We are working with Greater Boston Trout Unlimited (GBTU) on an effort to save the Neponset River’s native brook trout. The “Embrace a Stream” project provides much-needed information to assess past and future restoration activities and to prioritize future projects.

Click here for a large view of the map.

To use this map:

Toggle different layers on and off by checking the boxes in the layer list shown on the left side of the map.  Layers include:

• Culverts: the locations of culverts, which are tunnels built around a stream so that roads can cross the stream.  Depending on the width and height of the tunnel compared to the width and height of the stream, the culvert can present varying barrier severity to fish.
• Dams: the locations of dams in the watersheds and the status of their permanence.
• DFW Fisheries Records: historic records of brown and eastern brook trout from Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• eDNA Sampling Sites: sites where sampling for eDNA of brown and brook trout occurred summer of 2020.
• Temperature Logger Sites: sites where the temperature was monitored continuously through spring and summer of 2020.
• Stream eDNA Results: stream reaches where eDNA of brook trout was identified based on the summer 2020 sampling. A positive result indicates the presence of brook trout in that stream reach.
• Pond eDNA Results: ponds where eDNA of brook trout was identified.
• Stream Temperature Results: average stream temperatures throughout the duration of monitoring.
• Pond Temperature Results: average pond temperatures throughout the duration of monitoring.
• Cold Watersheds: watershed outlines of the cold water streams that were included in this study.  These are streams that maintain waters cold enough to support cold water species, like trout.