Conservationists are celebrating a major biodiversity win following the discovery of one of North America’s rarest mussels in the Upper Caney Fork River, which flows through Cumberland and White counties.

The significant find was made by a team from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Following the discovery, a multi-agency partnership has formed to ensure the survival of the critically endangered mollusk.

The TVA is now working alongside the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Together, the coalition is launching conservation efforts aimed at increasing the species’ population and pulling it back from the brink of extinction.