The Clinch River sustains 48 imperiled and vulnerable species, including 29 varieties of rare mussels and 19 species of fish. Rare plants, mammals and birds also thrive along the river s edge. All told, the river and surrounding valley are home to 27 species that are federally listed as threatened or endangered, and the new preserve contains 10 of these species. The United States is the world leader when it comes to the variety of animal life found in our rivers, and the Clinch is one of the most ecologically important rivers in the country, said Brian Richter, director of the Conservancy s Freshwater Initiative, an international effort to protect freshwater systems. The health of the Kyles Ford Preserve in particular and the Clinch River in general is threatened by the erosion of river banks, the loss of trees and shrubs along the banks, and declining water quality due to contamination from industrial and agricultural activities, including bacterial input from cattle wading in the river and its tributaries.
Mussels serve as indicators of a river s health.
At Kyles Ford, the Conservancy will work to protect the river by restoring native trees and shrubs to the river banks, keeping cattle out of the river itself, and monitoring water quality. The Conservancy will use the property, which had been a working farm, as a model to show local landowners ways in which farming and river conservation can be compatible. The Conservancy is working with individuals, private businesses and public agencies from the communities along the length of the Clinch to find common sense solutions to help protect the health of the river, and the health of the local economy. The Conservancy offers to work in partnership with farmers to safeguard the rivers, creeks and caves on their property. On the tobacco and cattle farms nestled in the rugged terrain of Hancock County, Tennessee, for example, the Conservancy and its partner organization, the Clinch Powell Resource Conservation and Development Council, have already signed agreements with 50 landowners to help them adopt agricultural best management practices.