Volume 15, Number 4

October - December 2011

The final quarter of 2011 wrapped up with many stream surveys in preparation for fish habitat improvement and riparian area renovations and several new Stream Teams getting their feet wet. During the last three months, Region II surveyed and designed seven streambank stabilization projects that are slated to be installed during 2012. Many of these projects are a direct consequence of extreme 2011 spring flooding, which altered the hydrology of many of our rivers and streams around the state. Some of the sites we have seen were self-correcting, and all that is needed is time and patience. Some, however, will require a bit of help with habitat additions and velocity alterations to lessen or stop future erosion at the impaired sites. Just one of the sites slated for streambank remediation for 2012. This particular one is on the Current River.

The Newsletter of the Arkansas Stream Team

Current Events

News from Region II (Delta) Stream Team Coordinator, Stephen O’Neal…

The annual AGFC Youth-Expo, held at Lake Sylvia, was well-attended over the course of two days. Hundreds of fifth-grade students from around the state came to learn, get involved, and get up-close and personal with our state’s resources, and meet some of us AGFC folk who are mandated to conserve those resources for future generations to come. It was one-and-a-half days of pure fun and learning for all, and half-a-day of torrential rain!

The AGFC Youth-Expo at Lake Sylvia was, once again, a big hit in 2011. The fishing was pretty good, too! Monitoring of the Gulf Mountain Wildlife Management Area, including hydrogeomorphological assessments and ongoing fisheries evaluations, were also conducted during the final quarter of the year. A great majority of the ‘Special Programs’ staff, in the Fisheries Division, were involved in the survey work with Steve Filipek, Brian Wagner, Jeff Quinn, Matthew Irvin, and Stephen O’Neal conducting electrofishing surveys. Andrea Daniel and Katrina Heath, fellow fisheries professionals, were part of the team that helped collect physical and chemical parameters to determine what, if any, effect the gas exploration activities are having on the South Fork Little Red River near Scotland, Arkansas. These assessments will be ongoing for many years.

Andrea Daniel and Steve Filipek (photo at left) perform hydrogeomorphological assessments on the South Fork Little Red River near Scotland, Arkansas.

The Stream Team live animal display made a showing at the LIFE Homeschool Class in Searcy, and the seventh-grade class learned about the aquatic reptiles and amphibians that make our state a very interesting place, and why those same animals make excellent indicators of water quality. The students had many questions concerning herpetology and aquatic sciences. It would not be a surprise if a biologist or two should come out of this sharp group of students. Live animals such as this monster bullfrog make learning about water quality, aquatic habitat, and conservation strategies fun for both young and old alike! The Mammoth Springs EAST Stream Team did double-duty recently in northern Arkansas. The group planted thirty trees right after the leaves dropped this fall (the best time to plant!), and ten students were involved in the riparian area establishment effort. Permission was granted by the town officials to plant the vegetation along the urban creek, and long-term hopes are that the eventual tree canopy will shade the water, decrease the water temperature, increase the oxygen holding capacity of the creek, and stabilize the bank with the numerous roots the trees will put deep into the soil bank. The group also performed biological and chemical sampling procedures to discover the overall stream health and, based on the results, the urban stream is in very good biological condition. Many sensitive macroinvertebrate species were surveyed, and the water chemistry results also verified that the overall water condition is rather unspoiled. Further assessments will be conducted in subsequent months to bring to the class the educational resources the students desire to study.

News from Region I (Ozark Highlands and Boston Mountains) Stream Team Coordinator, Dave Evans…

One of the joys of performing macroinvertebrate samples—getting to “play” with the specimens!

