23 Oct. 2012
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VICKSBURG, Miss.—ERDC Environmental Laboratory’s (EL) Fish Ecology Team recently conducted fishery demonstrations and a tour of the Mississippi River for Theodore Roosevelt IV, a prominent conservationist who is the great-grandson of the 26th president of the United States, “Rough Rider” and naturalist, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, and guests.
Working with Tara Wildlife, the Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee, and the Jackson Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the team showed Roosevelt and his party a wide range of natural fish habitats such as sand- and gravel bars and secondary channels, as well as engineering features functioning as restored habitat such as notched dikes. The team also used a wide range of gear to catch species characteristic of the river including gar, paddlefish, sturgeon, suckers, Asian carp, catfish and drum.
“This was Mr. Roosevelt’s first day ever on the Mississippi River, but in just a few hours he was able to see U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects, natural features and a diverse assemblage of fishes. He appreciates the dual roles of the river - as navigational thoroughfare and center of biodiversity - and was impressed with the collaborative relationship here between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Corps of Engineers,” said Dr. Jan Hoover, an EL research fisheries biologist.
Participating EL team members were Branch Chief Tim Lewis, Jack Killgore, Jay Collins, Steven George, Alan Katzenmeyer, Phil Kirk, William Lancaster, Bradley Lewis, Todd Slack and Hoover. Research by the team on local Mississippi River fishes is sponsored by the Mississippi Valley Division.
To view a video interview of Roosevelt filmed on the river, and posted by Bruce Reid, Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee, click on http://youtu.be/KsapXCHCKkU.