Contribute to SVTU's Embrace-a-Stream Challenge

Post date: Oct 31, 2018 3:16:24 PM

Please make a donation to our ESA project:

https://www.embraceastream.org/organizations/shenandoah-valley-chapter-208

The South River Special Regulations area near Lyndhurst Virginia was opened to angler access in January of 2011. This section of the South River is fed by numerous limestone springs that keep the river temperatures below 70 degrees even in the hottest summer months. This section of the river has been stocked with advanced fingerling Brown and Rainbow Trout and has shown reasonable success with holding over and trout growth rates. Field surveys by VDGIF and by Ecosystem Services along with Trout Unlimited representatives have determined that stream channel over-widening and the resulting lack of cover could be the limiting factor in the trout carrying capacity for this section. In the fall of 2017 the Shenandoah Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited worked with property owner Dr. Sam Graham to restore approximately 75 feet of stream bank that was eroding back into his property. This project narrowed the stream channel by approximately 8 feet. Prior to the project there was no holding cover for trout in the immediate area and trout were rarely seen. Only weeks after the project, trout were observed in the adjacent channel and have been found there consistently since the completion of the work. The success of this project and the existence of numerous similar sites downstream of this area led to the planning of 4 additional stream bank restoration sites. The chapter has determined the budget for these project sites to be approximately $27,000. The chapter has secured an agreement for donation of the large woody material necessary for the project and we are working toward the goal of raising the $18,000 to fund construction cost.