Watercress darter
Encyclopedia
The watercress darter is a small colorful fish which lives in the Black Warrior River
drainage basin near Birmingham, Alabama
. The largest known female is 2.5 inches in length. It was declared an Endangered species
by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
in 1970, five years after its initial discovery in Glenn Spring.
The species can be found in the watercress
zone of springs. They feed on snail
s, crustacean
s and insect
larva
e in slow moving water. The species is endangered and is protected in areas such as the Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge
in Jefferson County
. The species is only known to exist in four specific bodies of water, two in the refuge and two at the Seven Springs in the Powderly neighborhood of Birmingham. The Seven Springs populations were only recently discovered in 2003.
On September 22, 2008, more than 12,000 watercress darters were killed when workers from the city of Birmingham removed a beaver dam at Roebuck Springs, emptying a pond that was the darter's habitat. An alternative solution would have been to install a flow device
in the dam to regulate the pond height. The pond was emptied because it often flooded a nearby tennis court
. The city emptied the beaver pond without the permission of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
(FWS). The FWS has ordered that the dam be restored and the pond refilled in an effort to save the remaining darters.
The state of Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
is suing the City of Birmingham for destroying endangered species and their wetland habitat.
Black Warrior River
The Black Warrior River is a waterway in west central Alabama in the southeastern United States. The river rises in the extreme southern edges of the Appalachian Highlands and flows 178 miles to the Tombigbee River, of which the Black Warrior is the primary tributary...
drainage basin near Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. The largest known female is 2.5 inches in length. It was declared an Endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
in 1970, five years after its initial discovery in Glenn Spring.
The species can be found in the watercress
Watercress
Watercresses are fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennial plants native from Europe to central Asia, and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings...
zone of springs. They feed on snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
s, crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e in slow moving water. The species is endangered and is protected in areas such as the Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge
Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge
Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located in Jefferson County, Alabama, within the city limits of Bessemer. Watercress Darter NWR consists of a pond known as Thomas Spring which is essential to the survival of the endangered watercress darter. A second pond...
in Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Alabama
Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, with its county seat being located in Birmingham.As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Jefferson County was 658,466...
. The species is only known to exist in four specific bodies of water, two in the refuge and two at the Seven Springs in the Powderly neighborhood of Birmingham. The Seven Springs populations were only recently discovered in 2003.
On September 22, 2008, more than 12,000 watercress darters were killed when workers from the city of Birmingham removed a beaver dam at Roebuck Springs, emptying a pond that was the darter's habitat. An alternative solution would have been to install a flow device
Flow device
Flow devices are man-made solutions to beaver-related flooding problems. Traditional solutions have been focused on the trapping and removal of all the beavers in the area...
in the dam to regulate the pond height. The pond was emptied because it often flooded a nearby tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
. The city emptied the beaver pond without the permission of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
(FWS). The FWS has ordered that the dam be restored and the pond refilled in an effort to save the remaining darters.
The state of Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
OverviewAlabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is the state agency responsible for the conservation and management of Alabama's natural resources including state parks, state lands, wildlife and aquatic resources. ADCNR also issues hunting and fishing licenses for the state...
is suing the City of Birmingham for destroying endangered species and their wetland habitat.
External links
- Village Creek in Roebuck Springs, Alabama - Video by Glynn Wilson
- Outdoor Alabama - Watercress Darter Listed as Endangered (EN B1+2ce v2.3)