MBSS Videos

 

YouTube has several videos about our field work, cool critters, and the importance of Maryland's freshwater resources. Please subscribe to the DNRMBSS channel on YouTube.com, and check back here for new videos showing off the research that helps us understand how rivers and streams influence communities, both plant, animal, and human.

There are a few more videos on the YouTube site, but here are some of our highlights:

Least Brook Lampreys Building a Nest

This video shows a group of least brook lampreys Lampetra aepyptera pushing rocks in Nanjemoy Creek in Charles County, MD. They are working hard to build nests before they begin to mate. It was taken during MBSS spring sampling season in 2010.

Searching for the Maryland Darter

The Maryland Darter is the only fish species endemic to Maryland, meaning it is found only in this state. It was last seen several years ago in Deer Creek near to the Susquehanna River. State biologists are concerned that changes in land use have caused the extirpation of this unique bottom-dwelling fish. DNR is conducting surveys in conjunction with Frostburg State and Marshall University to see if there is a population still inhabiting the area.

Patapsco Mussel Survey

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources conducted a qualitative survey of freshwater mussels in the Patapsco River near to Ellicot City. This survey, associated with the planned removal of old dams on the river, found live and dead specimens of the state listed Triangle Floater. This video explains the project, the protocols used, and some characteristics of the Triangle Floater and freshwater mussels in general.

Pocketbook Mussel Displaying Lure

Freshwater mussels typically require a fish host to transform their larvae, called glochidia, into juvenile mussels.  This female plain pocketbook uses a minnow like “lure” to trick fish into striking its gills, which releases the mussel’s larvae.  The glochidia attach to the gills of the fish where they receive nutrients and eventually release from the fish as juvenile mussels.

Stream Waders Training

Stream Waders volunteers contribute a great amount of data to the state about the aquatic macroinvertebrates (larger-than-microscopic animals without backbones) in their local rivers and streams. Each year hundreds of people come out for training at a nearby stream to learn, participate, and have fun while doing good for their community. This video, made by Maryland Public Television, talks about one such training a few years ago.

NOTE: This video is currently being edited to work on the DNR network. Thanks for your patience!

Here is another Maryland Public Television video about a Stream Waders training in Western Maryland in 2009.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New for 2010 - Video Training Session with our Biologists

Join Sara Weglein, our volunteer coordinator, and our other biologists as they walk you through the Stream Waders protocol for benthic sampling. We go through each method, step by step, to make it easier to survey your Maryland Streams. Enjoy!

Maryland Streams: an Undiscovered Realm

Biologists at DNR created this video to illustrate how important freshwater rivers and streams are to Maryland. It showcases serveral apsects of our freshwater resources. This clip is just the introduction to the full film, available on youtube via our MDDNRMBSS channel.