In 1999, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) contacted Refuge Manager Ronald Bell about using dirt from Squaw Creek NWR to raise the height of Highway 118 along the north boundary of the Refuge. 

They were also going to replace three bridges that had been built in the mid-1930's and were in poor condition.  This work was part of a five-year plan. By 2002, interest increased as Missouri DOT received money in their budget to begin work. 

After meeting with MoDOT engineers, it was determined that the Refuge had soil that would work for their project.  However, the area they wanted to take the dirt from had the potential to be habitat for the Eastern massasauga rattlesnake, a federally endangered candidate species. 

Missouri DOT provided $10,000 to have the area trapped and searched.  As a result, the rattlesnake was not present and the project moved foward.

Work began and more than 150,000 cubic yards of dirt were removed. Teal Pool was developed with varying depths of water that would be attractive to shorebirds as well as waterfowl.  Work was completed in the fall of 2004.  Total savings to the taxpayer was nearly $1 million while Squaw Creek got a new 40-acre wetland.

The Service was planning a Transportation Conference at the National Training and Conservation Center and was looking for cooperative projects with Transportation Departments around the country. 

As a result, Bell and Missouri DOT Engineer Shannon Klusiek presented a program to 55 of the more than 200 attendees from across the country.