Happy Endangered Species Day!

Friday I got to swim along with some associates who raised and released several bags full of rare and endangered Conasauga Log perch into the birthplace of their ancestors, their natural and only home, the Conasauga River near the Tennessee Georgia border. The Chattanooga Times Free Press has the story.

The orange stripe is a dye marker injected by the CFI staff so that each fish can be documented if it is ever seen again.

What's A Scud?

The small tributaries to Whites Creek are populated with all sorts of interesting creatures. While the large ones get all the hype, the small ones are sometimes more important to the food chain and are indicators of the health of the ecosystem. Most folks don't know that there is a tiny shrimp like beastie called a "scud" living in the mossy water's edge. I find them by turning over moss covered rocks in the small streams of Whites Creek Gorge.

Pictures and other stuff about Scuds

If you're nice, later, I'll tell you about the jelly fish that live here. Really! I didn't know either until we found them swimming around in the hot summer water.