Streamside Technology in the Clinch River Valley

By Kimber Ray Although visitors are unlikely to stumble upon Saint Paul, Va., by chance, those who do might be surprised to learn that this small, rural town hosts some of the most novel trails in the country. Located along the crystal-clear waters of the Clinch River in Russell and Wise Counties, Saint Paul boasts…

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Showing Off Your Mussels: Powell River Restocks Declining Populations and other shorts

This fall, more than 7,000 juvenile mussels were released into the Powell River, the largest number of endangered mussels planted in the history of the river’s restoration project. The release was coordinated through a partnership between Virginia Tech, Lincoln Memorial University, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 6,086 oyster…

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Appalachian Mussels: Our Living Freshwater Filters

Flexing our mussels: The inland mussel species of Appalachia are unmatched around the world, with the Tennessee River basin alone containing more varieties than China and Europe combined. Photo courtesy of Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Center

By Jesse Wood When European settlers first waded through Appalachian streams hundreds of years ago, freshwater mussels practically paved the riverbeds. In the early 1900s, the aquatic creatures were so abundant that thousands of pearl hunters flocked to the forks of the Holston and Clinch rivers in Tennessee hoping to strike it rich. Of course,…

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