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A Look Under The Ice

Watershed Stories

Keep up with the work of Ausable Freshwater Center (AFC) 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.

Jan
06
2026
The Role of Vegetation in Stream Restoration
Healthy riparian vegetation is the glue that holds streambanks together. Plants play a critical role in the hydrology, hydraulics, and geomorphology of a functioning stream corridor.
Restoration
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Dec
17
2025
Growing Community
Community involvement is at the core of the Ausable Freshwater Center's success. Every project, whether it's a large-scale river restoration, a community tree planting event, or native plant propagation, relies on the shared effort of volunteers,...
Stewardship
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Dec
10
2025
Best Practices in Catch-and-Release Angling, Part 2
Catch-and-release fishing is a great way to enjoy the outdoors in a conservation-friendly way. There are many simple steps anglers can do to increase the survival rates of the fish they release back to the river. In part one of our two-part blog, we...
Recreation
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Nov
05
2025
The West Branch Sediment Study – A First Step Toward Restoring the Health of our Region’s Natural Infrastructure
The vitality of the West Branch Ausable River and the reputation of its renowned trout fishery belie a river at risk of losing key stream functions that keep its waters and wildlife healthy, create flood resilience, and keep our local economy strong....
Geomorphology
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Oct
22
2025
No-Mow, No Problem: A Simple Way to Support Your Watershed
How can you support the watershed as a landowner? If your property borders a stream, river, or lake, the vegetation growing alongside the bank matters. Even if your property doesn't border water, this blog is for you too because native pollinators and...
Stewardship
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Sep
23
2025
Berried in Trouble: The Autumn Olive Invasion
Walking along a stream, roadside, or the edge of a field on a breezy day, you may catch flashes of silver in the greenery. Take a closer look. You might have found a pocket of autumn olive – a beautiful, but invasive shrub with an interesting story.
Invasives
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Sep
17
2025
Best Practices in Catch-and-Release Angling, Part 1
As the River Steward at the Ausable Freshwater Center, I talk with many anglers on the Ausable River. When talking about their fishing experiences, anglers will often describe shaded streams, quiet breezy mornings with the birds, and exciting trips...
Stewardship
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Aug
26
2025
Fieldwork spotlight: Minnow Trap Surveys
On a recent Wednesday, the sun-sparkled surface of the East Branch Ausable River was broken by some of our staff as they waded into shady pools with a hiking stick and several minnow traps in tow.
Natural History
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Jul
29
2025
The HABs and the HAB Nots: Keeping an Eye on Algae this Summer
Lately, it seems like there is a new warning about harmful algal blooms, or HABs, every day. While not all algae are harmful, it is important to be aware of HABs and their potential risks to aquatic ecosystems, humans, and other animals.BackgroundAlgae...
Ecology
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May
15
2025
Mirror Lake and Beyond: How Buoys Boost Lake Data
In 2020, the Ausable Freshwater Center (AFC) teamed up with Dr. Kevin Rose and his lab group from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) to deploy a high-frequency sensor array in Mirror Lake –starting a partnership between the two...
Limnology
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The Ausable River is a river on the edge.
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