As a partner in this project, uslts goal is to enhance heelsplitter habitat in and along the waterways of the stevens creek watershed, especially turkey creek, cuffeytown creek, and their…

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $400,000 Project Grant under the National Fish Passage Program (CFDA 15.685) to the Upper Savannah Land Trust, a non-profit organization in South Carolina. The grant funding will be used to replace an inadequate road crossing on Horsepen Branch, a tributary of Cuffeytown Creek, in order to enhance habitat for the Carolina heelsplitter, a federally-listed freshwater mussel species. Specifically, the project will replace a series of undersized culverts with a natural bottom arch culvert, which will improve aquatic organism passage and reduce erosion, flooding, and other issues at the stream crossing. This project aligns with the Upper Savannah Land Trust's mission to conserve natural lands and habitats in the western Piedmont region of South Carolina. The 5-year award period runs from September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2028.

As a partner in this project, uslts goal is to enhance heelsplitter habitat in and along the waterways of the stevens creek watershed, especially turkey creek, cuffeytown creek, and their tributaries where the heelsplitter has been documented to occur, which complements our primary mission to conserve natural, historic, and scenic lands of south carolinas western piedmont. Funding requested for this project would be specifically used to replace an inadequate road crossing on flint hill church road and horsepen branch, about one-half mile upstream from cuffeytown creek. The plan is to replace a parallel series of undersized culverts with a natural bottom arch culvert allowing the waters of horsepen branch to flow freely downstream to cuffeytown creek without the blockage, constriction, erosion, impoundment, and flooding which frequently affect this stream crossing, not only creating a barrier to aquatic life, but also creating human access and safety issues by flooding and or washing out flint hill church road, which serves the nearby church of that name, as well as the homes of several residents in this historically underserved rural community.