AGFC Stream Habitat Program

It was another amazing year finishing up stream restoration projects in the West Central portion of the state. I was blessed with enthusiastic volunteers that heartily planted 1,792 containerized native trees, shrubs, and grasses on some drizzling wet winter days. I had the pleasure of working with some phenomenal landowners this year that have fisheries and wildlife conservation at the top of their priority list. See and share these photos. Thanks for your interest in aquatic conservation and restoration.

Merry Christmas!

Oftentimes, man made structures like low water crossings, bridges, and dams can cause serious risk to people and impede the movements of fish, especially smaller fish species. Thanks to a partnership with Weyerhaeuser, a dilapidated low-water crossing was removed to help promote fish movement and improve safety for recreational floaters and fishermen on the Saline River below Dierks Lake. Once removed, a rock vane was constructed to help prevent erosion and stabilize the stream bank. Native shrubs and trees were also planted along the shoreline to restore the riparian area. This project was funded by a 319 grant through the Natural Resources Division of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. As part of this grant, all potential fish passage barriers in the Lower Little River watershed will be surveyed and prioritized, and at least three additional barriers will be removed. Weyerhaeuser's Southern Environmental Team was able to visit the construction site on Wednesday. They also visited several other barriers in the watershed and watched as a barrier survey was conducted leading to a productive discussion. Projects and partnerships like this one are vital to conserving our waters and protecting our native species for years to come.

PINNING BOULDERS TO BEDROCK FOR FISH HABITAT! Recently, during one of our aquatic habitat improvement projects we encountered bedrock at the surface of the stream bed in a location where we were installing some in-stream structures called rock vanes. Experience has taught us that you can't leave boulder sized habitat rocks just sitting on top of bedrock without pinning them first. During a flood when velocities are their highest and debris is flowing through the system, boulders can slide downstream due to the ramming effects of the debris and high volume of water. To ensure our projects don't fail we pin the tip rocks of the rock vanes down to the bedrock. This requires drilling a 1 inch diameter hole with a hammer drill 36 inches deep through the boulder and into the bedrock. Once the hole is drilled, a 1 inch diameter by 36 inch piece of steel round rod is driven into place. This is a labor intensive practice, but nobody wants their project to unravel during the next big flood event.