• Rivers of Life Report
  The Conasauga River
  The Altamaha River
  The Etowah River
  Broxton Rocks
  

Rivers of Life: Critical Watersheds for Protecting Freshwater Biodiversity

Hidden beneath the shimmering surface of our nation's rivers and lakes is an extraordinary variety of aquatic creatures, largely unseen and unfamiliar to most of us. Though we are a nation devoted to the beauty and recreational values of our streams, creeks, and rivers, few of us know that U.S. streamlife is exceptional at a global level, even compared with the tropics. This great freshwater diversity should be a source of great national pride. Instead, it is a source of grave concern.

Rivers and lakes are the circulatory system of our nation. These ecosystems furnish a variety of services, from clean drinking water and recreational opportunities, to transportation and food. The very quality of our lives, as well as freshwater species' survival, depends on fresh clean water.

The diversity of freshwater life is not randomly distributed around the globe. The tropics, especially rainforests, are widely recognized as centers of species diversity. Few people realize, however, that the United States is a world center for freshwater species diversity.

In Georgia, The Nature Conservancy is working to protect freshwater species diversity specifically on two river systems; the Conasuaga River in northwest Georgia and the Altamaha River in southeast Georgia.

The Conasauga River
On the steep, forested slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northwest Georgia, the clean, cool waters of the Conasauga River descend rapidly through the mountains toward Tennessee. Crossing the state line, the river pauses in deep pools, dropping now and then through a number of small rapids.

The Conasauga River supports 24 rare and imperiled aquatic species, including 12 that are federally listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Its clear waters are home to a colorful array of rare fishes, including the holiday darter (Etheostoma brevirostrum), the blue shiner (Cyprinella caerulea) and the endangered Conasauga logperch (Percina jenkinsi). Flowing farther through Tennessee and back into Georgia, the river harbors other rare fishes, including the frecklebelly madtom (Noturus munitus) and the amber darter (Percina antesella). Some of the rarest river inhabitants live quietly at the bottom of the river; a half dozen species of freshwater mussels. These animals, including the endangered southern pigetoe (Pleurobema georgianum) and traingular kidneshell (Ptychobranchus greenii), filter the river's waters for nourishment. There is even fresh evidence that three species of mussels believed to be extinct may actually be surviving in the Conasauga.

The Altamaha River
The Altamaha River drains more than one-quarter of Georgia's land surface, making it the third-largest river basin along the Atlantic seaboard. With limited development, a sparse human population, and landowners strongly attached to their natural heritage, the Altamaha and its floodplain remain fairly undisturbed. In its entirety, the Altamaha is among the most biologically rich river systems draining into the Atlantic ocean. It sustains globally rare natural communities and 11 imperiled and vulnerable pearly mussel species, seven of which are found nowhere else in the world. In total, at least 130 species of rare or endangered plants and animals are found in the Altamaha River watershed.

To protect the river's biological riches and counter mounting threats, The Nature Conservancy initiated an ecological survey of the lower Altamaha River watershed in 1991. The inventory yielded a set of 18 land-cover maps, significantly increasing resource managers' understanding of the biological condition of lands adjacent to the river. The landscape-scale land-cover classification methodology developed at the Altamaha became a model for other Conservancy efforts around the country.

The Etowah River
The Nature Conservancy has partnered with the Upper Etowah River Alliance to work to protect the globally significant aquatic biodiversity of the Etowah watershed. It is estimated that the Etowah river has more imperiled species than any other river system of its size in the southeastern United States (17 fish species and 16 invertebrate species).

The greatest threat to the diverse and dynamic ecology of the Etowah River and its tributaries is sprawling urban growth. The Nature Conservancy is working with the Upper Etowah River Alliance to promote regional land use planning to steer development away from ecologically sensitive areas. Because the magnificent Etowah watershed is so ecologically valuable, it is crucial that local land use decisions are made with the interests of both people and the river in mind.

Working collaboratively with communities we can ensure that the amazing ecological richness of the Etowah watershed is preserved by the people who want to live near her.