There are 370,000 miles of roads on National Forest land alone, and most of the time, when one crosses a stream, a culvert is there to help get the water from one side to the other. Problem is, a lot of them don't do their job very well. Undersized culverts can't handle the heavy rain and high-water events that are showing up more frequently, which means flooded roads and washed-out infrastructure. Worse for fish, when the streambed below a culvert erodes away, it leaves a mini waterfall that blocks trout and salmon from reaching the food, spawning grounds, and cool water they need upstream. The fix is often simpler than you'd think. Swap in a bridge or an arched, bottomless or flat bottom culvert built to natural stream dimensions, and both the fish and the road get what they need. Link in bio for the full breakdown on why culverts matter and how TU is working with partners like the u.s.forestservice to improve them. #forests250