Trout Unlimited & NH Fish & Game
in the Warner River Watershed
Trout Unlimited and New Hampshire Fish & Game have been working together with town organizations, such as conservation commissions and Local Advisory Committees like ours, to conduct wild brook trout surveys and increase habitat restoration efforts across New Hampshire. One of their main goals is to ensure the sustainability of the beautiful wild brook trout, a species of "greatest conservation need," according to NH Wildlife Action Plan.
One Trout Unlimited project in our watershed has been Culvert-Stream Crossing Assessments to repair, restore, or replace culverts in order to improve trout passage within the watershed. (Scroll down the TU page to "Ongoing Projects and Activities".)
Here is a report about a recent survey of brook trout in Ballard Brook:​​
Friday the 13th of September was lucky for the chapter and brook trout in a tributary of the Warner River.
The Basil Woods chapter supported NH Fish and Game as they characterized Ballard Brook, part of the Warner River watershed. The action was to count and catalog the wild brook trout population prior to the removal of an impassable culvert.
The culvert, shown in this picture, represents a risk to Red Brick Road and a barrier to wild trout movement. The culvert will be replaced to improve resilience to high water events but will also allow fish passage and wildlife resilience.
Over 50 wild trout were captured and returned to Ballard Brook and the volunteers had a fun day on a wild brook trout stream.
Text and photos courtesy of Greg Swick
This culvert will be repaired to allow for the passage of aquatic life.
Brook trout
In the brook
Brook trout
​
Another project for the Basil Woods TU chapter has been collecting data in our very own Warner River watershed through Brook Trout & Habitat Quality Surveys. These photos are from the June 2024 macroinvertebrate survey of Ballard Brook, where all indications were that this particular stream is in good condition. Those participating included a student researcher, and members of the Warner Conservation Commission, the Warner River Local Advisory Committee, and local TU members.
Netting Macroinvertebrates
Mapping the Stream
Identifying & Sorting Macroinvertebrate Species
Data on these streams is available at this link: Stream Monitoring 2024
