Rainfall, Water Levels, and More from the Conservation Team
Update for October 2026
Rainfall
The Sanctuary recorded 4.81 inches of rain in October, which is 24% above average for October. To date, we have received 81% of the rainfall we typically receive from June through October.
We are 19% below what we would expect to receive by this point in the hydrologic year. Cumulatively (since November 2024), we are still in a 28.5-inch rainfall deficit.
Water Levels
As of November 2, the B-gauge is at 2.10 ft. This is slightly lower than the record low water level recorded for this date prior to the hydrologic changes that began in 2000. Our current water level is tied for third lowest for this date since Audubon began recording daily depths in 1957 (On Nov 2, the water depth was 1.9 ft in 2009, 2.07 ft in 2007, and 2.10 ft in 2019).
Research Team Activities
This past month, our research team began the first aquatic fauna monitoring of the hydrologic year. Some of the highlights included a native green watersnake, native least killifish, invasive pike killifish, native frog tadpoles, and many, many native Eastern mosquitofish. We will repeat this monitoring in December/January and in the early spring, as water levels permit. Read more about this work.
Our collaboration on the Snapshot USA project continues, and we are proudly making incredible strides in photo identification with the help of our Dr. Allyn Golub Conservation Assistants, identifying a total of 54,281 images so far. Read more about this project.
