This is a photo I took on September 22nd, 2013 of my friend fishing at a private fishing club located on a remote break off section of the St. Regis River system in Deer River State Forest called Deer River.

Habitat Description: This picture depicts an extremely shallow part of Deer River. The water was lukewarm to chilly in temperature, and this part of the river consisted of a very rocky shallow stream bed with very slow moving water. This private tract of land located in the Deer River State Forest consists of a number of shallow stream beds, dense forests, and wide wetlands.

Natural History: The St. Regis River and its offshoot rivers such as Deer River contain both Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout. These smaller rivers in the North Country were created because of brittle deformation, the shattering of Adirondack rock crusts that created weak bedrocks. This allowed these smaller rivers and creeks to be created due to an increased erosion of the land during glacial melting along these fault zones. This allowed water to accumulate in these areas and create smaller rivers and ponds

What drew me to this photo is how it captures the fisherman and the ecosystem he has become a part off. The river in this picture is isolated and protected by the surrounding trees, and the fisherman almost fits naturally into the shot. The picture represents the catch and release mentality I practice.