Environmental DNA Training & Assessment

Join us at the Connetquot State Park Preserve on Sunday, November 8 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 assess the population and health of forgotten about brook trout streams in the tristate area. We'll be collecting 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 150 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 8th, we'll get started at Connetquot State Park Preserve for a group training to familiarize everyone with proper sampling techniques. We'll take a look at some tributaries like West Brook and Rattlesnake Brook before we split up into small teams to sample several nearby streams.

 

This project is made possible with funding from TU's Embrace a Stream and Coldwater Conservation fund grant programs, The Camp Fire Club of America Conservation Fund and The National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation at the USDA and U.S. Forest Service.