Public meetings set to discuss Grotto sculpin

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Two public meetings will be held next week regarding Perryville's Community Conservation Plan, an effort to protect the Grotto sculpin, a cave-dwelling fish that lives in underground streams in Perry County.

Local officials and community members will share information about the plan and take public comment at the Perryville Area Career and Technology Center at 326 College St. in Perryville, from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday.

The Community Conservation Plan aims to demonstrate a commitment to responsible land stewardship in the hopes of avoiding heavy regulation that could occur if the Grotto sculpin were added to the endangered species list. It is one of 400 species that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has to evaluate for the endangered list, due to a settlement agreement reached in September with the environmental group Wild Earth Guardians.

Potential threats to the fish include habitat destruction, overuse of the caves where it lives for recreational or educational purposes and inadequate monitoring systems.

An estimated $350,000 has been spent on the plan so far and 500 to 600 individuals have given their input since November, according to Celeste Vanderbrugen, southeast region community development specialist for the University of Missouri Extension.

The final draft of the plan will be entered into the federal register for further comment and will exist as a "living document" that can be revised and updated as necessary, she said.

Pertinent address:

326 College St., Perryville, MO