Juvenile Northern Two-lined Salamander found at Sweet Run.
Photo by Amy Ulland

Stream Team volunteers Chris Henke, Susan Schuler and Amy Ulland recently visited the new Sweet Run State Park in Neersville to conduct back-to-back benthic macroinvertebrate surveys of Sweet Run and Piney Run. Last spring the sites both received health scores of 11 out of 12, indicating acceptable ecological conditions. However, these recent surveys revealed a decline in stream health for both sites – likely due to the drought conditions in the western part of the county.

Sweet Run, which is a smaller tributary of Piney Run, has consistently received good scores since certified monitor John Ellis reestablished the site in the fall of 2021. However, this time the stream only scored a 7, indicating unacceptable ecological conditions.

Although the team collected the maximum of four nets at 90 seconds each, they only counted 67 benthic macroinvertebrates – far short of the 200 minimum. The nets were filled with lots of silt and detritus from the streambed, making it challenging for the benthic macroinvertebrates to thrive.

Pickerel frog found at Sweet Run.
Photo by Amy Ulland

There were a few positive aspects of the Sweet Run survey. A juvenile Northern Two-lined salamander was spotted in the net and a pickerel frog was observed on the streambank. Both species were documented on iNaturalist.

Piney Run fared slightly better and received a score of 9, maintaining its acceptable ecological conditions rating. The streambed here was much cleaner and the water levels much higher than at Sweet Run, just a short hike away. The team only collected two 90 second nets, which yielded 277 benthic macroinvertebrates – including nearly 200 mayflies and stoneflies, which are very sensitive to pollution.

Data from these surveys was provided to Sweet Run State Park and the Between the Hills Conservancy.

The post Lower Stream Health Scores at Sweet Run Are Likely Due to Drought appeared first on Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy.