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[Michael Wolfe]

2013 was a tough year for staffing the Bioblitz, several of us were not able to make it, so we had to staff it this year with QUALITY instead of quantity. NANFA Georgia member Camm Swift and honorary (or is that just ornery?) NANFA Georgia, dude from Florida, Doug Dame handled all of the duties this year. And I thank them heartily for keeping us going...

We got the following feedback from Professor Zach Felix:

Thank you so much for your generous contribution to our Bioblitz. I had some really great comments from the students who thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were really floored by all of the fish. One said "I drive by that stream every day and I had NO idea!".

It was a pleasure to see you and I am very grateful for you guys making the bioblitz a wonderful experience again this year!

And I submit the following report from Camm on the days activities (One note before everyone mentions it. The E. scotti are very abundant in these streams. Yes, they are federally listed. No, none of them were harassed)
Fishes sampled in Moore Creek and Lake Mullenix, Reinhardt University Campus, Waleska, Cherokee County, GA on April 20, 2012, by Camm C. Swift, Douglas Dame, Zach Felix, with students and Boy Scouts

Moore Creek, two 100-150m stretches, one upstream of Hwy 108 and one downstream. Downstream stretch for approximately 150 m downstream from historic house and crumpled outbuilding; upstream stretch about same above a new pedestrian bridge over stream. Downstream stretch from about 34⁰ 19’ 27.28’’N; 84⁰ 33’ 04.81’’W to 34⁰ 19’ 23.16’’N; 84⁰ 32’ 57.21’’W and upstream site about 34⁰ 19’ 11.85’’N; 84⁰ 32’ 49.36’’W to 34⁰ 19’ 09.77’’N; 84⁰ 32’ 47.52’’W, air cool, water 14⁰ C. at start and probably not changed much at end. Weather sunny, slight breeze, substrate bedrock, about 35%, sand 35%, flats rocks and cobble, 15%, gravel, 5%, and sticks, logs, leaves 10%. Shore gentle to steep soil and clay banks up to 1.5 m high, little or no shoreline vegetation, but trees on banks and beyond; about 10-20% of banks with undercuts; canopy about 50% but probably 90-100% when trees fully leafed out. No vegetation in water at lower site, upstream site with some displaced grass in water; stream 2-5 m wide, to 1.4 m deep, average depth about 20cm, about 20% rocky riffles, 60% shallow runs, 20% deeper pools.

Each groups seined for about 1.5 hours, fish appeared scarcer than last year, possibly because more rain early this year, since January 1^st.
Species captured, numbers estimated, with estimated standard length in mm, group number combined unless only seen at one or the other site. Swift had downstream group and Douglas Dame led upstream group.
Stoneroller, Campostoma sp. 4-6 (40-70)
Alabama shiner, Cyprinella callistia 30-40, half grown to adult
Tricolor shiner, Cyprinella trichoristia, 30-40 half grown to adult
Blacktail shiner, Cyprinella venusta, about 10, half grown to adult
Coosa shiner, Notropis xaenocephalus, 5-10 adult
Rainbow shiner, Notropis or Hydrophlox chrosomus, 1 adult seen by DD
Golden shiner, Notemigonus crysoleucas, 18-20 about 70 mm in upstream group DD
Hypentelium etowanum, 2 (30-130)
Southern Studfish, Fundulus stellifer, 1 (45) DD
Eastern or western mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki or affinis about 5, DD
Cherokee darter, Etheostoma scotti, about 15 adult,
Speckled darter, Etheostoma stigmaeum, 1 adult, downstream
Redbreast sunfish or river bream, Lepomis auritus, 8-10 (30-140)
Bluegill or Bream, Lepomis macrochirus, 4-5 (30-100)
Redeye bass, Micropterus coosae, 2 (120-200), downstream
One very young water snake upstream,
Downstream group saw 4-5 frogs, and one salamander about 45 mm.
About 15 crayfish
Virtually no aquatic insects downstream but 10-15 taken by the upstream group, despite using one eighth inch mesh seine the whole time, few water striders seen.

Mullenix Lake, 2-3 ha, to 3 m deep or possibly more, water turbid, visibility to about 20 cm, steep banks, grass or brush at edges, bottom firm with plant debris, little or no aquatic vegetation. Water 20 degrees at sun-warmed margin in afternoon. One haul with 150 foot long, 12 foot deep haul seine with 1.5 inch square mesh in wings and a 12 X 12 X 12 foot bag of one half inch mesh in the middle. Hauled at about 15:30 hours, from about 100 feet from shore.
Redear sunfish or shellcracker, Lepomis microlophus, 8-10 (80-200)
Bluegill or Bream, Lepomis macrochirus, 8-10 (80-200)
Black crappie or speckled perch, Pomoxis nigromaculatus, 2 (150-270)
Largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, 3 juveniles(70-120), 1 adult (300)

[mattknepley]

Glad to hear it went well again this year! That's a pretty nice haul of fishes from the Creek; I've only seen four of those species. As a former teacher; thanks to Camm and Doug for making this happen. I was a social sciences guy, but I always did my best to ensure natural history got its due. Students always seemed struck by it, and it opened up new realizations for them. Maybe next year I won't be working every Saturday and can help out. (And get to see some new fish for myself...)