The year’s first snowfall has come to the hill country of Arkansas. At this writing, last week we had just over an inch of the white stuff north of Harrison. A friend of mine cut open a persimmon seed and saw what he called, “a shovel.” He said the ‘old timers’ say that means we will be shoveling snow this winter….maybe a lot of snow. The usual cast of characters is at it again, playing in the creeks. Those kids from the Ambassadors for Christ Academy finally got to sample the bugs and water quality on Little Sugar Creek in Benton County. We had made two attempts earlier in the year to get started. It just didn’t seem to work out right. As typical, after monitoring, they found the water quality of Little Sugar Creek to be excellent. This new batch of sixth graders is as excited about catching bugs as the previous ones were! As is customary, one of the girls had to be “encouraged” to hold the ferocious ¼ inch-long mayfly larva, and the equally “deadly” (just kidding) ⅓ inch-long caddis fly larva. But, the critter that really got to her was the crawdad (crayfish). However, if she is like the vast majority of her predecessors, she’ll be fighting to get to the front of the line to catch those ‘denizens of the deep’ on our next outing. The Clinton High School Stream Team has re-started after a one-year hiatus. This new group seems eager to spend days, as many as they can, collecting water samples and bugs from the South Fork of the Little Red River. As yet, they haven’t found many bugs this year, due to the low-water levels coming out of last summer’s drought. One of the boys did have a painful meeting with one of the largest hellgrammites I’ve ever seen. It seems that the set of pinchers on the hellgrammite’s head really does work! Even considering the dry summer we went through last year, the water quality on the Little Red River at Clinton was not too bad.

The North Arkansas Community College Green Team had their annual litter pick-up earlier this fall. A large group of volunteers spent the morning picking up trash on Crooked Creek, going up and down the stream at the Junior High School in Harrison. They also collected litter from the city park, and from along Dry Jordan Creek. If memory serves me right, they found in excess of 50 automobile tires and several hundred pounds of trash. They went so far as to separate the recyclable materials from the trash. Well done folks, and please keep up the good work!

Water quality testing

Who says this isn’t fun?

◄ Some of the tires. (Photo at left)

Who says that an old tire, some mud, and a rubber glove can’t be fun? (Photo at right) ►

Water quality testing.

A large bank restoration project was recently completed on Crooked Creek at the city park in Yellville. The extensive flooding that occurred in 2008, and again last Easter, had caused major damage within the park to the banks of Crooked Creek. This site was in excess of 900 feet in length, and the banks were approximately 20 feet in height. The soil at this particular site is very erodible, for the reason of its very high sand content. This project was funded by “Federal Stimulus” monies, and involved the installation of seven large rock vanes, numerous locked logs, and the sloping of the bank. Later this winter, several hundred trees and shrubs will be planted at the site to improve the site’s long term stability. In addition, the trees and shrubs will provide shade to help keep the creek’s waters cool. I sure do hope that everyone has a safe, sane, and joyous holiday season and happy new year.

The fourth quarter began with a couple of cool mornings and beautiful days spent on the South Fork Little Red River that runs through the heart of Scott Henderson Gulf Mountain WMA. I participated in a fish sampling effort to monitor the effects of oil and gas exploration on fish abundance and diversity in the South Fork Little Red River. It was quite a learning experience for me to work with seasoned fisheries biologists, malacologist, non-game aquatics biologist, and other Stream Team coordinators. I also spent a couple days with statewide Stream Team coordinator and assistant chief, Steve Filipek, surveying the physical properties of the South Fork Little Red River to monitor annual changes in streambed morphology.

News from Region IV (Ouachita Mountains and Arkansas River Valley) Stream Team Coordinator, Matthew Irvin...

The Pick-up Crew

The next big event, and a pleasure to be a part of, was the Lake Sylvia Youth-Expo. I hosted a Stream Team exhibit to educate hundreds of fifth-graders on what we do. I taught them about some of the surveying techniques we use, and let them get a ‘hands-on’ experience of using a laser-level and sketching the contour of a stream channel cross-section. I also taught them the importance of aquatic insects and other macroinvertebrates, and how they are indicators of water quality. Although we did not have time to do a complete chemical analysis with each group, I showed them how we use a HACH kit to test a stream’s water quality.

