West Virginia Wildlife from Eyewitness News

Classifying Streams

Rivers and streams are always changing, DNR biologists monitor those changes.

August 13, 2008
Reporter: Patrick McMurtry
Videographer: Brad Rice

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Everyone loves to look at, and listen to, the beautiful rivers and streams in west virginia. But did you know dnr biologists spend a lot of time classifying the running waters.

Dan Cincotta/DNR Biologist says:
"Classifications are done for a variety of reasons, Patrick. Sometimes it might be to evaluate recreation, sometimes it might be to evaluate rare species, so it's done for a variety of reasons and they have different data collections."

That's because the elk river here in clendinin is a totally different eco-system than the cranberry. Different conditions, different fish, different classifications.

Dan Cincotta/DNR Biologist says:
"If you were evaluating a trout stream, you'd be collecting a lot of temperature data. Trout are very temperature limited. some cases you may be collecting for an endangered species."

And sometimes they just evauluate for overall water quality. They have to constantly monitor all the rivers and streams in the state because the conditions surrounding these waters are constantly changing.

Dan Cincotta/DNR Biologist says:
"Many of our streams in WV since the early 1900's have been altered, changed, dredged and every time we have a situation like that, building locks and dams, all affect the habitat."

And that could change the classification of the streams. For west virginia wildlife, i'm patrick mcmurtry, eyewitness news
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