Installing LUNKERS for Fish Habitat on Medway Creek (UTRCA weekly, October 28, 2022)

Approximately 12 metres of wooden fish habitat structures has been installed along a bend on Medway Creek near Thirteen Mile Road, in Middlesex Centre. The wooden cover structures, also referred to as Little Underwater Neighbourhood Keepers Encompassing Rheotactic Salmonids (LUNKERS), are set just beneath the water’s surface. They are constructed of oak hardwood which, so long as it stays wet, will last for many years. The LUNKERS are located on the outside of a bend where the natural water movement will scour the area clear of sediment, making it the perfect hiding spot for fish.

Over time, the bank will become vegetated with grass and shrubs, which will shade the stream through this reach. Funding for this work was through Environment Canada’s EcoAction Community Funding Program.