The Mill Branch Stream Restoration Project for Blackside Dace

Updated 02/14/2008

In early 2006, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in cooperation with federal, state, and local partners including the Kentucky Field Office of the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Cumberland Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D), Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR), University of Louisville Stream Institute, Knox County Conservation District and the Kentucky Division of Conservation began developing a stream restoration project with four private landowners on Mill Branch Stream in Knox County, Kentucky.

Mill Branch, a small headwater tributary of Stinking Creek in southeast Kentucky, supports a population of the federally threatened Blackside Dace (Phoxinus cumberlandensis), a small fish usually less than 3 inches long. The Dace, which is brilliantly colored in red, yellow, and silver during the spring and early summer breeding season, received its name from the two dark stripes that run along each side of its body.

The Dace only exist in eight Kentucky counties and three Tennessee counties in the upper Cumberland River Drainage and was listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1987. Reasons for population decline are thought to be loss of habitat through stream channelizing, increased stream conductivity associated with coal mining activities, excessive sedimentation from poor logging and agricultural practices, increased stream temperatures from loss of stream riparian cover and barriers to fish movement.

Last year, Brian Jones, the Knox County NRCS District Conservationist, Brent Harrel, USFWS Partners Biologist and Brain Hacker, Knox County Conservation District Technician began working with Buddy Brewer, a private landowner on Mill Branch. Mr. Brewer was interested in using the Farm Bill Programs to improve his agricultural operation and to restore habitat for the Blackside Dace.

The NRCS leadership in Kentucky wanted to demonstrate how agriculture landuses and endangered species protection can be compatible and dedicated approximately $103,000 of Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) funding for the Mill Branch Stream Restoration Project. WHIP is an NRCS program which provides private landowners cost share assistance to implement practices to improve wildlife habitat for species in decline.

Working with Rodney Hendrickson, Cumberland Valley RC&D Coordinator, NRCS entered into a WHIP agreement with the Cumberland Valley RC&D and two landowners, Buddy Brewer and Larry Hensley to restore approximately 950 feet of Mill Branch for the Blackside Dace. In addition to WHIP funding from NRCS, the KDFWR is providing approximately $230,000 Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) funding to the project for an additional 750 feet of stream restoration occurring on two other landowners’ properties as well as for engineering design and construction oversight.

Additional partner contributions include $25,000 from the Kentucky Division of Conservation and $30,000 from the Cumberland Valley RC&D for riparian vegetation establishment, fencing, pasture seeding, alternative water, and other best management practices to facilitate the stream restoration. In 2007, a second WHIP agreement was developed with the Cumberland Valley RC&D and the Knox County Government committing $30,000 in partnership with $25,000 from the USFWS’ Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program to replace a fish passage barrier created by a perched road culvert with a stream simulation culvert to allow upstream fish movement.

This project is the first large scale stream restoration project for the dace since it’s listing in 1987 and is likely the first specifically for the recovery of a federally listed aquatic species in the southeastern United States.

Primary project objectives include: using a natural stream channel design including habitat features specific for the dace to restore approximately 1,700 feet of Mill Branch; removing a barrier to fish passage by replacing a perched road culvert with a stream simulation culvert allowing additional upstream connectivity, restoring riparian vegetation and adjacent floodplain wetlands, reducing streambank erosion, and excluding livestock from accessing the restored stream. Engineering design work, installation oversight and checkout for the project is being provided through Dr. Art Parola from the University of Louisville Stream Institute as well as the NRCS State Office, NRCS Knox County Field Office and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Initiation of this project has resulted in a second project phase with additional funding from the KDFWR Fees-In-Lieu Program. This funding will be used to restore additional footage along Mill Branch beginning with the upstream terminus of the first project phase. Primary construction of the first project phase began in October 2007 and should be completed by December 1st with revegetation being completed by fall 2008. Construction of the second phase is slated to be completed in 2008

This story was updated 02/14/2008

For more information, contact  J. Mason Howell, State Biologist  859-224-7413

For more information about partners named in the above article, visit the following sites.

US Fish and Wildlife Service's Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program

University of Louisville Stream Institute

Resource Conservation and Development

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Stream and Wetland Restoration Program

NRCS WHIP and other Farm Bill and Conservation Programs

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