Well, Affiliated Researchers was awarded a stream evaluation project in support of a possible dam removal on an old military reservation in southern Indiana (the report is not yet public so no more specific location details are given). We conducted the first phase of the field work last October, collecting data on water quality and stream habitat, as well as electroshocking for fish (all released) and collecting benthic macroinvertebrate samples. Well, we found 81 identifiable genera (NOT counting Chironomidae, yet!) of benthic macroinvertebrates and 16 fish species, all in this tiny little creek that averages 6-12" deep and was maybe 3 feet in a couple of beaver ponds! We have almost completed editing the final report on last fall's field work and if possible I will eventually provide a link to it once it becomes public.
In the meantime, here's a bunch of photos of the field work and the beautiful environment we were doing it in. Enjoy! And there's another bunch of this coming up for us in May, were are going back & expanding this work to include reference streams, periphyton (algae!), and I may be smashing midge heads for generic identification (did this during my never-finished PhD work in Missouri). Lots of work & lots of $$$ for me this year!!!
Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...