Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Missouri
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Reconnecting streams to their floodplains improves water quality and quantity, supports biodiversity and sensitive species conservation, increases flood and drought resiliency, and bolsters carbon sequestration to help address climate change. Stream restoration that incorporates beaver dams or analogues (BDA) those structures to promote floodplain connectivity can assist in reconnecting streams to their floodplains. This project is a collaborative effort between the Missouri Department of Conservation, The Nature Conservancy, and the Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. This project will determine if BDAs and similar low-tech process-based structures are effective, resilient, and cost-effective approaches to enhance and sustain populations of Topeka Shiners and other aquatic species, meet stream restoration goals, and initiate wetland community development along headwaters and small streams.