Fish Habitat Partnerships Making A Difference in the Boone River Watershed, Iowa
from the National Fish Habitat Partnership's 2015 Through a Fish's Eye Report
Summary
Partnership - Fishers and Farmers Partnership The Boone River Watershed is included in the Mississippi River Basin Initiative and is a priority watershed of the Fishers & Farmers Partnership, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the Nature Conservancy (TNC). The Boone River is a tributary of the Des Moines River in north-central Iowa. Current and past land use practices in the Boone River Watershed have affected both water flows and currents through excessive siltation. As a result, oxbow habitat has been degraded and fragmented and water quality impaired. Oxbows are wetlands, ponds or lakes, often crescent shaped, that form when a stream reach becomes separated from the main stream when sedimentation closes off the [...]
The Boone River Watershed is included in the Mississippi River Basin Initiative and is a priority watershed of the Fishers & Farmers Partnership, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the Nature Conservancy (TNC). The Boone River is a tributary of the Des Moines River in north-central Iowa. Current and past land use practices in the Boone River Watershed have affected both water flows and currents through excessive siltation. As a result, oxbow habitat has been degraded and fragmented and water quality impaired. Oxbows are wetlands, ponds or lakes, often crescent shaped, that form when a stream reach becomes separated from the main stream when sedimentation closes off the reach connections or the stream moves within the valley. Oxbows are critical connections between streams and their floodplains during flooding, help hold back sediment and nutrients from entering streams, and improve water quality by acting as filters. Oxbows provide critical aquatic habitat for the federally endangered Topeka Shiner, which prefer the quiet waters of the oxbows, and migratory waterfowl.
White Fox Creek oxbow is typical example of a degraded oxbow system. Excess sediment removal began on a White Fox Creek oxbow in 2012 and the perimeter was planted with native grasses. Nitrate levels were reduced by an average of 56% and 14 native fish species recolonized the restored oxbow, which provided a winter refuges (
Jones et al. 2015). The success of this project has provided opportunities for additional funding to restore additional oxbows in this stream.
In the fall of 2014, a number of partners, in particular The Nature Conservancy (TNC), successfully restored seven oxbows, bringing the number of oxbow restorations in the Boone Watershed up to 12. The 2014 oxbows were funded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, EPA's 319 Lyon's Creek Project, and Coca-Cola. TNC worked with the Iowa DNR, USFWS-Fishers & Farmers Partnership, Iowa Soybean Association, and Iowa Geological Survey, thanks to funding through a state Conservation Innovation Grant, to quantify the benefits that oxbows can provide for wildlife habitat, water quality improvements, and water storage. In September 2015, TNC lead a Field Day to bring more information and attention to local landowners, partners, about fish and wildlife habitat, and water quality benefits of restored oxbows. TNC also received a grant in 2015 from Fishers & Farmers Partnership to work on four more oxbows in 2016-2017.
In 2013, Fishers & Farmers Partnership Received the Governor's Iowa Environmental Excellence Award for this unique work in the Boone Watershed.
The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) is partnering with the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) to produce the 2015 report entitled, "Through a Fish's Eye: The Status of Fish Habitats in the United States 2015". The information contained within this item is a product of NFHP. The Bureau is neither responsible nor liable for the accuracy or the use of the scientific content within this item. This content is considered preliminary pending subsequent review and approval.
