Blue Ridge Country July/August 2023 - 12

GIFTS OF THE LAND
HOW TO HOLD A CRAYFISH
Gish Branch and Lessons Learned
Grandsons' disparate personalities are revealed on a creek day dedicated to subtle environmental lessons.
Text and photo by BRUCE INGRAM | Photo styling by JANETTE SPENCER
seine and a minnow bucket to corral and examine our
bounty. Upon our arrival, predictably, a prolonged dispute
broke out between the boys on who would have the
honor of holding the seine under water while the other
kicked over rocks and disturbed the bottom on his way
to the net. I settled the argument by manning the seine
myself and instructing the twosome on how to drive our
quarry toward me.
Also predictably, given the innate differences between
Eli and Sam Reynolds examine the crayfish and minnows they've just
corralled from Catawba Creek.
W
12 BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
hen I was five, a wise seven-year-old regaled
me about the joys of Gish Branch,
a tiny creek that flows several miles
through the town where I grew up. The
brook lies only about 150 yards from the
house I grew up in, but to a youngster
whose parents had restricted his ranging
to " two doors up and down and two doors across " Forest
Lawn Drive, it was an impossibly faraway destination.
Made more perilous by the sure spanking I would receive
if my dad discovered my disobedience.
But my wanderlust had been awakened, and one summer
morning after breakfast, I fashioned a seine from a
discarded window screen and sneakily and proverbially
set sail on what to me seemed liked the greatest odyssey
since Odysseus. Arriving at the rivulet, I entered the
most thrilling world imaginable. I seined up creatures I
misnamed bass, trout and perch which, in reality were
merely chubs, dace and darters. I trace my love of nature
and passion for the environment back to that epic journey
so many decades back.
So it's understandable that every summer I take my
grandsons Sam and Eli (ages 10 and eight) down to Catawba
Creek which flows through the 38 acres that Elaine
and I share with their parents. I want to pass on my conservation
ethic to the boys, as no better way exists to do
so than actually experiencing the joys of nature.
On our most recent excursion, we deployed an actual
any two siblings, the boys approached the task in their
own individual ways. More comfortable out in nature, Eli
charged toward the seine, fell down and laughed about it,
stood up and pranced toward the net, sending a flurry of
creatures into it. Sam seemed more concerned with keeping
his pants as dry as possible, having barely rippled the
surface as he cautiously inched toward me.
Nevertheless, both boys shared the same enthusiasm
to quickly identify our initial haul, which consisted of a
variety of minnows, sculpins and snails. I explained the
importance of minnows in the food chain and how the
presence of sculpins indicated that the creek possesses
good water quality.
This information caused Sam to launch into a scholarly
tutorial on the relevance of food chains and watersheds-the
type of intellectual endeavor at which he
excels. He also asked which watershed Catawba Creek
was a part of, and I explained that our creek's water flows
into the James River which continues on into the Chesapeake
Bay and eventually the Atlantic Ocean. I added that
Granddaddy tries to do his part to preserve the watershed
by never cutting trees along the creek so as to protect the
riparian zone, the family's small way of helping the wildlife
that live downstream. Of course, I defined what riparian
zones are and why they're important.
Already sopping wet, Eli then volunteered to be the
walker and a relieved Sam gratefully accepted the task of
positioning the net. Eli's sprint toward the seine resulted
in several crawfish scooting into it. Grasping one of the
mudbugs behind its head, I showed the boys how to hold
this crustacean without having his fingers bitten. Imitating
my actions, Eli immediately and successfully picked
up another crayfish and chortled at the squirming creature.
Sam deferred on the opportunity to do the same.
I treasure these summer days afield with my grandsons,
and hope they will lead to the same appreciation
and passion for nature that I have.

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Blue Ridge Country July/August 2023

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