Conservation Teamwork Spells Success in Northwest Georgia
For a fish with such flash, trispot darters spawn in some lackluster places.
“They really do like the crappy habitat,” DNR fisheries technician Kaylee Blackburn says with a grin. “Really mucky, mushy mud with leaf litter,” and in seeps only inches deep.
While this federally threatened fish favors bigger, clear-water streams the rest of the year, discovering where the neon-splotched breeding males and drabber females spawn has helped target research and produce what fellow DNR aquatic biologist Tiffany Penland considers an impressive amount of work – done by an impressive number of partners. “There are a lot of moving parts,” Penland said. “But with all the partners involved, we are getting so much accomplished.”
Trispots barely top 2 inches but loom large as an indicator of healthy aquatic systems. The species is found only in the upper Coosa River basin. The watershed, one of the most biologically diverse in North America, drains a chunk of northwest Georgia and a smidgeon of Tennessee before crossing into Alabama.
The parts Penland mentioned involve two projects. One led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute is checking a randomized list of possible breeding sites to model where the fish should be.
DNR’s Kaylee Blackburn samples for trispot eDNA with partners (Alan Cressler)
In a companion America’s Ecosystem Restoration Initiative grant effort, DNR and partners are testing water for trispot DNA during breeding season in the species’ known range. “Positive” streams are ground-truthed to see if trispots are truly there.
Another segment of that grant project has assessed over 1,600 road stream-crossings the past two summers. Culverts that block darters from upstream spawning sites, such as where an outflow lip is perched too high above the water, are noted. Fixes that offer the best results are prioritized in concert with local governments and utilities. Four culverts have already been replaced with open-bottom structures that better suit the movement of water and fish.
Add to that outreach – from events to “How to Spot a Trispot” coloring books – and work with landowners – partners are helping one farmer pay for a culvert that benefits fish and cattle – and the result is a robust approach to restoring trispots.
For now, Blackburn said the fish are doing OK. But because of those winter runs into soggy groundwater-fed seeps, “Aquatic connectivity is their biggest issue.”
The research is providing a better understanding of the population. Penland said the clearer picture informs the partnerships with organizations and landowners, a blend that “can bring greater success to conservation and restoration efforts for trispots.”
A new open-bottom culvert that provides better access upstream for fish (Kaylee Blackburn/GaDNR)
TRISPOT PARTNERS
Partners include Limestone Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council, Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute, The Nature Conservancy in Georgia, Dalton State College, University of North Georgia, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, local governments, and other wildlife state agencies.
CLEAN 13 CAMPUS
One of the streams where trispots spawn is on the 67-acre campus of Park Creek Elementary School in Dalton. The discovery of the fish led to the school joining with partners to teach students about wildlife and restoring habitats, which resulted in the Georgia Water Coalition naming Park Creek a 2025 Clean 13 honoree.
COVER FISH
The handsome male trispot pictured above seemed to pose for photos, prompting the Tennessee Aquarium’s Doug Strickland to dub it the “Brad Pitt of trispots.”