Riffle Dwellers Tell ‘Good’ Tale About Stream Life—

Volunteers Sift Through Rivers, Brooks, Looking For A Hopeful Future

By Kendra Bobowick

Gary Whipple and Steve Coelho peered at the debris in Mr Whipple’s palm. Poking at tree bark, crumbled leaves, pebbles, the men uncovered a stonefly — a small insect that would tell them a story about the Pootatuck River, Deep Brook, Pond Brook, or the Halfway River that runs into Eichler’s Cove and eventually Lake Zoar.

At the entrance to Al’s Trail toward the end of Commerce Road Saturday morning, October 18, the men stood in their waders they used minutes earlier in the steam, and sifted through the samplings they took along a stretch of Deep Brook. Pleased with the signs of aquatic life that overturned leaves revealed, they noted each of their discoveries. Collecting samples at another site, Conservation Commission Chairman and volunteer for the local Candlewood Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU), Joe Hovious held a wide net to catch sediment jostled from the streambed and into the water’s flow. With his hands and arms slipped into long rubber gloves, volunteer Harrison Pease rummaged among the rocks on the bottom, sending bursts of materials toward the net. Soon back along the banks, they emptied their net.

Mr Hovious and Mr Pease now had a sampling of the riffle dwelling benthic invertebrates — contributing to TU’s effort to assess water quality, and then share the information with the state. Rooting through wet and clinging leaves for water pennies, stone flies, mayflies, and other macros, Mr Hovious explained why they are so important: “They’re impacted by water quality.” What does that mean? “They are a biological indicator” of stream health, he said. The very top row of a cheat sheet of insect images was listed most desirable. That top row of organisms is also the most sensitive. “You see fewer as the water quality deteriorates,” he said.

This year’s unofficial results were “slightly more encouraging than in past years,” said TU President James Belden. Unlike past years when the weather has likely skewed their findings, this year’s fall sampling was not preceded by either drought or heavy rains. “Either excess will cause a reduction in macroinvertibrates,” he said. He thanked the roughly 20 volunteers who helped test the waterways.

Reaching for a tray holding the net’s contents, he poked through the streambed materials “looking for movement.” With tweezers, he pulled out one specimen that drew his curiosity. Describing the dark, segmented body that protectively curled against itself as he turned it, Mr Hovious said, “He’s got a flat body, two tails, and three wing-pads.” Looking at each of the three segments forming a series of points down each side of the creature’s body, Mr Hovious gave a glimpse of how the insects life would unfurl. “He’ll hatch, fly away, return, and propagate.” Hoping to determine the macroinvertibrate’s identity, Mr Pease flipped through papers with rough drawings of a variety of riffle dwellers.

Comparing features from tail to antennae, they finally concluded: giant stonefly. He will be packaged and sent to the state for official classification. Based on current and past macro sampling, water sampling, and monitoring the water’s temperature, Mr Hovious confirmed that the Pootatuck is in “good shape,” but Deep Brook is not as good. “There is more development” along Deep Brook. With development come roadways or parking lots, which shuttle rain toward the stream carrying debris and pollutants. During warm months the run-off, which would otherwise soak into the grounds, is warmer than the stream. The temperatures and debris detract from the stream’s ideal silt-free, cooler conditions. The Halfway River is well protected with little developed land along its course, he said. Lastly, Mr Hovious noted that in his experience several years ago, Pond Brook was “pretty good.”