Unios in Oklahoma

[Caitlin]

LINK to mussels in OK

Conserving Native Mussels in Oklahoma - A Partnership Approach
[SIZE=-1]The Kiamichi - one of the most pristine and ecologically intact river basins in the region - has a watershed that drains 1, 830 square miles and is to a vast majority privately owned. Through a unique partnership that spans Federal and State agencies, local conservation and landowner organizations, and a conservation- minded corporation, the community-based Kiamichi River Initiative is a model to emulate.
Historically, local landowners have done a good job protecting the river using management practices like riparian borders. The narrow watershed is heavily forested, and until recently land use was primarily limited to forestry and cattle grazing. Water uses have been limited to fishing, swimming and occasional canoeing.
The free flowing river originates in the Ouachita National Forest at the Arkansas border and ends at its confluence with the Red River - the Oklahoma/Texas border. Most of the Kiamichi River basin is in narrow valleys that range from 3-12 miles in width and feature steep and rocky slopes. Pine-hardwood forest is the typical vegetation, with shortleaf pine dominating drier south-facing slopes and oaks, hickories and other hardwoods dominating north-facing slopes and bottomlands.
The river is home to the Federally listed (Endangered) Ouachita rock pocketbook (Arkansia wheeleri), one of the rarest mussels in North America. This species is the world's only remaining representative of it's genus and is evolutionarily distinct and a high priority for conservation. This mussel is sensitive to long-term changes in water conditions such as temperature, nutrient levels, current, substrate, pesticides and oxygen levels.
The only known healthy population of Ouachita rock pocketbooks exists in the clean waters of the Kiamichi River, home to another 28 mussel species, including seven imperiled or vulnerable ones and more than half the mussels known to live in Oklahoma waters. The species rich Kiamichi River also harbors more than 100 native fish species.
Spearheaded by the Nature Conservancy's Oklahoma chapter, the Kiamichi River Initiative is based in the small southeastern Oklahoma community of Clayton and seeks to build community support for the long-term health of the Kiamichi River watershed and the communities within its borders. The Nature Conservancy recognized early on that partnerships were essential to successful program planning and decision-making and established a core team of integral Federal and state agencies and other key groups during the first months of the project.
Representatives of the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Oklahoma Biological Survey, Ouachita Mountains Resource Conservation and Development district, Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) a major electrical utility provider in the state, and The Nature Conservancy began working together. Meeting regularly, the partners provide input that helps assess the productivity and efficiency of efforts to maintain the ecological integrity of the river.
Central and Southwest Services, PSO's parent company, brought needed financial capital to the partnership. The corporation contributed $80,000 to help support operational costs associated with establishing and maintaining a local office in the watershed.
The Kiamichi River manager is working with local schools in the watershed. Classes will be learning about important watershed concepts and participating in hands-on water quality monitoring. To better realize the aquatic education objective, new partners from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Oklahoma State University Extension Service and the Latimer County Conservation District have enthusiastically 'stepped to the plate.' The Nature Conservancy has assembled two 'River Resource Boxes' for area teachers. These educational trunks have stream ecology kits, field guides, books, and river activity manuals. Teachers and students can use the ecology kits to conduct aquatic sampling experiments and monitor water quality.
Goals for the year 2000 include a more detailed assessment of the critical reaches of the river and the development of several private land riparian restoration projects. Cooperative projects will provide benefits to individual landowners while improving aquatic conditions on the river. Furthermore, key demonstration projects will help The Nature Conservancy show other watershed landowners the benefits of similar projects on their property.
The success of the Kiamichi Initiative is entirely dependent on building local support. Initiative designers recognize that local communities must be empowered to chart a sustainable future for the Kiamichi watershed. Therefore, the development of a coalition of local citizens, landowners, community groups, corporations, Native American tribes, schools, and local, state and federal agencies is necessary. Trust in the community is slowly gaining - one individual at a time - through honest up front discussions and dialogue. Much of the ground - work for the Kiamichi Initiative involves simply listening to the desires and concerns of area landowners and residents. With continued cooperation from all partners, the ultimate goal of developing and implementing a Kiamichi River Conservation Plan will be realized. At this time, no one really knows exactly what such a document will look like. However, most participants believe that such a plan will reflect the region's desire to maintain the natural integrity of the watershed while sustaining a high quality of life for local citizens and rural landowners.[/SIZE]