Dalton Rallies to Save an Endangered Species

A few years ago, it was discovered that a stream that bordering the Park Creek Elementary’s property and flowing into Mill Creek is a breeding ground for the Trispot Darter (Etheostoma trisella), an endangered fish species.

The Trispot Darter is a tiny fish no bigger than an inch and a half long, yet are gorgeous with unique markings. During the spawning season the males develop intense red-orange and turquoise markings to attract the lady Trispot Darters.

Populations of these little fish have declined in part due to the construction of culverts, dams, and reservoirs. The Trispot Darter fish have a unique way of finding a location to lay their eggs. Instead of laying its eggs where it typically lives in rivers or creeks like most fish, it will find temporary wetlands in the winter and lay their eggs there. There are less of the predators that would be found in streams and rivers. Because these areas are temporary and will dry up when it isn’t winter, we often end up plowing or paving over these areas without realizing it, destroying crucial habitat areas.

Dalton State students, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and Limestone Valley Resource, Conservation and Development Council, and the Nature Conservancy worked together to evaluate road culverts in the Mill Creek Watershed to determine if they were blocking the Trispot Darters migrations. Culverts are designed to let water pass through, but not all are Trispot Darter friendly. Some are smaller than the natural stream would be and have a higher outflow making it impossible for the the Trispot Darter to make it upstream. The long-term goal is to replace culverts impeding the Trispot Darter’s existence, but still allow the community’s necessary infrastructure.

Finding Trispot Darter habitats is challenging and time-consuming. For an endangered species, this could mean extinction due to lack of protection of the areas they need. The Conservation Institute is working with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to find these habitats using canoes and an environmental DNA sampling machine in Mill Creek.  If the samples suggest the presence of Trispot Darters, they will use other sampling methods to confirm their existence.

Many groups are working to protect this critical area including the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Tennessee Aquarium, Limestone Valley Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D), and the Coosa River Basin Initiative. They have been improving the plant diversity along the stream and removing invasive and non-native plants to restore the ecosystem.

While we may not be wildlife or aquatic scientists ourselves, we can still help out these darters thanks to a cleanup happening on September 6th. From 9 a.m. to noon, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful and Limestone Valley RC&D, will host the “Park Creek Pollution Pickup,” a litter cleanup along the stream by Park Creek Elementary that is so crucial to the Trispot Darters. The event is open to all and there is no need to RSVP, volunteers will meet at Park Creek Elementary to get the provided clean up supplies. Just make sure to wear safe, comfortable footwear and clothes you don’t mind getting a little dirty. This cooperative project has been funded in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Litter threatens the chances of survival for all aquatic life including the Trispot Darter. Fish can get entangled in debris such as plastic bags, fishing line, construction materials and more. They also ingest litter often leading to blocked digestive tracts causing starvation or poisoning. This cleanup offers one of our last chances to remove trash before it invades the darter’s habitat and to help protect the Trispot Darter from extinction.

Amy Hartline is the recycling and education program coordinator for the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority. Have a recycling question? Contact her at (706) 278-5001 or ahartline@dwswa.org.