One of 8 core classes for the Southern Appalachian Naturalist Certification Program.
I was invited to guide the snorkeling portion of the class. We had 2 sites selected and i added a 3rd downstream. Lots of fun, interesting people in this class. 3 were certified as having completed all 8 classes!
Welcome to Tremont and Fresh Chanterelles.
I've never been here before but what a great facility. Beautiful setting, creek flowing through, cafeteria, bunk house, meeting rooms, gift shop, labs. They hold classes all year for a wide variety of subjects.
Trout graffiti on the River House. Ant Lions below and Crows ready for any lunch leftovers.
Looking upstream from the swimming hole. Wade across a flow over concrete pad and then down along a cascade to the pool below.
Joe and the Banded Water Snake. Bitten once. Round pupil. Safety first.
A Common Snapping Turtle and new found freedom. Luke enhanced.
Super clear water, chilly at 62 but an inviting diversity with 2 blown down River Chub mounds.
Hogsuckers, Stonerollers, Sculpins, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Tennessee and Warpaint Shiners, Snubnosed Darters. Mystery Minnows. Blacknose Dace. Downstream are Hellbenders where the creek meets the Little River. The Wye, as the juncture is known and full of people and tubers and splashers.
There is a Stonefly on his hat. Kris set up two UV lighted sheets and all kinds of critters soon appeared.
Dobsonfly. Fully spread wings. One of 2. No horned males and stink free.
The former fearsome female Hellgrammit.
Nicely rendered Stonefly art. The next morning we moved down to the Little River to snorkel, seine and dipnet just above site 5.
5 lined Skink. Love the blue.
Young Tangerine. We set a seine and i snorkel herded several reluctant critters into it. Missed the Galactura.
Our group, 14 students in all and Erin our leader. Earning their Naturalist degree.
Star Bridge, 2 miles downstream from our first group site. I always go here, tho the descent would have been precarious for our group. Noted as site 5 in my Snorkel Guide.
Banded Darter. Conditions were near terrible for quality photos. Luke Etchison graciously helped enhance some of the photos. Too murky, lots of particulates in the water, shimmery light. But the temperature was a cool 72, quite comfortable. I stayed in bare-skin for 3 hours, resulting in a bright red lower back sunburn.
Lots of Greenside Darters today. W W W W W. Luke enhanced.
Tennessee Snubnosed Darter. Tiny red dots on their back.
Redline Darter. The males are always colorful. There was a king male, nearly black, dominating a pile of stones. I never could get a close image of him.
Blotchside Logperch. Rock flipping and hard to close in on. Luke enhanced.
Stargazing Minnows. Very beautiful fish.
Stripeneck Musk Turtle. Mossy faced, in need of a grooming.
Tangerine Darter, youngster on the move with several others nearby.
Other species, Galactura in high spawning mode, a herd of little Blotched Chubs, several Bluebreast Darters as i believe, Gilt Darters, Redhorse from the bridge above. There are many more species here to be seen. A nice weekend overall, great group, interesting activities. I felt rejuvenated as soon as i settled into Tremont's swimming hole.
All 3 hours snorkeling at Star Bridge were generally spent working in the same small run. Often times i would go up to a big riffle run lined with Water Willow and then downstream to beneath a 2nd bridge. But today i was content working this small section. I'm looking forward to returning to Tremont next season for many reasons.
Snorkeling Seine Man.
I herded a bunch of Tangerines into a carefully set net.
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