ENDANGERED MUSSEL SPECIES FOUND IN OBED WILD AND SCENIC RIVER
According to a report by the Crossville Chronicle, The National Park Service has discovered the slabside pearly mussel (Pleuronaia dolabelloides), a federally endangered species, in the Obed Wild & Scenic River — the first known occurrence of this rare mussel in the Emory/Obed branch of the Tennessee River basin. Previously recorded only in a handful of tributaries elsewhere in the Tennessee River system across Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia, this new protected location could play a significant role in the species’ long-term recovery.
Reaching up to about 3.5 inches in length, the slabside pearly mussel is one of many freshwater mussels that act as natural water filters, improving clarity, removing harmful substances, and serving as key indicators of river health. The upper Tennessee watershed, including the Obed and Emory Rivers, is renowned for having some of the highest freshwater mussel diversity in the world. Obed Wild & Scenic River Superintendent Niki Stephanie Nicholas emphasized the ecological importance of mussels to healthy rivers and streams.
For more information, visitors can contact the Obed Visitor Center at 423-346-6294 or visit www.nps.gov/obed.
(Photo by TennGreen Land Conservancy.)