On October 18, I assisted District IX fisheries supervisor, Bob Limbird, with demonstrating the use of an electrofishing boat for a group of school teachers at the Upland Hardwood Forest Ecosystem Workshop at Lake Fort Smith State Park. Their eyes lit-up with amazement as these school teachers observed what lies below the surface of the water, near a boat dock, or submerged brush pile. They were so excited, that a few of them forgot to dip-up their catch with the net! One of the most valuable things our agency does is working with partners and cooperators. The Fisheries Division meets annually with all of our surrounding states to find out how they are managing fish populations in reservoirs and rivers that are shared by both states. In return, we share information on how we manage fish populations and habitat in those shared bodies of water. The ultimate outcome is creating diverse high quality fishing opportunities for both states. Ken Shirley, District II fisheries supervisor, did a great job hosting Missouri Department of Conservation personnel at the Fred Berry Conservation Education Center on Crooked Creek in Yellville, Arkansas. Fall is a great time of year to get out the neoprene waders and visit my new Stream Teams to train them in how to use their water quality kits, and how to collect macroinvertebrates and identify them. During the first week of November, I had the privilege of working with Friends of the Mulberry Watershed Stream Team on Little Mulberry Creek, which is a tributary of the Mulberry River. Seven of us evaluated the chemical and biological properties of this stream. Everything was within the parameters of a healthy and clean body of water, with the exception of nitrates, which was a little high. The Friends of the Mulberry Watershed Stream Team will be evaluating the Little Mulberry Creek in Johnson County four times a year, and keeping a close eye on the nitrates in their watershed.

Another new Stream Team added to the Arkansas River Valley is the Atkins Middle School Stream Team. Fifteen seventh-graders, three instructors, and I conducted a biological and chemical assessment of the West Fork Point Remove Creek in Conway County, on Ed Gordon Point Remove WMA. I was surprised at the number of scuds and juvenile crayfish we found.

After all of the fun I had with some of my new Stream Teams, I attended a very valuable training course in Fayetteville. The course was Applied Fluvial Geomorphology by Dr. Dave Rosgen. Dr. Dave Rosgen, of Wildland Hydrology, has been practicing stream and watershed restoration for 46 years. Dr. Rosgen developed some of the first criteria and classifications of natural streams used today. He also developed many concepts such as the cross-vane, w-weir, and j-hook vane structures decades ago that have been used by many stream restorationists throughout the globe. Some of his more recent designs for streambank stabilization methods include toe wood-sod mats with woody debris. These newer innovations look more natural, are less costly, and maintain stream stability as good as his earlier structures that were made of large boulder-size rocks. I hope to further my knowledge and education by taking more of Dr. Rosgen’s courses before he retires. One very important aspect of my job is to ensure that what I am doing is actually working. With that thought in mind, I spent a few days checking on streambank stabilization projects that were constructed this past summer. I wanted to make sure there was an adequate amount of ground cover to prevent erosion and sediment from getting into the streams. After looking at four of my projects, I concluded that browntop millet worked better than buckwheat for a summer cover crop, and a mixture of winter wheat and ladino clover did well for fall cover crops. When the work is all done, it is time to relax. I am very grateful for a job I enjoy, as well as being able to take time off to be with family. I used some vacation time to travel and visit with family, and I enjoyed being with family to celebrate the birth of Christ during the Christmas holiday. Also, during my time off, I went deer hunting with my dad and brothers. My wife and boys have enjoyed me being home and taking them crappie and bream fishing. As I look back on the past year, I have many things for which to be thankful. Looking ahead, I will soon be needing volunteers to assist in planting trees and shrubs on five-to-seven locations. Starting in late January through early March, I will be planting trees and shrubs on: the Caddo River near Caddo Valley in Clark County, Short Mountain Creek near Paris in Logan County, West Fork Mill Creek near Houston in Perry County, Horsehead Creek north of Clarksville in Johnson County, and the Arkansas River near Wright in Jefferson County. Two other sites that could be selected are on: Lockett Creek near Hot Springs in Garland County, and Cadron Creek near Springfield in Conway County. If one of these projects is near you, and you would like to help, please give me a call at (877) 967-7577.

News from Region III (Gulf Coastal Plain) Stream Team Coordinator, [currently vacant]...

The Region III Stream Team Coordinator position is currently vacant. The Region III news will continue once this position has been filled.

