November Chapter Gathering: Norwalk River eDNA Project with Jon Vander Werff

Welcome back! The Mianus Chapter of Trout Unlimited welcomes members, supporters, and friends to the Waveny Mansion in New Canaan for our monthly chapter gathering!

These meetings are free and open to all whether you're a member or not! - Feel free to bring friends, colleagues, and family members. Doors open at 6 p.m. with refreshments and networking. The presentations typically start at around 6:30 p.m. following brief remarks and updates from the chapter.

This month, Jon Vander Werff, fish biologist with Save the Sound, will present on the results of his eDNA survey on the Norwalk River to track the movement of rare species of special concern like River Herring, Alewife, Sea Lamprey, and more. He had some pretty surprising results!

Environmental DNA is a fantastic tool to tell you the fish species present in a certain body of water. With just a water sample, you can get a full species assemblage of fish and animals living in and around the river.

As more dams are coming down, this data is critical to gaining an understanding of how restoring connectivity and habitat are improving the health of the Norwalk River.