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Log inIntrepid creek chubs stuck in a ditch
Intrepid creek chubs stuck in a ditch
by Outspoken on Sun Sep 07, 2008 4:24 pm
Intrepid creek chubs stuck in a ditch
BY MEGHAN V. MALLOY
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal
MANCHESTER -- The Pushard family is accustomed to Maine wildlife wandering their Manchester property.
When the family cleared the property to build their home 11 years ago, it was common to see "eight or nine deer up there. We even saw a moose once," Rebecca Pushard said.
Still, even Pushard was surprised one summer morning a few months ago, when she saw a large rippling in the ditch along her driveway in the front yard.
"We've had some standing water in that ditch, and I thought maybe there was large bullfrog in there," she recalled.
The ditch, it turned out, was full of fish. Small, minnow-like silver-brown fish.
"I was shocked," Pushard said. "I've never seen fish in a ditch. I had to do a double take."
After a close inspection, she found a school of about 30 fish, swimming up and down in the front yard ditch.
The initial reaction from people when Pushard tells them about the water wildlife in her front yard has been one of shock.
"Oh, my husband thought I was crazy at first," Pushard said, laughing, of when she first told her husband, Rob Pushard, about the discovery. "I've been telling everyone we have fish in our ditch, and they're looking at me like I have three heads."
The Pushard family -- the couple have two children, ages 10 and 13 -- has been caring for the fish school all summer, even dumping buckets of water into the ditch when warm weather starts to soak up the water.
As summer reached its traditional end, Rebecca Pushard decided she needed to go to the town office to find out what could be done about the fish. The office referred her to the Maine Department of Inland Wildlife and Fisheries.
Peter Bourque, Director of Fisheries for Inland Wildlife and Fisheries, said the call was the first of its kind he has seen in his 43 year-career with the department.
"It was pretty strange," Bourque said, laughing.
http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/5384807.html
Staff photo by Joe Phelan
BY MEGHAN V. MALLOY
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal
MANCHESTER -- The Pushard family is accustomed to Maine wildlife wandering their Manchester property.
When the family cleared the property to build their home 11 years ago, it was common to see "eight or nine deer up there. We even saw a moose once," Rebecca Pushard said.
Still, even Pushard was surprised one summer morning a few months ago, when she saw a large rippling in the ditch along her driveway in the front yard.
"We've had some standing water in that ditch, and I thought maybe there was large bullfrog in there," she recalled.
The ditch, it turned out, was full of fish. Small, minnow-like silver-brown fish.
"I was shocked," Pushard said. "I've never seen fish in a ditch. I had to do a double take."
After a close inspection, she found a school of about 30 fish, swimming up and down in the front yard ditch.
The initial reaction from people when Pushard tells them about the water wildlife in her front yard has been one of shock.
"Oh, my husband thought I was crazy at first," Pushard said, laughing, of when she first told her husband, Rob Pushard, about the discovery. "I've been telling everyone we have fish in our ditch, and they're looking at me like I have three heads."
The Pushard family -- the couple have two children, ages 10 and 13 -- has been caring for the fish school all summer, even dumping buckets of water into the ditch when warm weather starts to soak up the water.
As summer reached its traditional end, Rebecca Pushard decided she needed to go to the town office to find out what could be done about the fish. The office referred her to the Maine Department of Inland Wildlife and Fisheries.
Peter Bourque, Director of Fisheries for Inland Wildlife and Fisheries, said the call was the first of its kind he has seen in his 43 year-career with the department.
"It was pretty strange," Bourque said, laughing.
http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/5384807.html
Staff photo by Joe Phelan
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Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
