Tennessee institute works to save ‘underwater rainforest’
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) – Hundreds of freshwater fish, mussels, crawfish and salamanders – many of them found nowhere else in the world – make their home in the Southeast. But the species that live in these rivers and streams are also some of the most endangered on the planet.
Conservationists say they are expanding efforts to protect the species, noting much of the land those waterways flow through is in private hands with little protection.
Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute Director Anna George likens says few Americans are even aware of the diversity in their backyards – nor the number of extinctions taking place there.
With a new building and labs on the way, the Chattanooga-based institute is expanding efforts to bring the public’s attention to some of these often overlooked species.
