Eglin efforts help reclassify endangered local fish

  • Published
  • By Samuel King Jr.
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --  A small fish, whose habitat is almost exclusively on the ranges here, became the first-ever fish on Defense Department land to be reclassified on the endangered species list.

The Okaloosa darter remains on the endangered species list, but due to major erosion control efforts by 96th Civil Engineer Group Natural Resources Management Section and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it's status has been changed from "endangered" to the less severe "threatened." The population has tripled since 1995, bringing the species back from the brink of extinction.

"This day could not have happened without the partnership of Eglin (Air Force Base0 and the Air Force," said Rowan Gould, the director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at a special ceremony honoring the achievement.

The darter, which is approximately one to two inches long, has been on the endangered species list since 1973. Members of the Eglin Natural Resource Branch and fish and wildlife personnel began restoring the darter habitat in 1994. The first rehabilitation project began in 1998.

Protecting and preserving the darter means better water quality, better habitat and a better downstream environment for all the other creatures that share this habitat, Gould said.

"Eglin (AFB) has been an outstanding natural resource partner through the years, not only for the darter, but for all the species and habitats on the reservation," Gould said.

The joint efforts have restored 534 acres at clay pit sites that were causing sedimentation of the darter habitat. Also, road crossing structures were replaced or removed to allow proper movement of creeks and streams.

Approximately 356 1.5 acre sites have been restored and are monitored for three to five years to insure site integrity.

"Vigilance is never complete," said Terry Yonkers, the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics. "These habitats will continue to be monitored so the darter population continues to flourish. These efforts not only help the darter, but benefit the entire region."