NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Take a summertime stroll along the Hoosic River in North Adams and scan the river that supports a surprising diversity of aquatic life. 

 

Where the elevated berm that flanks the Joseph H. Wolfe Field and the soccer fields, starting where the chutes that harness the river taper down, walking upriver one can scan the riversides for insects and birds, and maybe spot a muskrat and a turtle snout. There a rich array of shrubs and wildflowers abound, forming a

marginal thicket, and thanks to thoughtful river management , must be allowed to grow and provide not only shelter, but essential resources for pollinating bees, nectar for butterflies, and seclusion for nesting birds.

 

By midsummer the river can decline to a shallow but steady slow flow, indicating that a serious drought has affected the decreasing level of life-giving water borne from mountain brooks, going dry well before wildlife complete their life-cycles. Off to a roaring start the rites of spring gathered momentum as frequent rains provided manifold niches for the fauna. However, by mid-July, the effects from the drought result in considerable drawdown of the Greylock Reservoir, and the spillway also runs to bone dry.