Our Pick
Posted on @rawstates
The Clinch, the richest river in the country
1990
Clinch River, Russell County, Virginia
vastateparksstaff · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
By count of freshwater mussel and fish species the Clinch is the most biologically diverse river in North America, carrying dozens of kinds found nowhere else on earth in a valley better known for coal. Mussels filter the water and record its history in their shells, so a chemical spill upstream shows up in the shells for years. Biologists raise young mussels in hatcheries here and put them back by hand.
That was 1 of the hidden places.
Location: approximate area
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