is a small fish located only in a few streams in Missouri. Like other darters, it is only about three inches long as an adult, about as long as a business card, and it stays on the bottom of clear Ozark streams using its specially adapted body to stick into crevices in the rocks and gravel. The Missouri Department of Conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been working for decades to remove barriers, including low-water crossings, and replace them with bridges that allow water, gravel and fish to move through. This work has been successful, and Niangua darters have been documented in more stretches of those rivers. However, the work is far from over. Fortunately, there is a diverse bunch of agencies and organizations focused on removing or replacing barriers. While wildlife agencies focus on impacts to aquatic life, we discovered that other organizations, such as Missouri Regional Planning Commissions and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are looking at some of the same stream crossings, assessing them for safety and reliability. Every year, we see stories of drivers swept away while trying to cross streams in high water.
The solution for people and fish is for organizations to work together. TNC and our collaborators have now formed a state-wide team focused on barrier removal. In November, we hosted a meeting in Jeerson City with attendees from state and federal agencies, non- government organization, universities, counties, planning commissions and councils of government to find common goals and share resources. The stories varied but had some of the same themes: replacing bridges can be costly, hard to schedule and often compete with a long list of other local needs. This year will be formative for this fledgling team as we form workgroups around funding resources, policy initiatives, marketing and communication, and the right science and tools to make informed decisions. The problem is bigger than any one organization can tackle. Even together, it will be a lot of work, full of obstacles. Just slowing the rate that new barriers are now being installed is dicult. But at the end of the day, we all want safer roads for people and reconnected rivers for our wildlife. It is a challenge we are ready to face as a team.
Why I Do This Work
“ I have been working on county roads for 40 years. When I started, the most common crossing for some of our gravel roads was the culvert slab; steel culvert pipes were placed in the stream for water to pass through, and a concrete slab was poured over the top for vehicles to drive on. I began to see that maintenance of these bridges added up. As culverts clog with gravel, it costs the county time, money and equipment to dig them out. It was more feasible and cost- eective to build open-bottom designs that let water and gravel move through more naturally. These structures are open for tra c 85% of the year or more while some of our slab crossings can be closed for days after a rain due to their low profile. About 16 years ago, I started working with organizations like the Missouri Department of Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy on crossings in the Huzzah and other streams and found these bottomless structures are also better for fish. To me, it seems like a win-win for people and wildlife. ”
—Danny Brown, Crawford County Road District 1
THIS PAGE BOTTOM Low-water crossings block fish migration and can pose a risk to drivers when the water rises. © Rob Pulliam/TNC THIS PAGE TOP Danny Brown, Crawford County Road District 1 Courtesy Danny Brown
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