I would like to call your attention to VTSSS 2000. During the last week of April of this year, a near-census sampling survey of western Virginia’s native brook trout streams will be conducted to determine the status of this bio- logically defined class of streams relative to the problem of atmospheric acid deposition (acid rain).

Perhaps the Highlands Conservancy can contribute to the success of this effort.

VTSSS (the Virginia Trout Stream Sensitivity Survey) was initiated in 1987 as a cooperative effort involving the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia, Trout Unlimited (TU), and a number of government agencies with natural resource responsibilities. At that time, almost 400 stream sites were sampled in a 13-day period. The sample collection effort, involving 165 sample collectors, was organized and coordinated by Virginia TU leaders. Analysis of the samples and interpretation of the data was performed by watershed scientists at the Department of Enviromental Sciences at UVA.

VTSSS 2000, will serve to establish the current acid-base chemistry of Virginia’s native brook trout streams and allow examination of changes that have occurred during the last 13 years. The information obtained through VTSSS 2000 may prove critical to the long-term well being of these streams and the forested mountain landscapes in which they occur.

Virginia TU has again taken the leadership role in organizing the sampling effort. It is, however, a very large undertaking and TU is reaching out to other environmental, conservation, and civic groups for help in enlisting sample coll- ection coordinators and volunteers.

For more information on VTSSS 2000 and how to become involved please visit the website established to support the project.

The website address is: http://www.his.com/~mwaters/VTSSS2000.html

Please forward this email to others in the organization and do what you can to help pub- licize the effort. We need your help.

Please don't hesitate to contact me directly if you like.

(Rick Webb, VTSSS Project Coordinator, can be contacted at the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903; 804-924-7817 - Office, 804-982-2300 - Fax, 540-468-2881 - Home, < rwebb@virginia.edu>

<http://wsrv.clas.virginia.edu/~swasftp> )