Big Escambia Creek Restoration Project
The largest habitat restoration project east of the Mississippi
river is underway in Big Escambia Creek, Escambia County,
Alabama and Escambia County, Florida. Funding by the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers and several other entities will restore
a natural channel to Big Escambia Creek. The Panama City Ecological
Services and Fisheries Resources Office provided assistance
in design criteria and construction specifications, and is
assisting with on-the-ground habitat restoration. Additionally,
Panama City Fisheries Resources and the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission will evaluate the success of the project
by comparing the fish assemblage before and after restoration.
Baseline fish community data were collected between 1998
and 2002. To date, 50 species have been documented from
Big Escambia Creek. The results obtained from the BEC site
will be compared with a control site from Little Escambia
Creek, Escambia County, Alabama, in order to determine if
variations in fish community structure are due to natural
phenomenon or restoration activities.
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