Raleigh, NC- February 8, 2007- Restoration Systems, LLC is extremely pleased to announce its most recent collaboration with Dr. Joseph Hightower, PhD., of the North Carolina State University Zoology Department, and the North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.  In an effort to support the ongoing research and development of environmental restoration, and the pursuit of academic excellence in the field, Restoration Systems will provide funding in the amount of $16,000 to support the purchase of essential materials and equipment to construct, install and maintain a Resistance Board Weir Panel on the Little River in Johnston County, NC.  This important piece of equipment will support the graduate research efforts of Joshua Raabe in pursuit of his Ph.D. at NCSU under Dr. Hightower’s advisement. 

The weir will be used to provide quantitative data on the numbers of migrating fish moving up stream from below Restoration Systems’ Lowell Mill Restoration Site, located in Johnston County, NC.   Such data is extraordinarily rare in the literature of east coast migratory fisheries.   

“The work should be extremely meaningful to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, as well as the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service and state and federal agencies across the region,” said Randy Turner, Restoration Systems’ resident Senior Biologist and Project Manager.  “Furthermore,” he continued, “the knowledge gained from this research effort should be of interest to anyone who cares about the health of anadromous fisheries, specifically American shad, hickory shad, herring and many other important species.” 

Restoration Systems anticipates that the research might underscore the importance of removing derelict dams and other barriers from our state’s streams and rivers; a topic near and dear to the company.  

“Our company has made a substantial investment in the identification and pursuit of dams that should be removed from the waterways of North Carolina and elsewhere in the United States,” said George Howard, Co-Founder and EVP of Restoration Systems.  

He went on to add, “Our staff of scientists and other professionals is single-minded in its determination to implement appropriate dam removals using compensatory mitigation as a funding source.  This strategy can result in significant and almost instantaneous restoration of upstream spawning opportunities to important migratory fish.  Such actions contribute to building and sustaining healthy migratory fish populations which can serve compensation for damage done elsewhere in the watershed.”   

In addition, Restoration Systems anticipates working alongside appropriate agencies and other scientific/academic interests to determine if additional data can be derived from a subset of the fish that Raabe captures throughout his research; before they are released back into the river.  The subject of these subsidiary interests might include attempts to quantify the presence of mollusk glochidial masses on fish gill tissues, and the possibility to elucidate the species of mollusk attached to the host fish, should glochidia be found.  Such inquiries will be undertaken in strict coordination between Hightower, Raabe and  state and/or federal resource managers, along with hands-on participation by recognized experts from academia or resource agencies. 

“Restoration Systems welcomes the continued opportunity to be a positive force in improving the state’s natural systems," Turner concluded.  “We hope this research is academically successful and rewarding and we thank Joe and Josh for their significant contributions to the science of migratory fish in the southeast.”

Contact:
Kristen M. Poillon
If you have any questions or comments, we welcome you to contact us at 919-755-9490, or email kristen@restorationsystems.com