ON OUR LAND

From left, Kearsarge Regional High School students assist New Hampshire Fish and Game Freshwater Fisheries Biologist John Magee (middle) as he electrofishes in a brook at the Black Mountain Forest Reservation. The goal of the student’s research project is to determine how climate change is impacting brook trout (right) and other fish in their region.

Go Fish!

Students Study Climate Change Impacts on Local Fish Populations

By Dave Anderson

This autumn, Kearsarge Regional High School students continued to use the Forest Society’s 1,000-acre Black Mountain Forest Reservation as an outdoor laboratory and forest classroom.

Along with state forest and state park land and New Hampshire Fish and Game (NHFG) Wildlife Management Areas on Mount Kearsarge, nearly 7,000 acres of contiguous conservation land adjoin the regional high school campus. Students in biology teacher Emily Anderson’s Geographic Information Systems research class investigated fish populations in a brook that runs through the reservation and into Stevens Brook, which eventually drains into the Warner River.

NHFG Freshwater Fisheries Biologist John Magee returned this year to assist students with electrofishing, a technique that uses direct current electricity to temporarily stun the fish they are surveying. This technique makes it easier to net trout hiding beneath the steep undercut banks in the upper reaches of the forested brook. In contrast, the lower reaches of Stevens Brook contain fewer trout and relatively more warm water fish species, including perch, pickerel, minnows, and dace.

Teams of students wearing rubber waders and gloves used dip nets to scoop fish brought to the surface by the current passed through the water. Students created a 100-meter transect along the brook and sampled fish in 10-meter increments while keeping records of where fish were removed so they were returned to the same pools after. Alternate teams of students carried buckets of water and live fish to digital scales where students recorded information on species, length, weight, and estimated age class.

Magee explained the equipment as well as fish identification and stream habitat requirements. In general, stream water temperatures above 74°F do not contain enough dissolved oxygen to support coldwater fish, such as the small but colorful native brook trout. Separate sampling for in-stream macro invertebrates revealed the

From left, Kearsarge Regional High School biology students collect and weigh brook trout as part of a research project in partnership with New Hampshire Fish and Game.

relative abundance of preferred aquatic insects that support the base of the freshwater food chain.

Preliminary data this autumn suggested fewer fish were found overall in the steep upper reaches of the brook draining the Black Mountain Forest. The lack of fish might be due to the record-setting rains Sutton received in July. In-stream scouring of gravel substrates and organic material, including fallen leaves and the coarse, woody debris of twigs, roots, and branches that feed and shelter macro invertebrates, is another potential threat to local trout populations. Typically, the critical limiting factor for brook trout is surviving warm summer water temperatures, low dissolved oxygen, and very low water levels during July and August. This year’s heavy summer rains and flash floods illustrate how climate change can affect stream hydrology and fish populations. Data from prior years and subsequent years will help to document changes in the brook’s fish population.

Now in its third year, the stream sampling laboratory is a project that provides real world, hands-on learning with professionals, such as Magee, says Anderson. Forest Society Volunteer and Community Engagement Director Carrie Deegan has worked alongside students during the data gathering phase each year as part of the Forest Society’s Mount Kearsarge Outdoor Classroom, which helps support student learning on Forest Society land. The proximity of conservation land to the Kearsarge Regional High School was originally cited as a compelling reason to initially protect and later expand Black Mountain Forest Reservation.

Naturalist Dave Anderson is senior director of education for the Forest Society.

Online

Learn more about Forest Society education programs and events at forestsociety.org/education-events.

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