Gravel Pit Restoration: Biodiverse Wetlands for Wildlife Protection

Gravel and sand are valuable construction materials. High transportation costs mean that they must be mined near where they are going to be used. Because these materials are so abundant along riverbeds and lakeshores, gravel pits and sand quarries are common throughout America’s watersheds. Loading concrete sand at the quarry. Photo by bedforal (Flickr). Unlike […]

Reintroduced Northern Riffleshell Thrives in Ohio’s Darby Creek

The life cycle of the northern riffleshell mussel is surprising both in its violence and its pacifism. The female riffleshell captures a small fish and releases its larvae onto the host. As the host fish swims, the mussel’s progeny go on the ride of their lives, being dispersed far and wide. “The riffleshell lives about […]

Creek Restoration in Colorado: the Human Element

In a previous post, we talked about how Colorado’s recent floods devastated the habitats of riparian animals. Of course, it’s hard to mention those ravaged watersheds without turning wondering about the human habitats that were affected. People’s lives were turned into flotsam and jetsam by this unexpected disaster. They are still rebuilding, and efforts to […]

River Restoration: 10 Reasons to Remove old Dams

Dams are essential for storing and diverting water, processes which enable hydropower, irrigation, flood control, and consumption by humans or livestock. However, dams have a huge impact on river ecosystems. They drastically alter water flow, affecting natural fauna dispersal and distribution patterns. The consequences for freshwater ecology are disastrous. Over 75,000 dams greater than 6 […]

Creek Restoration in Colorado: Crucial to Many Species

“I dreamed of the future, clean skies, water, and soil. Then I awoke and saw nothing but environmental disaster.” So says Bill Heyman, and although his statement is dramatic, it hits on the truth. This is pertinent to the matter at hand: Colorado is known for its natural wonders, from the stark, high mountain peaks […]