the past for a better future for our waterways. If anyone would like to learn more reach out to me or checkout the link- there are ways to help without being a scientist 🙂 or perhaps we can all try and be mini-scientists and activists.
A few pics of a day at work.
