Photo Gallery
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Human vs. Beaver Infrastructure
Date: Aug 22, 2022Latitude: 42° 22' 33.348" NLongitude: 72° 30' 0.252" WLocation: RiverSmart Communities Stream TableWatershed: Stream TableThis stream table explores infrastructure and how it fares under high flows. In this video, we start with human infrastructure, then gradually replace it with beaver dams. Note the differences in downward erosion during each period. Watch the drought around 0:25-0:26 to see what the beaver ponds do. To read more about beavers, visit: this Vox article and my article in The Conversation
Category: Beavers, Stream Table Education, Natural river processes, Road stream crossing -
Beaver wetlands provide habitat for multiple species
Date: Nov 11, 2021Latitude: 72° 29' 26.52" WLongitude: 42° 20' 42.648" NLocation: Hop Brook, Lawrence SwampWatershed: Fort RiverWetlands generated by beavers, such as this one along a rail trail in Amherst, MA, provide habitat for multiple species including waterfowl.
Category: Beavers, Scenic, Natural river processes -
A house too close to the cut bank
Date: Oct 13, 2021Watershed: RiverSmart Communities' stream tableIn October 2021, RiverSmart Communities' stream table visited Fort River Elementary School, to help teach about how rivers work. In this video of the stream table from the view at the water level, we see a natural environment complete with sticks, beavers, and a meandering channel coexisting with houses, roads and bridges. The river naturally undercuts the tall bank (cut bank) on the left side as it meanders. What will happen to the houses built so close to the cliff?
Category: Beavers, Stream Table Education, Natural river processes, Other Infrastructure -
Stream table simulates natural processes and roads
Date: Oct 13, 2021Latitude: 42° 22' 33.348" NLongitude: 72° 30' 0.252" WWatershed: RiverSmart Communities' stream tableRiverSmart Communities' stream table can be used to teach about how rivers work. In this water level view, we see a natural environment complete with sticks, beavers, and a meandering channel coexisting with houses, roads and bridges.
Category: Beavers, Stream Table Education, Natural river processes -
Beaver dams and wetlands protect against wildfires
Date: Sep 2, 2021Latitude: 48°21'55.97" NLongitude: 120° 8'2.55" WLocation: Methow Beaver ProjectWatershed: Methow RiverIn dry landscapes, beaver wetland complexes like this one in northeastern Washington provide a buffer against wildfires. Nuisance beavers were relocated to these dry areas as part of a collaboration between the US Forest Service, WA Fish and Wildlife, Habitat Biologists and a dedicated group of volunteers and supporters who believed that they could create a better way to manage beavers through coexistence. (Photo by Alexa Whipple, Methow Beaver Project, methowsalmon.org)
Category: Beavers, Scenic, Natural river processes -
After the flood
Date: Aug 5, 2021Latitude: 42°14'53.75" NLongitude: 72°20'32.99" WLocation: Herman Covey Wildlife Management AreaWatershed: Swift RiverUnusually intense rains in July 2021 caused a beaver dam breach in Herman Covey Wildlife Management Area in Belchertown. Sediment carried by floodwaters was deposited in a meadow that has, at times, been a beaver pond. Protected areas like these can slow and spread flood waters and lessen damage from extreme events.
Category: Beavers, Scenic, Headwaters stream, Flooding/high water -
Beavers in Belchertown, an aerial tour
Date: Jul 25, 2021Latitude: 42°15'1.61" NLongitude: 72°20'45.25" WLocation: Herman Covey Wildlife Management AreaWatershed: Swift RiverThese UAV images from July 18-25, 2021 illustrate many of the issues with road-stream crossings, culvert size, debris, climate change driven intense precipitation and related flooding, and beaver activity in the Northeast. Also shown are river processes in action, a stable channel through a floodplain forest, glacial geologic features (an esker, and glacial till), and beaver-constructed wetlands. This video tour from above shows evidence of where floodwaters went.
Category: Beavers, Scenic, Headwaters stream, Natural river processes, Flooding damage, Flooding/high water, Road stream crossing -
Flood deposits after a beaver dam breach
Date: Jul 25, 2021Latitude: 42°14'53.75" NLongitude: 72°20'32.99" WLocation: Herman Covey Wildlife Management AreaWatershed: Swift RiverUnusually intense rains in July 2021 caused a beaver dam breach in Herman Covey Wildlife Management Area in Belchertown. Sediment carried by floodwaters was deposited in a meadow that has, at times, been a beaver pond. Protected areas like these can slow and spread flood waters and lessen damage from extreme events.
Category: Beavers, Scenic, Headwaters stream, Natural river processes, Flooding/high water -
Beaver dam intact, undersized culvert washed out
Date: Jul 25, 2021Latitude: 42°14'48.07" NLongitude: 72°20'14.29" WLocation: East Street in BelchertownWatershed: Swift RiverSix days after the road collapse at East Street in Belchertown, nature’s engineers are shoring up their structures (top left) behind the pile of debris that was carried up and over their dam (still intact) during intense rains. Debris clogged the 3-foot undersized culvert at the road, raising water levels to ~2 feet above the road (and top of the beaver dam), ultimately eroding the roadbed, causing catastrophic failure, and significant downstream flooding and damage to homes. This crossing has been replaced with a 9-foot structure.
