The Meramec River is located in the upper Ozark Highlands in central-eastern Missouri and spans 218 linear miles before discharging into the Mississippi River in St. Louis (Blanc 1999, Thom et al, Figure 1). This watershed is dominated by Oak-Hickory forests and karst topography; and the Meramec River follows a riffle-run pattern of stream flow (Blanc 1999, Thom et al). Before people dominated the landscape, the driving forces of nature shaped the topography and the subsequent ecosystems that evolved, leaving behind biological and geological relics from the last glacial period (Nagel, 2010). These relics are seen today in the form of outcrops, caves, and ancient species thriving in the cool crevices of this geography (Nagel, 2010). The topography
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Fish and Wildlife Service (2015) lists birds such as the Least Turn (Sterna antillarum), Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus), and Rufa Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) as endangered and threatened. Previously, Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) were listed as endangered, however their populations have stabilized and are now protected under the federal Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Act. Mammals such as the Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens), Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis), and Northern Long Eared Bats (Myotis septentrionalis) are endangered and threatened and the Meramec River watershed is designated as critical habitat for the Indiana Bat. Plants such as the Decurrent False Aster (Boltonia decurrens), Mead’s Milkweed (Asclepias meadii), and Running Buffalo Clover (Trifolium stolonifereum) are federally endangered or threatened. Aquatic organisms such as the Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana), Ozark Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishop) and an abundance of mussels such as the Pink Mucket (Lampsilis abrupta), Scale Shell (Leptodea leptodon), Sheepnose (Plethobasus cyphyus), Snuffbox (Epioblasma triquetra), and Spectaclecase (Cumberlandia monodonta) are federally endangered. In total, there are 292 known species of fully and partially aquatic organisms recorded in the watershed, including the endemic Meramec saddled darter (Etheostoma erythrozonum) (Meramec River Conservation Action Plan, 2014, Switzer and Wood, 2009), which demonstrates that this region is shaped by and dependent on the abundance of freshwater resources. These organisms all rely on habitat availability, resource abundance, and quality
Fish and Wildlife Service (2015) lists birds such as the Least Turn (Sterna antillarum), Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus), and Rufa Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) as endangered and threatened. Previously, Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) were listed as endangered, however their populations have stabilized and are now protected under the federal Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Act. Mammals such as the Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens), Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis), and Northern Long Eared Bats (Myotis septentrionalis) are endangered and threatened and the Meramec River watershed is designated as critical habitat for the Indiana Bat. Plants such as the Decurrent False Aster (Boltonia decurrens), Mead’s Milkweed (Asclepias meadii), and Running Buffalo Clover (Trifolium stolonifereum) are federally endangered or threatened. Aquatic organisms such as the Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana), Ozark Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishop) and an abundance of mussels such as the Pink Mucket (Lampsilis abrupta), Scale Shell (Leptodea leptodon), Sheepnose (Plethobasus cyphyus), Snuffbox (Epioblasma triquetra), and Spectaclecase (Cumberlandia monodonta) are federally endangered. In total, there are 292 known species of fully and partially aquatic organisms recorded in the watershed, including the endemic Meramec saddled darter (Etheostoma erythrozonum) (Meramec River Conservation Action Plan, 2014, Switzer and Wood, 2009), which demonstrates that this region is shaped by and dependent on the abundance of freshwater resources. These organisms all rely on habitat availability, resource abundance, and quality