Albemarle County will get help to preserve and protect its forests and watershed with a four hundred-thousand dollar grant.  The United States Endowment for Forestry and Communities has awarded the Virginia Department of Forestry in Albemarle County a grant called the “Healthy Forest Grant”.  This will not only help the forests in Albemarle County, but will also help the Rivanna River, and the Rivanna Reservoir.

The three year venture which will start soon is referred to as the “sustainable forestry demonstration project”.  Its main purpose is to link all entities that hold financial interest in forestland management.  It will then help educate those entities such as local government officials, business owners, environmental organizations and landowners to the value of maintaining the ecosystems of the forest and watershed lands.  Those participating in the project will be Virginia Department of Forestry, Conserve, Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority, Albemarle County, Rivanna River Basin Commission, Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District, Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, City of Charlottesville, and Albemarle County Service Authority.

The area of focus will be to manage the forestlands and protect and preserve the watershed in and around the South Fork of the Rivanna River and the Rivanna River Reservoir Watershed.  The South Fork of the Rivanna River supplies at least 82,000 people in Charlottesville with water, and 96% of its surface water supply for the entire area.

The management will consist of complete stabilization of forest harvest sites, by restoring and replanting forestland.  In addition to that, the reparians that buffer the watershed from harmful runoff from the forests shall be cleaned-up, replanted. Major stream restoration work such as erosion control would also be done in conjunction with the forester buffer.

Some of the land surrounding the project is privately owned, therefore, the Virginia Department of Forestry will also offer to pay participating landowners long term cash payments to be able to replant properties in or adjacent to watershed areas or a one-time cash payment for conservation easements that will permanently protect forests and watershed areas.

According to Buck Kline, Virginia Department of Forestry’s director of forestland conservation, this program is a good idea to work with the ecosystems instead of “expensive engineered technologies which only address pollutants, but often contribute little in the way of improving environmental values, air quality, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.  This project moves beyond research to increase forest cover and the ecosystem services forests provide.”

Kline believes it is better to invest in forest/watershed and ecosystems services that provide environmental values.  It is also important to reduce carbon sequestration, sediment and nutrient load that pollute and destroy water quality, fish habitats and plant life.  This grant project will establish new forests that will generate nutrient load reduction (nitrogen and phosphorus) in order to create clean water and a healthy environment for wildlife, fish and plants!

Most fishermen in Central Virginia aren’t aware but, researchers from Virginia Tech University are their friends.  These researchers study our local waterways and determine what types of damage is being done and try and correct it and even better, try and prevent it in the first place.

The researchers study our streams, rivers and lakes to come up with the answers for fish kills, damaging erosion along the banks, origin of toxic spills, bacteria and other dangerous things that can hurt plant, fish, and wild life and even us.

One main goal is repairing the riparian forest.  The riparian forest isn’t a forest at all.  It is an area that is located immediately adjacent to the stream, lake, or other water surface.  Uplands area flows into the riparian, the boundary is hard to define, but best described as a flood plain.

The riparian, is an area with high levels of soil moisture, frequent flooding, and a unique collection of plants and animals that make up its own community.  The interaction of different soils and hydrology biotic communities create the riparian forests that maintain important physical, biological and ecological functions along banks.

Here is how it works, researchers planted strips of Orchard Grass in Blacksburg in the riparian and found that 84% of sediment, soluble solids from run-off were absorbed in the grass.  The grass acts like a natural filter, catching harmful toxins and contaminants before it goes into the main body of water.  Special soils are also used to restore a riparian.

The foes…pollutants are one main cause for fish kills in our area.  These pollutants can enter surface waters from point sources such as industrial discharge, waste water from bad septic systems, or waste from water treatment plants.  Non-point sources also cause significant damage, such as agricultural run off like fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, urban run-off such as oil and gasoline off roadways and lastly, construction and industrial waste run-off such as debris, metals, and product waste.

These dangerous run-offs can introduce bacteria, harmful sediment, chemicals, metals, and organic waste to our waterways, costing millions per year for clean-up.

The non-point pollution is hard to control measure and monitor researchers claim.  Therefore, education is needed to help show proper use of chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides.  Also the reduction of storm water run-off down drains that link to our waterways is very important to reduce damage.

The construction of the riparian forest with well suited plants and special soils can help the banks with erosion as well as control contaminants.  The planting of various well suited grasses and other plants can help buffer surface waters of lakes and streams protecting the banks from breaking down any further preventing erosion.

However, over time the effectiveness of the riparian forest can decrease as it gets inundated with sediment or saturated with run-off.  Then the process must start again, with environmental clean-up and the replanting of the riparian forest.  In the end, a restored riparian forest means a healthy waterway and that means a healthy ecosystem for fish and that means plenty of fish waiting to be caught!

NOTE: Fish found in the riparian area should be avoided, since they are absorbing toxins by being in or around this area.  Therefore fishing near this area should also be avoided.

