Biologists collect and move fish from a de-watered river reach
After eight years of planning and fundraising, the decrepit Cane River Dam, in North Carolina’s Yancey County, was removed in the fall of 2016. The dam has been out of use for decades and was a safety hazard on the river as well as an impediment to the up- and downstream movement of stream animals.
Removal was coordinated by the Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development Council and brought together the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund, N.C. Division of Water Resources, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, American Rivers, N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, North Carolina State University’s Stream Restoration Program, Appalachian State University, N.C. Department of Transportation, the Yancey County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership, Wildland’s Engineering, and Baker Grading and Landscaping.
Photo credit: G. Peeples/USFWS