Occurrence of Multiple Fish Species in a Typically Fishless Prairie Wetland Following Flooding

Abstract

The Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge (FHNWR), located near Hartford, KS, USA (38° 18’ 18.00” N, 95° 54’ 17.99” W) was established in 1966. The refuge encompasses 18,463 acres within the 100-year floodplain of the Neosho River. Within this area, 35 moist soil units (MSUs) were established in response to wetland habitat loss resulting from the construction of the John Redmond Reservoir and Dam upstream on the Neosho River (US Fish & Wildlife, 2013). MSUs are managed by pumping water from the Neosho River into the units and subsequently draining water. Pumping and draining of water is performed seasonally, creating a variety of habitats and food supply for staging and overwintering migratory birds and other waterfowl. Water is typically pumped into the MSUs in the Fall and is drained by late-Spring (US Fish & Wildlife, 2018). The intake on the pump has a fine mesh screen (< 1⁄4 inch) that resticts the passage of debris and fish. Following a flood event, fishes from surrounding rivers, including the Neosho, were observed in these MSUs. Serving as documentation, this paper relays these opportune findings.