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A Look Under The Ice

Watershed Stories

Keep up with the work of Ausable River Association staff. These stories share information about our stewardship and monitoring work, natural stream restoration, and culvert replacement techniques by highlighting specific projects in the Ausable and Boquet River watersheds of northern New York. They also give you fun facts about the plants and wildlife that live in these watersheds, as well as tips for enjoying responsible, low-impact recreational opportunities.

Aug
05
2021
What Causes Foam on Rivers?
While hiking near a stream in the Ausable watershed, I noticed a light tan foaming blob on the water's surface next to the bank. Stream foam or suds are often seen on windy days, accumulating against logs, on the banks of streams or along lake shores. This is most often a harmless natural occurrence.
Ecology
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Jul
28
2021
What Insects Tell Us About Water Quality
An additional tool we can use to understand water quality in our streams and lakes is to look at biological measures such as fish, macroinvertebrates, and algae abundance and diversity. Most often, macroinvertebrates are used as bioindicators of water quality.
Ecology
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Jul
22
2021
Creating Climate-Ready Culverts: Part 1 – The Survey
The Ausable River Association has been working with our partners, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy, since 2010 to identify and replace aging and undersized culverts. Our "right-sized" climate-ready culverts are critical to improving flood resilience, aquatic species passage, and stream health in our watersheds.
Restoration
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Jul
08
2021
Where Should I Fly Fish In the Summer?
Many anglers know that Adirondack summer months are not the ideal time for trout fishing in larger rivers. As the weather warms, so does the water. Water temperatures in the upper 60s and above cause stress for all trout species, and temperatures above 70 °F can be lethal for brook trout. So, what is the summer angler to do? Read on to find out!
Recreation
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Jul
01
2021
Getting Restoration Right
Over the past 10 years the Ausable River Association has developed a regional reputation for successfully applying natural stream restoration techniques to protect the health of our waterways and communities. We've restored thousands of linear feet of...
Restoration
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Jun
24
2021
Sustainable Trail Design
Though I enjoyed the classic Adirondack views, what really got my attention was the use of switchbacks up the mountain. This is a rare find in the Adirondacks, where most trails run straight up the mountain. This led me to take a closer look at trail building and design when I returned home.
Recreation
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Jun
17
2021
Spring Turnover on Mirror Lake - Incomplete
This spring, Mirror Lake began to mix but did not completely turnover. Turnover is an essential natural process that healthy lakes complete in the spring and fall of each year.
Road Salt
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Jun
10
2021
Comparing Discharge in the Ausable Watershed
How can we compare discharge in watersheds of different sizes? Do the different branches of the Ausable River respond differently to the same storm? Flow duration analysis can help us answer these questions, but raises new questions about why these differences occur.
Hydrology
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May
27
2021
Algae - Good, Bad, or Ugly?
Harmful algal blooms–specific species of cyanobacteria that produce cyanotoxins–and efforts to control them are increasingly in the news these days, but not all algae are hazardous.
Ecology
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May
19
2021
What is a Water Year?
Hydrologists measure time differently than the standard January-to-December calendar year. For those of us that model and track the movement of water through the landscape, the year begins on October 1st and ends on September 30th. This is known as a water year.
Hydrology
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