Category: Beavers, Headwaters stream, Flooding damage, Road stream crossing -
Tributary passes beaver dam flood
Date: Jul 25, 2021Latitude: 42°15'1.07" NLongitude: 72°20'45.73" WLocation: Herman Covey Wildlife Management AreaWatershed: Swift RiverA powerful flood wave from a failed beaver dam above ripped through this small tributary. The cut bank eroded and new wood habitat was recruited. Point bars were deposited on the other bank. Dark, tannin-rich water drains from the pond sediments, newly exposed to oxygen after the flood.
Category: Beavers, Headwaters stream, Natural river processes, Flooding damage, Flooding/high water -
Beaver Pond to Meadow Cycles
Date: Jul 25, 2021Latitude: 42°15'3.77" NLongitude: 72°20'48.01" WLocation: Herman Covey Wildlife Management AreaWatershed: Swift RiverIn Herman Covey Wildlife Management Area in Belchertown, beavers are allowed to be beavers, and their engineering forms part of a natural cycle: Periodically drained beaver dams form part of an ecological cycle from pond to wetland, to meadow, to woodlands.
Category: Beavers, Natural river processes -
Beaver ponds and wetlands along a headwater tributary
Date: Jul 25, 2021Latitude: 42°15'3.77" NLongitude: 72°20'48.01" WLocation: Herman Covey Wildlife Management AreaWatershed: Swift RiverOn July 17, intense rains after several wet weeks overwhelmed a 70-year-old beaver dam in Herman Covey Wildlife Management Area in Belchertown (foreground). Floodwaters rushed into a second beaver pond (upper right), where the flood wave was largely captured and attenuated.
Category: Beavers, Headwaters stream -
Recently drained beaver pond
Date: Jul 25, 2021Latitude: 42°15'1.61" NLongitude: 72°20'45.25" WLocation: Herman Covey Wildlife Management AreaWatershed: Swift RiverThe sudden failure of a beaver dam in Herman Covey Wildlife Management Area produced a powerful flood that carved deep into underlying glacial till, and carried rich organic material accumulated over 50-70 years down to the floodplain below where it was deposited.
Category: Beavers, Scenic, Flooding damage, Flooding/high water -
Remnants of a failed beaver dam
Date: Jul 25, 2021Latitude: 42°15'1.61" NLongitude: 72°20'45.25" WLocation: Herman Covey Wildlife Management AreaWatershed: Swift RiverChewed wood marks the former location of a 70-year-old beaver dam in Herman Covey Wildlife Management Area in Belchertown which failed and drained suddenly on July 17, 2021 after intense rains. Behind the dam, a vibrant wetland thrives, storing carbon and organic material, filtering water, and capturing stormwater… until now.
Category: Beavers -
Beaver pond: Herman Covey WMA
Date: Jul 23, 2021Latitude: 42°14'48.07" NLongitude: 72°20'14.29" WLocation: Herman Covey Wildlife Management AreaWatershed: Swift RiverWildlife Management Areas like Herman Covey in Belchertown, MA set aside land for wildlife to be wild. Between two and three beaver ponds have persisted here for the last 60-70 years.
Category: Beavers, Scenic, Headwaters stream -
East Street washed out in heavy rains
Date: Jul 23, 2021Latitude: 42°14'48.07" NLongitude: 72°20'14.29" WLocation: East Street, BelchertownWatershed: Swift RiverA small tributary of the Swift river cut through roadbed at East Street in Belchertown after the culvert was washed out in heavy rains in July 2021. Debris carried by stormflow overtopped the beaver dam (still standing, at road level, rear left) and clogged the undersized structure, causing the road failure and flooding damage to homes downstream. This culvert was replaced by a 9-foot structure.
Category: Beavers, Headwaters stream, Flooding damage, Road stream crossing -
Washed out undersized culvert
Date: Jul 19, 2021Latitude: 42°14'48.07" NLongitude: 72°20'14.29" WLocation: East Street, BelchertownWatershed: Swift RiverTwo halves of a severed and washed out 3-foot wide culvert at East Street in Belchertown. Debris carried by intense rains in July 2021 overtopped the beaver dam (still standing, at road level, rear) and clogged the undersized structure, causing the road failure and flooding. This culvert was replaced by a 9-foot structure.
Category: Beavers, Headwaters stream, Flooding damage, Road stream crossing -
Healthy Rivers are Messy
Date: Nov 13, 2019Location: MassDOT Rivers and RoadsWatershed: RiverSmart Communities' stream tableMessy Rivers are Healthy Rivers. In November 2019, RiverSmart Communities' stream table traveled with MassDOT's Rivers and Roads training program, teaching about how rivers work. In this time-lapse video of a stream table demo we let the river carve its own channel into unconsolidated open material. It goes everywhere! We use toothpicks to mark where meanders move. The channel migrates and braids downstream, and even avulses to form new channels when large flows occur. 1 minute in stream-table time represents approximately 2 years of channel evolution, so this 15-minute span condensed to the first 15 seconds represents approximately 30 years. Next, we create a more natural river: we connect it to the surrounding floodplain, add trees, logs, rocks and wildlife. Now the river can flood onto its floodplain, slowing down and depositing sediment there. This creates a river that presents fewer hazards to human settlements while supporting healthy river ecosystems.
