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CRPA Learns Details of Recent Fish Kill at 2007 Annual Meeting - click for more details.

Recent reports of dead and dying fish on the Cowpasture River in southern Bath County came under scrutiny at last Saturday’s Cowpasture River Preservation Association Annual Meeting. According to both the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, most of the dead and dying fish were noticed following a strong storm event and subsequent water temperature warm-up in mid-April. Water quality and macroinvertebrate samples from the river normally fall within acceptable limits, so chronic pollution problems are not the issue. Rather an unidentified springtime stressor has appeared in the watershed and should run its course as summer approaches. DGIF and DEQ officials are continuing to monitor the watershed and have taken fish specimens to laboratories at Virginia Tech and in Maine for further study. CRPA members were asked to contact DGIF and DEQ officials in the event of any further sightings of dead or dying fish. Volunteer field report forms for submission to the DEQ were distributed. These forms can be obtained by contacting CRPA Executive Director Caroline Bott at directorcrpa@gmail.com. Regular updates on the fish kills can be found on the DEQ website at www.deq.state.va.us/info/srfishkill.html.



Members were encouraged to learn more about the CRPA’s on-going macroinvertebrate and bacterial river monitoring programs, and to join with other volunteers in the bi-weekly monitoring outings. Details of the two programs were on display throughout at the meeting.



National River Clean-up Week was announced. CRPA members and all interested folks will be participating in cleanups at the Evans Tract in Alleghany County, the Walton Tract, and the Wallace Tract, both in Bath, throughout the week of June 2 – 10.



During the Association’s business meeting, the membership unanimously elected two new Directors, Williamsville’s Elizabeth Biggs, and Millboro’s Dave Peters.



After the business meeting and a wonderful supper provided by the Women of Fairview Community Center, guests were treated to a program, Marvels and Mysteries Along the Cowpasture River, a slide presentation and talk by well-known cave enthusiast, Phil Lucas, that kept members and guests fascinated until adjournment of the 2007 Annual Meeting.