Ponca Habitat Restoration on the Missouri River
2006 Chief of Engineers Design and Environmental Awards

The primary goal of this project was to restore habitats (backwater, wetland, emergent sandbar island, and tallgrass prairie) in the main stem Missouri River that have been degraded by physical alterations made to the system in the past several decades. Before construction, the project site was a series of degraded side channels, backwaters, and farmed wetlands. The restoration built 29 acres of backwater habitat, 17.5 acres of wetland, three emergent sandbar islands with a combined acreage of 37 acres, and planted 36 acres of tall grass prairie. To maintain the aesthetic quality, there are few artificial structures. Vegetative plantings conceal the access trail when viewed from the backwaters. Efforts were made to build the backwaters and wetlands in the abandoned river channels and natural low spots that already existed to make the project appear as natural as possible. Large woody debris was placed along the edges of the excavated areas to provide habitat for fish and other species. This debris was placed to resemble the snags that naturally occur along the Missouri River. Jury Comments: The project mitigates disturbances to ecosystem caused by the Gavin’s Point Dam, urbanization, and agriculture. This is a highly effective habitat that allows people to see how the Missouri River looked before navigation and urbanization.