July 7, 2017 -- Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge is celebrating its 80th birthday today by improving fish habitat for the future.
Northern Maine National Wildlife Refuge Complex Manager Keith Ramos said his staff is working this week to open and connect more than 5 miles of stream habitat between the St. Croix River and Nash’s Lake through the refuge.
Ramos said the project will replace a failing water control structure with an arched culvert to improve fish passage fish passage
Fish passage is the ability of fish or other aquatic species to move freely throughout their life to find food, reproduce, and complete their natural migration cycles. Millions of barriers to fish passage across the country are fragmenting habitat and leading to species declines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program is working to reconnect watersheds to benefit both wildlife and people.
Learn more about fish passage . The new culvert design will allow for the upstream migration of alewife, American eel and brook trout.
“This project will eliminate two aging water control structures that are frequently plugged by beavers, potentially causing road washouts,” Ramos said. “This road is open to the public year-round as part of the Vose Pond auto tour route and snowmobile trail, so a road-washout at this location would pose a danger to the public.”
Ramos said FWS staff will complete the entire project from design to installation. The Pleasant Point Passamaquoddy Tribe contributed funding for the metal arch culvert, and Project SHARE (Salmon Habitat and River Enhancement) is providing on-site technical construction support. The FWS National Fish Passage Program also contributed funding for the arch culvert and technical assistance from an engineering team specializing in fish passage projects. Ramos said the project should be completed next week.
Healthy rivers and river systems are lifelines for communities in Maine and throughout the nation, providing recreation, water quality, strong economies and other benefits. By connecting and opening waterways throughout the Northeast, the FWS and partners are helping wildlife thrive and creating more resilient communities for people.
Established in 1937, Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge consists of nearly 30,000 acres of federally protected lands in eastern Maine. Refuge staff manage the land to protect a variety of federal trust species and habitats, include migratory birds, endangered species and wetlands.
