Three Rivers RC&D environmental specialist Travis Davis (left) and RC&D coordinator John Harper inspect a skylight on an arched culvert (NRCS image -- click to enlarge)

Officials from the Florida Three Rivers Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D) along with other partners celebrated the completion of the Mill Creek Restoration Project to restore and enhance the habitat of the Okaloosa Darter on the Elgin Air Force Base Golf Course.  

The Okaloosa Darter has been listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Its only habitat is on six small watersheds on the base. Travis Davis who is an environmental specialist with Three Rivers RC&D did the construction work on the project.  “We wanted to provide a way for these isolated populations to comingle and thrive by removing culverts and obstructions for the fish to breed,” Davis says.

Congressman Jeff Miller was on hand to view the work that was recently completed.  “This is a great collective effort by several agencies at both the federal and local level to protect this endangered species,” he said.  “Most of the successful projects in Northwest Florida have involved Three Rivers RC&D.  For many years they have been at the forefront of restoring or to mitigating different projects in our area,” he added.

Since the darter will not swim into a dark area, a unique system of arched culverts with skylights was installed on the fairways. Miller was impressed with the work and particularly the partnerships that evolved.

In addition to Three Rivers RC&D, the partnership included the United States Air Force, US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Jackson Guard of Eglin Air Force Base, the Yellow River Conservation District, and the local NRCS Field Office in Crestview.

This is not the first time that Three Rivers RC&D has worked with Eglin Air Force Base.  “We have been working with NRCS and Three Rivers since 1997.  Over that period of time there have been 324 sites that have been restored and sediment loading in those streams stopped.  All of this is to protect the habitat for the darter. Total acreage of the completed projects is around 500 acres that has been worked by us and Three Rivers RC&D,” says Steve Seibert is the Chief of Natural Resources on the base.

The golf course remained open for play during the restoration project that is valued between $1.2 and $1.5 million dollars but thanks to work done through cooperative partnerships, was completed at a total cost of only $550,000.

Your contact is Three Rivers RC&D Coordinator John Harper at 850-554-2152.

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Listen to Travis Davis with Three Rivers RC&D explain the project to Congressman Jeff Miller.