Smitherman's Dam Removal and Little River Restoration Project

Smitherman&Dam Removal and Little River Restoration Project. Conservation in Action in the heart of North Carolina&Piedmont. By: Lilibeth Serrano, Public Affairs Specialist, Raleigh Field Office. February 18, 2014. The Smitherman&Dam is gone. Phew! For decades, this structure prevented endemic mussels and diadromous species such as American eel and American shad from finding their native spawning habitat. In this video, Roy J. Maness, Mayor of the City of Troy, shares childhood memories of playtime at Densons Creek and Little River. He talks about how this habitat restoration project is helping him protect the city&natural heritage. Watch as the USFWS, Refuge and Fisheries employees demolish the dam and create a new access point for anglers and canoeist. Uniquely, this project was designed and conservation delivery was implemented by the newly formed USFWS SE Aquatic Habitat Restoration Team comprised of the Fish Passage Program, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program-Raleigh Field Office, Asheville Field Office, Private John Allen National Fish Hatchery, North Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge Complex, and Welaka National Fish Hatchery. Additional partner assistance included the Piedmont Conservation Council, state and Progress Energy aquatic biologists, and American Rivers for planning, monitoring and administration. Smitherman&Mill Dam project is the fourth barrier removed in recent years in the Yadkin--Pee Dee River Basin releasing 54 main stem miles...