TU asks for Help on Dawt Mill Dam

[grizwilson]

 

 

Squeaky wheel gets the oil. View this email in your browser Your Letters May Help This past June, a Springfield teenager was trapped and died in a failed section of the Dawt Mill dam on the Upper North Fork. There is now a call for action to remove the dam to prevent future tragedies. A TU member, Shawn Taylor expressed his concerns about this dam removal at our August member meeting. He believe this dam provides a barrier that prohibits predator fish such as walleye and stripers coming up from Lake Norfork. Once removed, the trout population could be in real danger. We are asking TU members to write to the Missouri Department of Conservation encouraging them to look at other ways to make the river safe without compromising the wild trout population. We are not asking the MDC to rebuild the dam, as that is not their role. We are simply asking them to be more than neutral on the subject and open for collaboration with private organizations if there is the will and money to rebuild. They have participated in other such projects in the past. You can write letters to both: Nathan Recktenwald, Fisheries Biologist and A J Pratt, Fisheries Supervisor 551 Joe Jones Blvd West Plains Mo 65775 Nathan.recktenwald@mdc.mo.gov Anthony.pratt@mdc.mo.gov   Background: Upper North Fork Rainbow trout were introduced in Missouri waters in 1882 and are restricted to a few areas of the Ozarks.  The North Fork of the White River not only sustains trout, but is one of the few waters in the Ozarks that supports a naturally reproducing population of wild Rainbow trout. Between Rainbow Springs and Blair Bridge is the Missouri Wild Trout Management Area of the North Fork River. This area has not been stocked with Rainbow trout since 1964 and features excellent fly fishing for wild rainbows.   According to 2001 inventory and assessment of the North Fork River performed by the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Dawt Mill dam is the only water control structure on the that river. It is less than eight feet high, located nearly two miles above Tecumseh in Ozark County. The dam was originally constructed in the late 1800s to supply power to Dawt Mill and has always been privately owned. The dam has been rebuilt and repaired several times, as recently as 1993, due to flooding damage. Shawn Taylor will be speaking about the Dawt Mill dam at the NAFF meeting next Tuesday, August 16th. 7:00-9:00 Van Matre Senior Center. Copyright © 2016 White River Trout Unlimited Chapter 698, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

[Lancer09]

I feel like I recently saw that Dawt was approved to begin the permitting process to remove the dam.

There was also something about them being able to start the process at the national level which would somehow speed the process up?

Anyone else see this?

 

Add:

I don't think there will be so many "predators" moving up into the river that it would ruin the trout fishing. While I love the wild trout they still aren't the native fish. Sure some small ones would get eaten by a few more bass, stripers and walleye, but I think it would end up not being the catastrophe that some people think that it would. 

[Flysmallie]

Yeah I think TU might be a little late to the game. That and MDC has nothing to do with the decision. There is a congressman I think they got involved. If you want to sway a decision I'd say that's where you need to start. 

[Ham]

I worry more about water levels for the fish.

[Gavin]

Not sure what it would do. The stripers get up there occassionally now and they seem to stay away from the better trout spots. Has anyone gutted a striped bass with a bunch of trout in its gullet on th NFOW. Think they feed on craws mostly and there are tons of them in the NFOW.

[Ham]

I'd love to hear what Justin thinks about it. maybe he will chime in on the subject in October when things slow down for him.

[Jerry Rapp]

this is one of those that make me go, WTF?  Well, let's remove Chicago to cut down on murders.  Seriously, is this actually being considered?

[Gavin]

Agree with you Ham. I don't get down there enough to have formed an opinion, though I'm generally in favor of the removal of obsolete dams.

[MOPanfisher]

The owners are in a tough spot, right now they have a known hazard, it is in serious need of repair or removal.  The let the streams be natural crowd will be all for removal, the save it for water levels and trout will want to repair it.  Either option is gonna be expensive, require the approval and oversight of multiple agencies, and take a while.  Plus it's probably a historic structure which gets at least one more acronym involved. 

[Gavin]

Owners have turned that place into an eyesore and a carnival. Views off the new decks are nice but not much sympathy. Ozark Hellbenders in the water too.