Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge


	Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge
	P.O. Box 5087 Anniston, AL 36205 E-mail: mountainlongleaf@fws.gov Phone Number: 256-848-6833
	Visit the Refuge's Web Site: http://www.fws.gov/southeast/watercressdarter/	The endangered watercress darter is found in only a handful of springs in central Alabama.

Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge
Watercress Darter NWR, near Bessemer, Jefferson County, Alabama, was established by the Service in 1980 to provide protection for the endangered watercress darter. Although the Refuge is only about 23 acres of ponds, mixed pine-hardwood forest, and a residence, it contains Thomas Spring, the original quarter acre pond where the species was described. A second pond was constructed on the Refuge in 1983 to provide additional darter habitat. The Refuge is unstaffed and administered by Wheeler NWR.

The watercress darter is a small, very colorful fish measuring up to 2.5 inches in length. The fish is currently found in only four sites in the upper Black Warrior River drainage near Birmingham, Alabama. They are found only at mid-depths in dense accumulations of aquatic vegetation including watercress, in springs and spring runs. Green sunfish, bluegills, and sculpins are known to prey on watercress darters. The darters feed on snails, crustaceans, and insect larvae that inhabit springs and spring runs.

Getting There . . .
Watercress Darter NWR is located in Bessemer, Alabama. From Interstate 459 take the Eastern Valley Road Exit (Exit 1). Take Eastern Valley Road north for approximately 6 miles. Parking is available on the left (west) side of the road immediately after the West Jefferson County Historical Society's MacAdory House and before the stop light.

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Watercress Darter NWR was established to protect Thomas Spring, one of only 3 known locations for the watercress darter. Uplands around the spring contain a mixture of mature pine and hardwoods and dense understory of vegetation. The small size of the refuge (23 acres) and its location in a suburban setting, does not provide for a diversity of wildlife. The primary purpose of the refuge is the protection of Thomas Spring and its population of watercress darters.

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The watercress darter was first described at Glenn Spring, a tributary of Halls Creek, in 1964. No other watercress darter populations were found until 1976 when a population was discovered in Thomas Spring, also a tributary of Halls Creek, which is now part of Watercress Darter NWR.

Little is known about the history of Thomas Spring although it was apparently dammed up for about 20 years prior to the discovery of watercress darters in this spring. The damming of Thomas Spring created excellent habitat for the darters by providing slow-moving backwaters that allowed dense aquatic vegetation to become established.

In 1977 the former landowner of Thomas Spring introduced grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus), to clear the aquatic vegetation in the spring. By October, the grass carp had removed most of the spring's vegetation up to the shoreline. Only a single watercress darter was collected during sampling at this time.

After refuge establishment in 1980, the grass carp were removed from Thomas Spring and the spring re-vegetated with Chara, Nitella, and Spirogyra in early 1981. Soon thereafter, the relocation of watercress darters from Glenn Springs to restock Thomas Spring was accomplished. On October 1, 1980, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service purchased 7 acres of property around Thomas Spring in Bessemer, Alabama to protect the watercress darter.

Today, Watercress Darter NWR contains 23 acres all surrounding Thomas Spring. In 1983 the refuge constructed a pond just downstream from Thomas Spring and vegetated the pond with appropriate aquatic plants for additional watercress darter habitat. In January 1988, 100 watercress darters were relocated from Thomas Spring into this newly constructed pond. Prior to federal acquistion Thomas Spring was privately owned and located in rural Jefferson County Alabama.

The City of Bessemer has since grown to include the area containing Thomas Spring. Impacts associated with urban development are the primary force impacting watercress darter in all of their known locations.

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Public use opportunities are limited due to the small size of the Refuge and the presence of the federally endangered watercress darter.

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