Culvert Survey Training
DER partners with the North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative (NAACC) to provide training on how to evaluate if a road-stream crossing is a barrier to fish and wildlife passage. There are more than 25,000 culverts and small bridges in Massachusetts. More than half of these stream crossings are barriers to fish passage. Undersized culverts can also be damaged during storm events.
The NAACC is a network of individuals from universities, conservation organizations, and state and federal agencies from the 13-state, North Atlantic Region. The Network provides tools and information on where restoration projects are likely to have the greatest benefits for aquatic connectivity and resiliency. The NAACC manages a public database of road-stream crossings: naacc.org.
Become certified as a lead observer or coordinator
Assessments are conducted by certified Lead Observers following the NAACC protocols for assessing fish and wild passage. To be certified as a lead observer, a person must satisfy three training components:
- Online protocol training (3 hours)
- In-person field training (4–6 hours)
- Shadowing an experienced observer at 20 sites
If you are interested in starting a survey in your community and wish to receive training, please contact: Jacob Lehan, Stream Crossing Assessment Coordinator, (413) 579-3016 or jacob.lehan@mass.gov.
What do you need to know and bring the day of the field training?
Participants should be prepared for inclement weather and field conditions. Field Trainings will be held rain or shine though thunderstorms, high winds and/or high flow conditions may cause the training to be delayed or canceled.
Some equipment will be available to participants. However, we encourage you to bring the following if you have these items available:
- Lunch, water, and snacks
- Waders, hip boots, or other shoes you are willing to get wet
- Sun protection, insect repellent, Tecnu
- GPS unit
- Digital camera
- Safety reflective vest
- Flashlight
- First aid kit
- Clipboard, pencil, and eraser
Resources
For additional information please explore the following resources.
- Learn more about the North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative, a regional effort to improve aquatic connectivity across a thirteen-state region, from Maine to West Virginia.
- Visit the Road-Stream Crossing Database to find information on crossings that have been surveyed in your community.
- Explore the Stream Crossing Toolkit for more information on key steps for addressing aquatic connectivity through infrastructure improvements.
- Find high ranking culverts for replacement with the Climate Action Tool