Workshop to address strategies for fish passage in the Pleasant River watershed

    BROWNVILLE JCT — A technical training focusing on the proper installation and maintenance of road stream crossings in order to prevent problems caused by erosion and to enhance water quality and fish passage, will be held on Sept. 27. This training, hosted by the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD), in partnership with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Maine Forest Service (MFS), will start with a classroom session at 9 a.m. at the American Legion Post 92 in Brownville Jct. Several field training sites in the Pleasant River watershed will then be visited, including sites that are re-connecting over ten miles of stream habitat for eastern brook trout, Atlantic salmon and other resident fish species.

    Landowners, including woodlot and camp owners, lake and road association members, road construction contractors, loggers, foresters and forestland managers, who would like to learn more about the NRCS programs available to help implement conservation practices, such as effective road stream crossings in the Pleasant River watershed, or other watersheds in Maine, may be interested in participating in this free workshop. Others that are interested in habitat connectivity, river restoration and fisheries management also are welcome.
    Ben Naumann, NRCS Fisheries Biologist, will provide information about the major types of barriers created for fish passage by road stream crossings and how these barriers are created over time. Naumann noted, “Improperly designed or installed road stream crossings create biological impacts to natural stream processes and also fish passage issues.”
    Keith Kanoti, MFS Water Resources Forester, will discuss Best Management Practice fundamentals, sizing and installing road stream crossings, and design strategies to achieve fish passage. NRCS’s Piscataquis County District Conservationist David Power will speak about NRCS’s financial and technical assistance programs available to assist landowners with conservation planning, engineering and cost-sharing, to improve stream connectivity in order to restore or keep stream habitat healthy for native aquatic species.
    Participants will learn about an array of road stream crossing approaches, such as the undersized culverts that have been historically used throughout Maine, which in many places have resulted in severe plunge pools that have limited the ability of native fish species to run upriver to spawn. Open bottom arch culverts and bridge abutments with natural substrate also will be discussed, and longitudinal road profiles from road stream crossings will be reviewed. Recent storms, such as the storm that resulted in Brownville’s 2012 severe flooding also will be addressed, as the effects of flooding can be mitigated by installing certain types of road stream crossings that allows the free passage of water during major storms.
    Pre-registration is required. For more information, to pre-register or if you need a special accommodation, please contact Joanna Tarrazi, PCSWCD’s executive director, or Lynn Lubas, PCSWCD’s technical coordinator, by calling 564-2321, extension 3, e-mailing info@piscataquisswcd.org or stopping into the USDA Service Center, located at 42 Engdahl Drive in the Pine Crest Business Park in Dover-Foxcroft.