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For Love of Nature: River snorkeling for summer adventure - Lynchburg News and Advance

For Love of Nature: River snorkeling for summer adventure - Lynchburg News and Advance

For Love of Nature: River snorkeling for summer adventure - Lynchburg News and Advance

Posted: 26 May 2021 02:00 AM PDT

As we sat on the rocks along North Creek after a morning of birding, Michael and I used our binoculars to look at the tiny fish wiggling nearby.

One had bright yellow fins, like some exotic fish you might see on a coral reef; another a long black stripe. I am clueless when it comes to fish species, but I know beauty when I see it.

A breeding bird survey Michael is doing for the U.S. Geological Survey is taking us through trout fishing territory along North Creek and Jennings Creek in Botetourt County off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

While many pull-offs along the creeks attract anglers, I don't want to harm fish, just get a better look at them.

(And contrary to popular myth, fish feel pain when they have a hook stuck in them. To learn more, read the book, "What a Fish Knows," by Jonathan Balcome.)

Michael said we should come back with snorkels and stick our heads in. Coincidentally, I came home to read the May/June issue of Virginia Wildlife to find an article on snorkeling in the state's rivers.

While some creeks and rivers are deep enough to completely submerge, even a few inches of water allow snorkelers to see amazing sights.

According to the article by Loughran Cabe, fish can put on impressive shows in spring and early summer.

The male chub, for example, build nests out of gravel from April to June. These minnows carry stones in their mouth, one by one, to create a place for the female to lay eggs.

Other minnows, including the rosyside dace and mountain redbelly dace, arrive to take advantage of the chub's work and deposit their own eggs in the mound.

In addition to fish, you might spy tadpoles, salamanders, crayfish, turtles, snakes or even freshwater mussels, one of the most fascinating and endangered groups of animals on Earth.

With a mask and snorkel, all you need is clear water, which can still be found near the Appalachian Mountains. Cabe suggests the Tye River in Nelson County as a great spot.

Near its headwaters off the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Tye offers colorful minnows and native brook trout, while its lowest elevation includes Piedmont species like the longnose gar and sunfish.

Southwest Virginia, where the water drains to the Tennessee River, is another excellent snorkeling area, where the largest salamander in the U.S., the Eastern hellbender, can be found. Hellbenders can reach 29 inches in length, though they average 12 to 15 inches.

The Clinch River is the best place to find freshwater mussels, and while they are not overly exciting to look at, they are fascinating creatures. I have hunted for the endangered James River spinymussel with biologists in the Pedlar River in Amherst County and the Rivanna River near Charlottesville.

Both the Pedlar and Rivanna also boast a variety of fish, including redbreast sunfish, bluegill, fallfish, rock bass, catfish and black crappie.

As is true for all outdoor adventures, respect the habitat you are in. Don't move rocks, and watch where you step. Happy snorkeling!

Shannon Brennan is a Central Virginia Master Naturalist, a Lynchburg Tree Steward and a volunteer for the Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club and the James River Association. She can be reached at shannonw481@gmail.com.

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