L Roebuck
Technical Support
Caving
^V^ Just a caver
Posts: 2,023
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Post by L Roebuck on Jan 16, 2007 13:09:47 GMT -5
Tiny Treasure Found in Southwest Missouri- infoZine - By Jim Low - Size is less important than diversity at Ozark Cavefish National Wildlife Refuge. " Ozark Cavefish NWR came into existence in 1991, with the acquisition of 40 acres in Lawrence County. The land adjoins two areas owned by the Missouri Department of Conservation. One of the conservation areas has an extensive cave system known to harbor the federally threatened Ozark cavefish. Preserving the eyeless, 2-inch fish is the refuge's reason for being. A separate, 1.3-acre tract adjacent to the Neosho National Fish Hatchery, also known to harbor Ozark cavefish, comprises the remainder of the NWR. "Ozark cavefish are known to live only in a few caves in southwestern Missouri, northwestern Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma. Early settlers in the region called the tiny, pinkish-white fish "well keepers," because their presence was proof of clean water. Their sensitivity to pollution makes them good environmental barometers even today. Pesticides, chemical spills, soil erosion, and runoff from roads, parking lots, garbage dumps, septic systems and livestock operations may account for their limited present-day distribution." "Cavefish protection drives most management decisions at Ozark Cavefish NWR. This cautious approach accounts for the fact that the refuge currently is closed to public use." Full Article
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