Big Apple Brook Trout - Environmental DNA Training & Assessment

Join us at Croton Gorge Park on Saturday, November 21 to help us collect important data on unknown wild trout streams in our backyard. 

 

Part of Trout Unlimited's Big Apple Brook Trout Initiative, volunteers will be using environmental DNA technology to conduct presence / absence surveys on various streams to look for brook trout populations on streams that have not been formally surveyed in decades, or at all.

 

The goal of this project is to collect important data to help us advocate for enhanced regulatory protections and help us prioritize future restoration projects. So far, this project has engaged nearly 80 volunteers who have sampled over 140 different streams in the tristate area!

 

No special or technical experience required! Taking Environmental DNA samples is super easy - we'll get you trained up fast! On November 21st, we'll get started at Croton Gorge Park for a group training to familiarize everyone with proper sampling techniques. Then, we'll split up into small teams to sample several nearby watersheds.