RE: NANFA-- environment and the presidency

mcclurg luke e (mcclurgl_at_washburn.edu)
Tue, 22 Feb 2000 13:27:23 -0600 (CST)

The Niangua Darter has suffered from damn building, that is very
true. It seems though that it's numbers were never vast. (Pflieger,
1998) It now currently occurrs in approximately 9 streams that drain into
the Osage River from the south. Now that Missouri knows they are there,
they are being taken extremely good care of. It is possible in the future
that these populations will be able to act as 'seed' stock to return them
to other localities. Of course, if they were already in decline, they may
have run their evolutionary course and no matter what man does good or bad
they could be candidates for extinction.

Luke

On Tue, 22 Feb 2000, Jay DeLong wrote:

> > Missouri certainly has its share of habitat destruction. But I'm
> > not aware
> > of any species in Missouri that have become endangered as a result of
> > introduced game species. Perhaps you could provide an example.
>
> >From http://www.fws.gov/r3pao/eco%5Fserv/endangrd/fishes/niang%5Ffc.html
>
> The Niangua darter prefers streams with gravel or rocky bottoms and cannot
> live in silty water.
> Why It's Endangered: Dam construction has created barriers in the darter's
> habitat, fragmenting its range and blocking escape from streams that become
> polluted or altered. Highway and bridge construction straighten and widen
> streams, eliminating the small pools in which darters live. Construction and
> other streamside activities such as clearing brush and gravel dredging has
> also increased erosion and added silt to the streams, disrupting the fish's
> habitat. Other threats include exotic predatory fish such as spotted bass
> and rock bass, which were introduced before 1940 and have spread throughout
> the darter's range.
>
>
> > That's one advantage to Missouri's setup. We have a system that is as far
> > removed from politics as seems possible. Pressure from the legislature
> > isn't possible. They don't have any say in funding. The governor's
> > influence is restricted to nominating the conservation department's
> > commissioners.
>
> What a possibly great arrangement. Thanks for sharing that, Chris. What
> role do these commissioners have? And what legal obligations does the state
> have to protect a sensitive area from development?
>
> --
> Jay DeLong
> Olympia, WA
>
>
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