The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is responsible for managing the forests, fish, and wildlife of the State of Missouri. The water, fish, and other animals inhabiting our streams are a public resource, but the quality of stream fishing and overall stream health is almost entirely dependent upon land management decisions made by private citizens who own more than 93% of the State, including the corridors and beds of our streams.
Since the mid 1980s, MDC biologists have provided on-site stream habitat evaluation and planning services to landowners, usually in response to geographically random streambank erosion problems. Local attempts at spot-treatment, while instructive, have done little to address the watershed-wide problems that affect our streams. Clearly, any substantial progress toward improving our stream fisheries will occur only if a significant number of people from all walks of life acquire an understanding of the physical, chemical and biological character of these resources and their values to society. Only from such a common understanding may there arise a shared vision and science-based plan for watershed conservation that incorporates the perspectives and reflects the needs of all stakeholders.
The main objectives of this report are:
- to summarize the widely scattered physical, chemical, and biological information most relevant to the stream fishery of the Chariton River watershed; and
- to identify opportunities for conserving (wisely managing) Chariton River basin streams on a watershed scale.
In addition to providing guidance for MDC operations, we hope this document will facilitate citizen-led initiatives to manage the watershed in a way that will benefit our fisheries, our rural economy in general, and future generations who will inherit our legacy.
Prepared By:
Darcy N. Cashatt and David J. Neuswanger, Northeast Fisheries Region, November, 2001
For additional information contact:
Fisheries Regional Supervisor
2500 S. Haliburton
Kirksville, MO 63501
