by Melissa Soria
Representatives from the Nature Conservancy and the Midwest Biodiversity Institute met Tuesday at the Logansport Economic Development Foundation to discuss a recent assessment of the Wabash River.
The study found the stretch of the river from Logansport to Wabash had the highest habitat quality and the largest number of sensitive fish species.
“The best part of the Wabash is where we are right now,” said Dr. Brian J. Armitage of Midwest Biodiversity Institute in Ohio.
He said the worst part of it was in the lower end, near the Ohio River.
The study compiled historical data from previous studies dating back 30 to 40 years. The assessment identified what animal and plant species depend on the river for habitat and sustenance, and where they are found along the river. The evaluation also identified the stresses on the river system.
According to Armitage, the goals of the $370,000 study, funded mostly by grants from the Alcoa Foundation, were to find how to enhance the river and its biodiversity, as well as maintaining its productivity. The study pulled information from a variety of state and federal sources.
A snapshot of the historical Wabash River was recreated to use as a way of measuring success once improvements were made, said Armitage.
Most of the data related to fish and mussels, he said. Fifty-one species of plants, animals and habitats considered endangered, threatened or rare were found in this portion of the river.
Armitage said black bass and shovelnose sturgeon were discovered. He said good signs of the river’s health were the blue sucker and red horses the researchers discovered. They found several variations of freshwater mussels as well.
The study found that the middle section of the Wabash River appeared to have the most healthy aquatic communities.
Threats affecting the quality of water in the Wabash River included flooding, loss of trees and native plants lining the river banks, nutrients reaching the river from farming operations and sediment.
Erosion is also detrimentally affecting the river, especially in farm areas, Armitage said.
Short-term solutions, he said, were to restore flood plains and wetlands in the lower part of the river, as well as having a healthy riparian buffer. Riparian buffers usually consist of grasses, flowers, shrubs and trees that line the stream banks.
Long-term solutions, he said, included headwater rehabilitation to maintain agricultural productivity while reducing the intensity of stormwater flow, erosion and nutrients carried in the water.
Larry Clemens, assistant state director for conservation programs, said they were interested in studying the Wabash River because it is “one of the great biological treasures” in the United States.
He said a more detailed report of the study will be coming out at the end of the year. He said the study provided for an analysis identifying the most effective strategies for improving the status of the river, one that didn’t exist before.
“Once the assessment is complete, we will begin developing strategies to address potential problems threatening the Wabash,” he said.
He said the primary goal would be to help form partnerships and empower organizations to address local issues.
Preserving the river will come at a grassroots level, Clemens said. He said local soil and water conservation districts were a good place to start.
“As local communities, you have to think of the Wabash River as an asset to the community,” he said. “Make the river front a place that people want to go.”
Melissa Soria may be reached at (574) 732-5143 or via e-mail at melissa.soria@pharostribune.com
Wabash River facts
• The Wabash River drains roughly 75 percent of Indiana.
• Seventy-three Indiana counties and many southeastern Illinois counties lie within this watershed.
• More than 700,000 Hoosiers live within 15 miles of the Wabash River.
• The river flows freely for 411 miles.
• The Wabash River Watershed encompasses 33,195 square miles across Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.
• The Wabash is the longest free-flowing river east of the Mississippi.
• It’s ranked among the most diverse rivers in all of the United States.
Source: Nature Conservancy
