32 replies to this topic

[Michael Wolfe]

Once again, NANFA Georgia will be cooperating with the Biology Department of Reinhardt University for Reinhardt Bioblitz 2012 on April 14th on the campus of Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia. Dr. Zach Felix has invited us to participate in the Reinhardt Bioblitz and act as the icthyological support for the day. We will be demonstrating seining techniques and helping to identify species on and around the campus near Moore’s Mill Creek.

Moore’s Mill Creek is a major tributary of Shoal Creek in the Etowah River Drainage in North Georgia. The Etowah Drainage is home to a number of interesting and endemic species. Since there are several protected species in this drainage, it will be critical that we properly identify what we are seeing, and collection of fish will thus be somewhat limited. Observation and identification will be our primary focus with photo tanks and observation tanks set up streamside.

This is a great opportunity to spread the word about NANFA while at the same time helping the Reinhardt University Biology Department. We will have the opportunity “to increase and disseminate knowledge about North America's native fishes and their habitats among aquarium hobbyists, biologists, fish and wildlife officials, anglers, educators, students, and others.” And through our words and actions we will “promote the conservation of native fishes and the protection/ restoration of natural habitats.”What could be better?

I will be there and am looking for help and participation from the rest of y’all here in Georgia (and the surrounding area) to support NANFA and the fishes. Please contact me if you will be able to join us for this day of fun and fish.

We will develop a more detailed plan as we get closer to the actual date, but I wanted to get the word out now so that you can all make your plans to join us in Waleska! As we did last year, we will focus on the campus first, but if there is interest in a broader field trip (even the next day, like we did last year) let me know that, and I will likely be able to coordinate something in the general area. If you missed it last year, you won't want to miss it again... but if you did, check the link below.

http://forum.nanfa.o...vity-april-2-3/

[Michael Wolfe]

I got the following details about the 2012 Reinhardt Bioblitz from Zach via email... If anyone is still interested in joining us, let me know!

Details: Friday night Dr. Mark Yates from LaGrange college will set up nets to capture bats and also some listening devices to record their echolocation calls. This is from 6 till 10 and we will meet outside of Dobbs.

Saturday morning we will have 3 groups of birders combing the campus for songbirds from 8 till 9:30 led by folks including our very own Bruce Bynum.

At 1:00 a group from the North American Native Fishes Association (NANFA) will take groups out to seine net fishes on campus.

At 4:00 in the upstairs of the library Mr. Bryan Hudson will put on a very exciting snake show. He will bring a variety of venomous and non-venomous snake species and inform us about these awesome animals.

If anyone needs some information please have them contact me at zif@reinhardt.edu or 770-720-5936

Quote - One thing Cherokee County can be proud of is its amazing biodiversity. We have species found here that are not found anywhere else on Earth. This biodiversity is being displaced and we are losing part of our heritage. This bioblitz is a way to come together and celebrate some really neat animals and document their presence here on our beautiful campus.

Thanks!!

Zach Felix, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Biology Department
Reinhardt University
7300 Reinhardt Circle
Waleska, GA 30183

[Michael Wolfe]

OK, right now we've got... me, doug, camm, john d, keith and terry that have said that they are pretty much sure to come up... and matt still as a maybe... anyone else want to join us? Just trying to get people organized as we start our countdown to Bioblitz 8 days and counting!

[Michael Wolfe]

I want to thanks the NANFAns that came out to the Bioblitz yesterday and through their efforts and enthusiasm helped make it so successful. Camm, Terry, Matt, Doug and Keith, joined me as once again, NANFA provided the fishy expertise and leadership for the Bioblitz. By all reports Dr. Felix was very plesed with our participationa dn leadership and the students gained a new appreciation (and in some cases even excitement) for the native fishes with which they share the campus.

As far as a fish report, I offer the following, mostly written by Camm:

Species names in brackets are those in the list from O'Kelley and Powers hog sucker paper.

Campostoma [oligolepis}
Cyprinella trichroistia
C. callistia
C. venusta
Luxilus [chrysocephalus] (Our groups first haul or two I thought I saw one or two fish with the elevated scales suggesting Luxilus but did not confirm)
Nocomis sp [not on O'Kelley and Power's list]
Notropis chrosomus
Semotilus atromaculatus
Hypentelium etowanum
Fundulus stellifer
Gambusia affinis [not on O'Kelley and Power's list]
Cottus carolinae (I wasn't thinking of a second species of Cottus, [bairdi], but the one or two I saw were carolinae)
Lepomis auritus
L. macrochirus
L. cyanellus
Pomoxis annularis (in th e pond only)
Micropterus coosae
M. salmoides
Etheostoma scotti
E. stigmaeum
E. coosae

We sampled from 13:45 to 15:40 hrs or so and the water was between 15 and 15.5 degrees C. the whole time with an air temperature of 23 at the end. I estimated the substrate as 40% bedrock, 30% flat rock cobble, and 30% sand to mud, width four to seven meters, depth to 1.2 m, with an average of about 30cm, capture depth to 1.2 m, shore was steep earthen banks 0.5-1.5 m high with low herbaceous vegetation and deciduous trees, the latter providing 80-100% canopy cover. Water was clear with good visibility to 1.2 m deep. The seine was 17 X 6 feet with one eighth inch mesh (5 X 1.8 m, 3 mm mesh). The other groups had different sized nets, and considerably dip net activity was involved also.

[Michael Wolfe]

Others may have pictures, I did not see the fish... last year we had one... they looked like light pinkish hydrophlox with bluish highlights... not fired up or anything, but obviously rainbows.