From the Field: Linking land and water in brook trout conservation

2013 FESTIVAL
3 min.
Filmmaker:  Steve Droter.
In the Chesapeake Bay watershed, no species connects healthy land and water resources like the cherished Eastern brook trout. To help save the species from decline due to habitat loss, conservations agencies and organizations are striving to implement ‘Best Management Practices’ for protecting the cool, clean streams that ‘brookies’ need to survive. In Pendleton County, West Virginia — prime habitat for the Chesapeake Bay watershed’s only native trout species — farmers like Dr. Jack Bowers are taking proactive steps toward preserving brook trout habitat on their homesteads, while helping the rest of the state meet pollution reduction requirements at the same time.