Wild at heart of Wells

Sunday, July 17, 2005

OUTDOORS: Deirdre Fleming

It's not the Dead River, the Fish River or the Rapid River, but Depot Brook is about to become famous.

It's no prized fishery, but this tiny stream has native brook trout that are so unusual, they are being studied as examples in a book that will be published this fall by the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve.

The reason why is the brook's location.

Unlike the Dead River's remote shores north of Rangeley, the Fish River's wooded banks in Aroostook County, or the Rapid River's famous downstream grade in the mountains of Oxford County, Depot Brook's location is in downtown Wells.

The fact that this native brook trout fishery is positioned in the heart of an urban landscape makes it spectacular.

The 2.2-mile-long stream originates in a forested wetland west of Interstate 95 in Wells. From there, it runs along Route 109 and cuts under Route 1 near a carwash.

"Historically, it received heavy fishing pressure," said Tim Spahr, a game warden who initiated the research project with his own work at the University of Southern Maine Muskie School of Public Service.

"I think the populations have diminished somewhat. Still, it is maintaining wild trout. That's why we're working on the project."

Spahr, in his studies on community planning, chose Depot Brook to study because biologists' reports for the past 50 years have documented wild trout populations.

Fisheries biologists with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife electroshocked fish in the stream two years ago to confirm there were wild populations.

Depot Brook is a good example of how wildlife can thrive even amid suburban sprawl, said Spahr and land-use consultant Cindy Dabrowski, who is working with him on the project.

"Anyone familiar with the area would think, basically, it's a drainage ditch (near Route 1). People are surprised to learn it supports wild trout," Dabrowski said.

The Wells Reserve's research is looking at how to incorporate wild streams into developed areas, Spahr said.

Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve received national and state funding to study how such streams can be incorporated into the urban landscape.

The Wells Reserve at Laudholm Farm is a 1,600-acre research and recreational facility run by a public-private group dedicated to investigating coastal environments and increasing understanding of their ecology.

The study could help all of southern Maine.

And the benefits of this research, Spahr said, are not just to the existing wild species, but to the growing community around these natural resources.

"We don't have to give up on these little streams," he said. "Something like a brook or wild area has important significance to youths growing up. Oftentimes, these special places are planned right out of existence."

Historically, such streams were turned into culverts, Spahr said, and they were killed.

"Particularly in the Industrial Revolution, we lost a lot of streams. With development the way it is projected in southern Maine, I think it is a good time to look at this. There are more than a few other (streams like this.)"

Depot Brook flows for two miles before it is blocked from the ocean by a natural ledge. It was dammed in 1920, Spahr said, to create a water slide.

The brook was stocked after the 1950s, but Spahr said the stocking stopped after 1972. Still, today Eastern brook trout live among the eels, salamanders and caddis.

While the stream is open to fishing, Spahr believes it should have special regulations to protect the delicate fishery.

Right now, the fishing general law applies to Depot Brook, allowing a daily bag limit of five fish with a minimum length of 6 inches.

For now, Spahr is helping the Wells Reserve to edit stream data for the past 50 years, to determine the stream's potential. Eventually, he said, he will lobby for regulations to protect the fishery.

Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming can be contacted at 791-6452 or at:

dfleming@pressherald.com

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