Kraig McPeek standing with the Moellers after completion of their Topeka shiner restoration.

Restored Topeka shiner oxbow

Adult Topeka shiner sampled during population work.

Identification of fish during population work

Joe McGovern of the Iowa Natural History Foundation was named2007 Recovery Champion for his work with Topeka shiners in Iowa.

Since the listing of the Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka) as an endangered species in 1998, the Rock Island Field Office (RIFO) has "been there" for the shiner and championed the recovery process in Iowa. 

RIFO was there when drainage ditch associations had concerns about ditch maintenance and agricultural production.  RIFO Project Leader Rick Nelson, Wayne Fischer and now-retired Jerry Bade turned those concerns into opportunity by initiating best management practices that reduced sediment inputs into vital downstream habitats. 

RIFO was there when two local landowners wanted to do something for the Topeka shiner.  Wayne Fischer, working in one of his many capacities, secured several thousand dollars to construct four oxbow restorations and one instream stabilization project.  These projects did a great deal to benefit the shiner, but perhaps most importantly, they initiated a partnership between the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and the Rock Island Field Office.  This partnership has spawned fruits of recovery that no one could have imagined. 

In partnership with the INHF, RIFO held a three-day education program for Iowa Department of Natural Resources fisheries staff, U.S. Department of Agriculture staff, local conservation groups, The Nature Conservancy, and others.  The program consisted of classroom style discussion and field trips, during which participants sampled one of the early oxbow renovations for Topeka shiners.

RIFO was there when more landowners wanted to do something good for the Topeka shiner.  Mike Coffey, of RIFO's environmental contaminants progragm, was conducting water quality sampling from a bridge along Cedar Creek in Greene County when the driver of a pickup truck stopped to ask what he was doing.  From that chance encounter, yet another restoration project began.  In August 2008, biologists from RIFO, with assistance from Iowa State University, collected age 0 Topeka shiners from this project.  Our restoration projects are moving the needle.

RIFO was there when Iowa DNR identified the Topeka shiner as a priority for use of their Landowner Incentive Dollars.  RIFO has been a key partner in working with Iowa DNR, TNC and the Greene County NRCS office to identify landowners with suitable habitat on their property and approach them about restoration work.  In December of 2007 RIFO and partners held two public meetings and invited all landowners along Cedar and Buttricks Creek to come in for a free lunch and a presentation.  These public meetings led to the signing of eight EQUIP applications and thus began the planning to restore an additional 13 oxbows.  Restoration of these 13 oxbows begins in September 2008.

RIFO was there when local landowners along Lake Creek (another critical habitat stream) wanted to restore habitat for the Topeka shiner.  Kraig McPeek,with the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, worked with Mike and Jane Moeller to secure funding through the Private Stewardship Program to restore two oxbow habitats and seed 18 acres of riparian habitat to native tall grass prairie.  In January 2008, RIFO - working with the landowners -completed the oxbow restoration projects and to our amazement, Topeka shiners were sampled from the project site in May of 2008. 

RIFO was there when the fish community recognized the need to establish some type of baseline for population analysis. RIFO has completed 2 years of sampling in oxbow habitats along Cedar Creek in Greene County, Iowa.  From this work we hope to establish some level of population estimate that can be used to measure recovery efforts in the future.  The Iowa DNR, working with Iowa State University, will be funding graduate students to begin work on a similar estimate for the "in-stream" component. 

RIFO has taken on the challenge of recovering a small prairie stream minnow in the heart of agricultural Iowa.  We have done it using multiple programs and working from a grass roots beginning.  We have beaten the odds and have gained the trust and acceptance of landowners, row crop farmers and cattle ranchers.  Together we have moved the needle.  How far is yet to be determined, but undoubtedly we have progressed toward recovery