What Learks in Our Waterways

By Cheryl Morrison

After doing some investing I found a report stating, that since 2008, forty-five Lynchburg area streams and lakes have been on a watch list by the Department of Environmental Quality.  The reason is they are contaminated with the deadly bacteria E.Coli.

A Twenty-five hundred page report complied by the Department of Environmental Quality nearly two years ago, reveled that in sample buckets of water tested from over sixteen hundred miles of streams, rivers and lakes throughout Virginia not only did many of the waterways across the state have the E. Coli Bacteria learking in it, so did some our own local area streams and lakes.

The report conducted every two years and is due to be completed again this year, shows the D.E.Q. accesses approximately 31% of the waterways across the state, rotating each cycle to another region.  Unfortunately, it is not possible to test all the lakes, streams and ponds every cycle, so that is why the scientists rotate districts.

To conduct the analysis, the staff of the D.E.Q. takes a small sample of water from a larger bucket to test for both chemicals and bacteria.  While the general analysis standards gives an idea of what is going on, a more detailed test entails collecting a bucketful of water and analyzing what type of insects, worms and other animals without backbones live in a particular streambed.  This tells scientists if the waterway is healthy enough to support various living creatures.

Examples of unhealthy waterways are found in Bedford, Amherst and Campbell Counties as scientists found low amounts of animal life which is sign to see why this is happening.

Waterways that do make the impaired list means that a particular lake, stream, pond or river has failed the quality test more than 10.5%  of the times tested or sometimes has only failed once on a test.

There are several Central Virginia waterways on the impaired list for many different reasons.  Currently, the James River, Staunton River and Smith Mountain Lake are on the list due to a consumption advisory for P.C.B.’s and the Staunton River for high levels of Mercury.  In some areas of the James River it also tested positive for E.Coli.

Many other local waterways are contaminated with the E. Coli Bacteria which then means activities such as swimming and wading must be prevented.  To avoid coming into contact with the bacteria, abide by any posted warning signs and don’t go into water after heavy rains.

Those waterways impaired with E.Coli are all major streams in Lynchburg, due to sewer overflow and general runoff.  Other streams affected by E.Coli are the lower portions of the Pedlar and Buffalo Rivers, Harris and Graham Creeks and Piney and Tye Rivers.  Some of these contaminations are due to agriculture and wildlife runoff.  However, the upper sections of the Pedlar and Buffalo Rivers are in exceptional condition.

In Appomattox County, Stonewall, Wreck Island and Bent Creeks have been found to have E. Coli, while in Bedford County, Judith, Goose and Wolf Creeks are contaminated from septic and livestock general runoff.   In Campbell County, 13 streams have been also found to be contaminated.  Leesville Lake has also made the list.

In Amherst County another problem was found with 13 streams and lakes being impaired by low oxygen levels and higher than normal acidity that has affected aquatic life.

Since the report came out in 2008, public works employees have been working around the Lynchburg area to close off or repair sewer leaks or overflows which are partly to blame for the E.Coli outbreak and parts of the James River has also been cleaned. This year the D.E.Q. will once again begin testing to see what learks in our waterways.

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Snakehead Deadly Predator

By Cheryl Morrison

The Virginia Department of Game and Fisheries are asking fishermen for their help catching and identifying the Snakehead Fish.  An attractive stripped fish with tan and dark tiger shaped stripes has invaded our local waters.  This fish can be confused with the Bowfin, Sea Lamprey or American Eel.  The Snakehead can only live in freshwater and grows up to be about thirty three inches long.  It is thought to be a native of Southeast Asia, Africa, Korea or even Russia.

This remarkable fish can stay outside the water and breathe air for up to three days and can actually travel short distances across land using its pectoral fins to crawl.  It is also a very hardy fish by being able to survive the harshness of cold winter months by hibernating or by burying itself in mud during droughts.

This fish, while it is an interesting species, is an extreme predator eating other fish, frogs, and many other types of Virginia aquatic wildlife.  The Snakehead also does not have any natural enemy in the United States.  In Southeast Asia, they are considered food with the power to heal illness.  However, here in Virginia their impact is felt by their destruction of our native aquatic systems and their impact on the food supply is felt greatly by preying on local fish.

According to the Department of Game and Fishing, these fish also spread disease and parasites to our native wildlife and even to humans who may eat or handle them.  So care should be given when handling these fish.

Snakehead fish have the potential to create havoc with Virginia’s natural resources and local economies if a solution isn’t found to destroy the species.  If you believe you have caught a Snakehead, first give a positive identification of the fish, kill it and keep it on ice until authorities can also identify it. If you are unsure, you can keep it alive until authorities can give a positive identification of the fish.

The VDGF are also asking you to help them if you find any other unusual fish, to please contact them at the Snakehead Hotline 1-800-770-4951.  Many non native fish are getting dumped into our rivers and streams from aquariums, so they need your help to keep our rivers, ponds and lakes free from non native predators.