Riparian habitat Restoration: An Important Tool in the Recovery of Federally Listed Riverine Species in the Southeastern United States

Robert Butler
USFWS, 160 Zillicoa Street, Asheville, NC 28805, 828-258-3939, Bob_Butler@fws.gov

The Asheville, North Carolina, Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has the task of listing and then recovering species in several southeastern states. An important tool in carrying out riverine species recovery plans is riparian habitat restoration. Asheville has helped initiate nine restoration projects in Tennessee, Kentucky, northern Alabama, northern Georgia, and western North Carolina by working closely with numerous partners, such as the Nature Conservancy, Resource Conservation and Development Councils, and grassroots watershed groups. Typical on-the-ground activities include streambank stabilization, revegetation, riparian fencing, and providing livestock with alternate watering sources. The restoration of riparian lands benefits aquatic species and their habitats by maintaining a stable streamside buffer that acts as a filter for sediments and other pollutants from upland runoff. We have projects in the following river systems: lower Ohio (Green River), Cumberland (Buck and Horse Lick creeks), Tennessee (Clinch, Duck, Little Tennessee, and Paint Rock rivers, and Owens Springs/Town Branch), and upper Coosa (Consauga and Etowah rivers). Collectively, project streams harbor exceptional biodiversity, with records for a large number of federally listed aquatic species (i.e. 38 mussels, 10 fishes, and a gastropod). Many more aquatic species of concern are benefited by our efforts.