FLOOD04472 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I Waterfowl are hunted by local property owners from September through January. Commercial barges pass by the project site on the Missouri River most months of the year, except in winter when the shipping lane is closed. Recreational boating primarily occurs during the summer months. Background noise levels are generally low. e. Prime Farmland: The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines prime farmland as "land that is best suited to producing food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed crops" (USDA 1985). These lands have the soil quality, growing season, and moisture supply needed to economically produce sustained high yields of crops when treated and managed properly. Prime farmland soils in the project area include Grable very fine sandy loam (Gn), Haynie silt loam (Hb), Haynie silty clay (Hd), Onawa silt loam (Oc) - where drained, and Onawa silty clay (On) - where drained. These soils comprise approximately 548 acres (76 percent) of the project site. f. Aquatic Resources: Most of the aquatic resources associated with the Langdon Bend site inhabit the Missouri River. Approximately 15,3 acres of the project site consist of possible habitat for aquatic/amphibious species and include shallow swales, wetlands, and a small pond. These areas hold water during the wet period of the year - late spring to early summer. The swales, wetlands, and pond area are generally dry during the remainder of the year. Therefore, these areas do not provide suitable fish habitat. A diverse assemblage of fish exists within the Missouri River in the vicinity of the site. Adult fishery studies have indicated that carp, goldeye, river carpsucker and gizzard shad represented the dominant catch in the main Missouri River channel based on mass, Silvery minnows, plains minnows, river shiners, emerald shiners and red shiners were the most abundant species collected (OPPD 1982). A list of common and scientific names of all species is included in Appendix A. Larval fishes in the Missouri River are dominated by freshwater drum, catostomids, cyprinids, and carp (Hergenrader, et al. 1982). Larval fISh were found to be common in the drift from early May through July. Spawning areas used are along the shoreline, in backwaters, and behind channel control structures. Only limited suitable nursery areas exist in the channelized Missouri River because of high current velocity, turbulent flows, and silt and sand loads. Hergenrader, et ai. (1982) found evidence that backwater areas function as nursery zones. The relative abundance of fish species in the Missouri River has changed dramatically since the channelization of the river (Hesse, et al. 1982). This is believed to be due to the changing availability of aquatic insects. Hesse, et al. (1982) contend that mid-channel sandbar production has assumed a larger proportion of the total system production following a reduction in overhanging trees, snag production, and off-channel backwater production as a result of channelization. Species such as flathead chubs and plains minnows have been replaced by those species, such as emerald shiners, which rely more on zooplankton availabilities in swifter currents . 11