Children, Your Lesson For Today
Children, allow me to show you the kind of responses I am looking for on tonight's homework:
6.) Critical is the determination of fish blockages, both man-made and natural. Man-made blockages are eventually removed, so ultimately do not prevent fish from moving up if other conditions are favorable. So, you have to send out an in-experienced “Arts & Sciences student" working for you during the summer to localize and identify stream blockages in the watershed. For that purpose you put together a “primer” on fish blockages which tells/defines what they are (e.g. examples and short descriptions in your words plus links/sources (max 2 pages)
The response.
Dear Mr./Mrs Arts and Sciences student,
I have some bad news for you. Before you start this wonderful job for me, I am going to give you some homework. Let’s call it a little light reading which should suck up the majority of your summer. First, I will start you off with something easy. Read the information on the website http://wdfw.wa.gov/hab/engineer/w2201170.htm. Here you will determine what kinds of requirements are outlined to build proper fish passage facilities. If you ever encounter a road crossing or construction project which does not meet the requirements outlined in this website, I suggest start rebuilding it. I left a shovel under your desk which should help you.
Okay, since you thought you got off easy there, I am very disappointed in you. Therefore I shall give you a little more reading to do before you get started. If you go to the website http://www.stream.fs.fed.us/fishxing/biblio.html, you will find an ample supply of abstracts to scientific papers made on the passage of fish through natural and unnatural barriers. There should be just enough reading to carry you into the next century.
These resources I have provided should be sufficient help in giving you an understanding of some of the underlying processes of fish migration and blockage. Within the readings are the definitions of the basic habitat features fish need to migrate upstream. The paper found at the following address should help you with any more questions you may have (http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article= 1006&context=jmie/roadeco). However, if all of these things I have provided for you are rather confusing, allow me to give you some very basic pointers to fish blockage that my great grandfather gave me and his great grandfather before him (these pointers pass every third generation if your math isn’t up to speed). So, if you walk up to a fish bearing stream and are not sure whether fish can migrate up it, just start looking around. Think of the size of the fish you know are in the stream, and look at the water depth. If the water is deep enough for the fish swim without having to lay on his side and dry into fish jerky then the water is deep enough for fish passage. Also, if the fish comes to a waterfall that is more than say, 5 to 10 times his length, then chances are this fish had a better chance of procreating with Arnold Palmer than getting up the waterfall. Even if the waterfall is of sufficient height, there must be enough water for the fish to gain enough speed to clear the jump. Both parameters should be present at the lowest summer flows to allow passage at these locations. The latter parameter is only applied for upstream travel. If per se, the fish wanted to go down stream, even all 268 feet of Snoqualmie falls couldn’t hinder his passage. However, gravity may cause adverse effects in this scenario in the form of the onomatopoeic phrase “splat”.
So, my lovely arts and sciences student, now that you have been given the assignment, I expect you to fix every culvert, road crossing, landslide, or 200+ waterfall hindering the passage of America’s most cherished creatures. You have until the end of August to complete this assignment. Your grade depends on it.
Love,
Your teacher.
PS: Remember the shovel under your desk.
6.) Critical is the determination of fish blockages, both man-made and natural. Man-made blockages are eventually removed, so ultimately do not prevent fish from moving up if other conditions are favorable. So, you have to send out an in-experienced “Arts & Sciences student" working for you during the summer to localize and identify stream blockages in the watershed. For that purpose you put together a “primer” on fish blockages which tells/defines what they are (e.g. examples and short descriptions in your words plus links/sources (max 2 pages)
The response.
Dear Mr./Mrs Arts and Sciences student,
I have some bad news for you. Before you start this wonderful job for me, I am going to give you some homework. Let’s call it a little light reading which should suck up the majority of your summer. First, I will start you off with something easy. Read the information on the website http://wdfw.wa.gov/hab/engineer/w2201170.htm. Here you will determine what kinds of requirements are outlined to build proper fish passage facilities. If you ever encounter a road crossing or construction project which does not meet the requirements outlined in this website, I suggest start rebuilding it. I left a shovel under your desk which should help you.
Okay, since you thought you got off easy there, I am very disappointed in you. Therefore I shall give you a little more reading to do before you get started. If you go to the website http://www.stream.fs.fed.us/fishxing/biblio.html, you will find an ample supply of abstracts to scientific papers made on the passage of fish through natural and unnatural barriers. There should be just enough reading to carry you into the next century.
These resources I have provided should be sufficient help in giving you an understanding of some of the underlying processes of fish migration and blockage. Within the readings are the definitions of the basic habitat features fish need to migrate upstream. The paper found at the following address should help you with any more questions you may have (http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article= 1006&context=jmie/roadeco). However, if all of these things I have provided for you are rather confusing, allow me to give you some very basic pointers to fish blockage that my great grandfather gave me and his great grandfather before him (these pointers pass every third generation if your math isn’t up to speed). So, if you walk up to a fish bearing stream and are not sure whether fish can migrate up it, just start looking around. Think of the size of the fish you know are in the stream, and look at the water depth. If the water is deep enough for the fish swim without having to lay on his side and dry into fish jerky then the water is deep enough for fish passage. Also, if the fish comes to a waterfall that is more than say, 5 to 10 times his length, then chances are this fish had a better chance of procreating with Arnold Palmer than getting up the waterfall. Even if the waterfall is of sufficient height, there must be enough water for the fish to gain enough speed to clear the jump. Both parameters should be present at the lowest summer flows to allow passage at these locations. The latter parameter is only applied for upstream travel. If per se, the fish wanted to go down stream, even all 268 feet of Snoqualmie falls couldn’t hinder his passage. However, gravity may cause adverse effects in this scenario in the form of the onomatopoeic phrase “splat”.
So, my lovely arts and sciences student, now that you have been given the assignment, I expect you to fix every culvert, road crossing, landslide, or 200+ waterfall hindering the passage of America’s most cherished creatures. You have until the end of August to complete this assignment. Your grade depends on it.
Love,
Your teacher.
PS: Remember the shovel under your desk.