For those reading an Arkansas Stream Team newsletter for the first time, Stream Teams are groups of citizens from the age of six years to 96+ who care enough about Arkansas’ water resources to form or join a team and adopt a stream, or other water body in the state, for the purpose of keeping it clean and healthy. Started in 1996, there are now over 500 Stream Teams statewide that carry out a variety of activities in the quest of keeping our state’s water more natural. These teams conduct litter pickups, repair eroding streambanks on willing owners’ land, plant trees to restore degraded riparian areas, work with local leaders to better manage their watersheds, and a variety of other activities aimed at conserving one of the most valuable of Arkansas’ natural resources, its water! Anyone out there who hasn’t already joined this winning team and is interested in joining the Stream Team, or learning more about this grassroots way to conserve our state’s water resources, can contact Steve Filipek at AGFC (501) 223-6371, or e-mail him at sfilipek@agfc.state.ar.us. There is no cost to join. Classes on how streams work, what animals live in-and-around them, and how a healthy stream functions, are offered each year at a reasonable rate.

NEWSLETTER AVAILABLE VIA E-MAIL. In an effort to conserve resources, Stream Team members with current e-mail addresses were notified of the option to receive the newsletter via e-mail. If you have not received an e-mail notification and would like to receive the newsletter via e-mail, please notify Steve Filipek at sfilipek@agfc.state.ar.us, or at (501) 223-6371. ►NEWSLETTER ON-LINE ACCESS: Access (a direct link) to the Stream Team Newsletter is available on the Internet at: http://www.agfc.com/streamteam NOTE: [Under: Arkansas Stream Team Program---Click: Arkansas Stream Team Quarterly Newsletter---then, click on your choice of newsletter(s).]

HAS ANYTHING CHANGED? Please let us know if your address, phone number(s) or e-mail information has changed.

Name: _____________________________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________ City, State, and Zip Code: _____________________________________________________ Home Phone: ________________________ Work Phone: ___________________________ E-Mail: ___________________________________________

Mail to: Arkansas Stream Team Coordinator (OR) E-Mail to: sfilipek@agfc.state.ar.us

2 Natural Resources Drive Little Rock, AR 72205

Stream Team Name: ________________________________ Activity Sheet Stream Team #: ____________

Activities Date County Stream Name

Basin Miles of River Covered

Project description; please give as much detail as you can about your activity such as location (e.g.

3 miles upstream from Hwy 63 bridge). Also include facts about the project not covered on far left (e.g. the first litter pickup ever conducted on

Dry Fork Creek), etc. o help us include it in newsletter.

# Of Volunteers

Project Duration

(# Hours)

Measurement (#of…)

Conducted Inventory

#Inventories

Attended/Conducted Workshop

#Attendees

Held Meeting on Stream Team Subject

#Attendees

Wrote article/contact with media on ST issue

#article/interviews

Wrote letter in support of ST issue

#Letters

Held Litter Pickup

#Bags or p/u Loads

Monitored/assessed Water Quality

#Trips

Participated in other Agency Projects

#Events

Planted trees, stabilized banks or

other stream improvements

#Trees or Stream bank Events

Storm Drain Stencil Project

#Drains Stenciled

Sponsored display at fair, mall, etc.

#Events

Presentation at local state or Federal Gov’t

meeting/hearing

#Presentations

River Watch

# Hours

ST Association Activities

# Hours

Education Project

# Events

Greenway Development

# Projects

OTHER (Describe)

The Process of becoming a STREAM TEAM…

MAIL TO:

1. Express an interest and request more information. Send your name, address, and phone number to:

2. Sign up. You will receive the newsletter and be counted among Arkansas΄ STREAM TEAM members. This will also get you in the network of those wanting to help out Arkansas΄ waterways. 3. Adopt a stream. To become more involved in the program you can adopt a stream. Select a stream that you or your group are particularly concerned about. For example - the creek on your land, your favorite fishing hole, or the stream you drive over everyday going to work or school.

A. Inventory your stream with help from the STREAM TEAM coordinators. B. Decide what you want to do---trash pickup, habitat improvement, water quality monitoring, and/or whatever is of interest to you or your group!

Steve Filipek/Debra Dickson Stream Team News Editors Arkansas Game and Fish Commission 2 Natural Resources Drive Little Rock, AR 72205