Big Canoe Creek at Goodwins Mill in St. Clair County is flowing free once again!
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Partners for Fish & Wildlife (USFWS PFW) and Cawaco RC&D replaced a series of seven failing metal culverts with a bridge span structure. The old structure was on the verge of collapse and greatly altered the long-term water patterns of the stream, adding barriers for fish and other aquatic creatures to pass through. This new structure is safer for humans and helps the aquatic creatures get where they’re going.
This site is known for occurrences of many federally listed endangered & threatened species, including the Trispot Darter (Etheostoma trisella), Canoe Creek Clubshell (Pleurobema athearni), and Finelined Pocketbook (Hamiota altilis). This site is also near designated critical habitat for eight federally listed mussel species, including H. altilis, and will complement other species conservation and recovery efforts within the Big Canoe Creek Strategic Habitat Unit (SHU).
This project builds on the removal of the Goodwin Mills Dam in 2013. Together, this work is expected to reconnect approximately 20 miles of fragmented habitat.
