The Clinch River stretches approximately 300 miles through southwest Virginia into northeast Tennessee, where it eventually becomes part of the Tennessee River and, later on, part of the Mississippi River as it flows south to the Gulf of Mexico. The Clinch originates near the town of Tazewell in Southwest Virginia, where it flows throughout the Valley and Ridge province until it reaches Kingston, Tennessee, joining other headwater tributaries that coalesce into the Tennessee River. The Clinch River here in Southwest Virginia contains over 50 species of mussels, one of the highest concentrations of freshwater mussels in streams of similar length worldwide. Out of these 50 species, 29 are rare. Along with this vast diversity of mussel species, the Clinch also provides habitat for 19 rare species of fish. If the Clinch River was not diverse enough already, caves and streams underneath the Clinch have accounted for multiple new species of wildlife in the past few years, including some that occur nowhere else on Earth.

 

An example of the Clinch's rare species is the Appalachian Monkeyface Pearlymussel, a species that is yellow to green in appearance with small triangles located on its heavy shell. It is found in the upper part of the Clinch along graveled or sandy bottoms usually free of silt and other fine sediment. Silt and sediment matter to mussels since these species rely on clean water both to "breathe" (using gills) and to filter food using specialized structures called siphons. As sediment accumulates in a stream, these tasks become more difficult for mussels, and many species can quickly die off from a polluted stretch of stream. Species like the Monkeyface are thought to be rare because of the incorporation of dams and increased pollution throughout much of the Tennessee River system. Here along the Clinch, however, undammed reaches of relatively clean river allow these mussel species - along with many pollution-sensitive fish and the incredible Eastern Hellbender - to thrive.

 

Even though the Clinch seems far away from here at the Tower, High Knob itself is an important feature of the Clinch Valley. All of the water that falls on and south of the High Knob Summit, in fact, eventually flows into tributaries that feed the Clinch. This means that the protection of forests on High Knob - and the protection of water quality in developed portions of the watershed - are key for maintaining the habitats that the Clinch's rare species need. At present, efforts such as the creation of a Clinch River State Park, hazardous waste cleanups, and erosion control programs are all being put in place to help both these species and the human residents and communities that call the Clinch Valley home. To learn more about the Clinch Valley and to begin exploring its unique habitats beyond the Knob, check out this regional guide designed and maintained by local UVa-Wise students and the Clinch River Valley Initiative.