Category: Stream Table Education, Road stream crossing -
Timelapse Stream Table Demonstration: Road - Stream Crossings
Date: Oct 1, 2019Watershed: RiverSmart Communities' stream tableFrom it's temporary home at the UMass Amherst All Campus Pop-up Maker Space in October 2019, RiverSmart Communities' stream table makes a debut in this time-lapse video of a stream table demo. We start with a simple scenario: a very small culvert and a straightened river channel. Quickly, the culvert fails and washes out. We then replace it with a bridge span, nearly wide enough for our channel (but not quite the aquatic passage friendly 1.2x bankfull width). As sediment supply increases, the channel migrates and braids downstream, and even avulses to form a new channel through a wetland area on the right. 1 minute in stream-table time represents approximately 2 years of channel evolution, so this 15-minute span condensed to 23 seconds represents approximately 30 years.
Category: Stream Table Education, Natural river processes, Road stream crossing -
Stream Table Surprise!
Date: Sep 28, 2019Watershed: Riversmart Communities' stream tableOn September 28, 2019 the Fort River Watershed Association hosted a River Clean-up (in connection with our parent organization, the Connecticut River Conservancy's Source-to-Sea events) and River Festival. Riversmart Communities was there with a hands-on interactive river processes table where kids of all ages could explore a scale model of a river. In this video, you can see that some kids brought a visitor up from the Fort River, who was really grooving to our live music by the band Ch'Chunk!
Category: Stream Table Education -
Cold River Slump Apr 16 2016
Date: Apr 16, 2016Location: Route 2, CharlemontWatershed: Cold RiverCategory: Mid-sized tributary, Natural river processes -
Deerfield - Connecticut River confluence
Date: Apr 16, 2016Latitude: 42.581071Longitude: -72.579077Location: Greenfield / Montague MAWatershed: Deerfield / ConnecticutThe mouth of the Deerfield River, viewed from the Montague City Road Bridge on the Deerfield/Montague line. The Deerfield is coming in from the center - right, the Connecticut comes in from the right and flows off to the left.
Category: Scenic, Major River -
Flooded fields
Date: Feb 26, 2016Latitude: 42.546865Longitude: -72.609352Location: Deerfield MAWatershed: DeerfieldFlooded fields below Deerfield Academy, February 26, 2016.
The previous day's heavy rains flooded these fields adjacent to the Deerfield River, which runs just beyond the trees at the far edge of the fields.
Category: Major River, Flooding/high water -
Black Brook 2-26-2016
Date: Feb 26, 2016Latitude: 42.632290Longitude: -72.973476Location: Black BrookWatershed: Cold RiverBlack Brook, looking upstream on February 26, 2016. Repairs on Black Brook road are still underway. This photo shows how the banks have been stabilized to protect the road in future high flow events.
Category: Mid-sized tributary, Restoration -
South River - Rt 116 restoration
Date: Feb 26, 2016Latitude: 42.512487Longitude: -72.739876Location: South River, Conway MAWatershed: DeerfieldRestoration of Route 116 along the South River, on the western side of Conway, Massachusetts. Photo taken February 26, 2016. This section had been heavily damaged by Tropical Storm Irene.
Category: Mid-sized tributary, Restoration -
Streambank planting, closeup
Date: Feb 26, 2016Latitude: 42.512811Longitude: -72.743406Location: South River / Chapel Brook confluence, Conway MAWatershed: DeerfieldCloseup of vegetative planting along South River. This image shows that sediment recruitment has begun. Sediment may have been deposited in the two days prior to the date of this photograph (February 26, 2016); heavy rains caused many small streams in western Massachusetts to flood during this time.
Category: Mid-sized tributary, Restoration -
Cold River slump February 26 2016
Date: Feb 26, 2016Latitude: 42.641300Longitude: -72.958176Location: Florida, MAWatershed: DeerfieldCategory: Mid-sized tributary, Natural river processes -
Rt 2 Bridge near Black Brook - post repair
Date: Feb 26, 2016Latitude: 42.632869Longitude: -72.974131Location: Cold River and Black BrookWatershed: DeerfieldRoute 2 bridge over Cold River. Damaged by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, repaired by Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
Category: Mid-sized tributary, Restoration, Road stream crossing -
Chickley River February 26 2016
Date: Feb 26, 2016Category: Scenic, Mid-sized tributary, Natural river processes -
Cold River 2-26-2016
Date: Feb 26, 2016Latitude: 42.632869Longitude: -72.974131Looking upstream at Cold River, at confluence with Black Brook, coming in from the left at bottomo of photo.
This is five years after Tropical Storm Irene damage and subsequent repair work by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
Category: Scenic, Mid-sized tributary, Natural river processes, Restoration