Great Lakes Conservation
Indiana - Fish CreekFish Creek is a medium-sized, warm headwater stream that flows into the St. Joseph River. The creek drains an agricultural watershed that is 110 square miles and contains one of the most diverse assemblages of freshwater mussels in the Great Lakes basin. One of the rarest animals on the planet—the white cat’s paw pearly mussel—is found in Fish Creek and nowhere else. In all, 31 mussel species inhabit the creek, three of which are federally endangered in the United States, along with 43 fish species. At Fish Creek, the Conservancy and its partners are using groundbreaking science to preserve the area’s unique diversity of life. For example, scientists are testing a design that allows an agricultural ditch to perform more like a natural stream with a functioning floodplain. Knowledge gained here also is being used elsewhere, including Brazil, where new strategies on improving water quality in agricultural watersheds are being shared with Brazilian farmers. |
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