Project aims to restore trout to Batten Kill
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By Andrew McKeever Rutland Herald - Published: June 28, 2005
ARLINGTON — The U.S. Forest Service plans to partner with a local environmental group to help restore the riverbanks of the Batten Kill in an effort to reverse the decline in the river's trout population.
The Batten Kill Watershed Alliance expects to sign a cost-sharing agreement with the Forest Service in the next few weeks that could bring in more than $100,000 in funding, said Cynthia Browning, interim executive director of the Batten Kill Watershed Alliance.
The restoration work would stabilize the banks and provide cover for the fish using tree stumps and other natural materials, Browning said.
"We don't know if this is the smoking gun on the trout," she said. "But this could be really big. Large woody debris is at least part of the problem and one we can do something about."
For years, scientists have puzzled over the declining numbers of trout in the river that runs through Dorset, Manchester and Arlington before entering New York state. Part of the answer may lie in providing more shelter and cover in the river habitat, Browning said.
Large, fallen trees are important for refuge for the fish from predators, floods and heat, as well as creating good places for the fish to feed, she said.
This shelter is especially critical for young, or yearling, trout, she said.
A draft report released by a team of biologists from the University of Vermont flags the inability of the year-old fish to grow to adulthood as an important factor in the decline of the trout population, said Kenneth Cox of the Fish and Wildlife Department with the state's Agency of Natural Resources.
Calling the project an "important step," Cox said the cover and shelter on the Batten Kill is far below what is needed to support a healthy population of brown trout.
The Forest Service's portion of the agreement will probably be in the $80,000 range. It is hoping that will be matched either in dollars or in-kind services, said Steve Roy, a fisheries biologist with the Green Mountain National Forest who is working with the Alliance on the project.
"The Forest Service's guidelines don't require a 50-50 match, but we would like to see that," he said.
In recent years there have been extensive studies done on the river to figure out what is causing the loss of fish, he said.
"We now feel comfortable that habitat is certainly a factor that is contributing to that and it's something we can do something about," he said.
Actual work on the river won't begin until next summer. After the funding is finalized and the partners lined up, the group will need to work out arrangements with riverbank landowners as well as secure permits from state and federal agencies, Roy said. This is likely to take up to four months, he said.
"It's not a big hurdle, but you have to have your ducks in a row," he said.
If approved, it will be the first project of its kind ever mounted on the Batten Kill, although similar projects have occurred elsewhere around the state.
The results of the two-year project will be extensively monitored, he said.
"We're not going to do the project and then walk away," he said.
The work will likely take place in Arlington. Ideally, Roy would like to see one continuous stretch restored, but that depends on local landowner approval.
But even a project of this scope is unlikely to make much of a difference in the trout population in near future, said Philip Monahan, editor of a group of magazines that includes American Angler, a leading publication on trout- and fly-fishing.
The main problem with fixing the Batten Kill is that a lot of the river runs from the headwaters in Dorset to the Hudson River in New York state, he said.
"To make a big impact you would have to spend millions of dollars," he said. "I'm all for it. It's a great idea. But it may not be a solution for the short term."
Nevertheless, it's a place to start, and an official statement on the river restoration project will be released soon, Browning said.
"It's a big, exciting project," she said.
Contact Andrew McKeever at Andrew.mckeever@rutlandherald.com.
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