Upper St. Joseph River Project Office

Fish Creek, upper St. Josephs's watershed
© The Nature Conservancy

Upper St. Joe Newsletter
November 2007

One of the rarest animals on the planet — the white cat’s paw pearly mussel — is found in Fish Creek, located in the upper St. Joseph River’s watershed, and nowhere else. Although many of Indiana's waterways have been drained, channeled and polluted over the years, gems such as Fish Creek largely escaped the damage that development and incompatible agricultural practices wrought on other waterways.

Fed by sparkling springs, the Upper St. Joseph River watershed supports some of the densest mussel beds remaining in the Great Lakes basin. Thirty-one species of mussels, three of which are federally endangered, thrive here, as do 43 species of native fish. Fort Wayne’s more than 205,000 residents also depend on this river as the source of their drinking water.

Location
The river’s watershed begins in central-lower Michigan and northwestern Ohio. It continues downstream about 50 miles and ends at the confluence of Fish Creek and the St. Joseph River, which is about 30 miles northeast of Fort Wayne.

Size
The upper St. Joseph River watershed is more than 350,000 acres. Current Conservancy efforts, however, are focused on two areas: Fish Creek and the East Fork of the St. Joseph River's West Branch, which together comprise 105,000 acres.

Animals
The 2-inch-long white cat’s paw pearly mussel, listed federally as endangered, has become a symbol of efforts to conserve the St. Joseph River watershed. Named for the shape of its shell, which resembles a cat’s paw-print, this mussel once lived throughout the river system and possibly into the upper Wabash River. Now, it only is found in Fish Creek. Its numbers declined so significantly in the early 1970s that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service placed it on the endangered species list in 1976.

Two other area mussels — the northern rifleshell mussel and club shell mussel — also are listed federally as endangered. Researchers recently uncovered a community of mussels in the East Fork of the West Branch of the St. Joseph River that rivals Fish Creek in its diversity. The copperbelly water snake — federally listed as threatened and state listed as endangered — also lives here.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Rich with mussels and other aquatic life, this river is the best remaining example of a river community that once was common in the western Lake Erie basin. With growing threats from agriculture, the future of this watershed remains uncertain. The Conservancy has the unique opportunity here to support these rare creatures by saving the land and water on which these plants and animals depend.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
The Nature Conservancy’s work in this watershed first began in 1992 with the opening of an office near Fish Creek. Over time, the Conservancy’s work expanded to include the more of the region.

Increased silt is impacting the quality of water here, as are man-made changes to how water flows into this area. Planting trees, encouraging the use of no-till practices and fencing creeks to keep out livestock are a few of the tactics being used to keep this river clean so that mussels and fish can thrive. The Conservancy has used these tactics, with the cooperation of landowners, on more than 11,000 acres.

Working with the Community
The St. Joseph staff, along with the staff of the Tippecanoe River Project office, produced a Risk Protection Program brocheue to highlife the benefits of no-till agricultural production to export this program to other agencies interested in teaching and promoting conservation tillage.

Another booklet is available that will explain the implications of altered hydrology on water quality, addressing primarily agricultural productions. For more information, please contact:

Upper St. Joseph River Project Office
Peachtree Plaza, Suite H
1220 North 200 West
Angola, IN 46703
Phone: (260) 665-9141