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Appalachian Elktoe
The Appalachian elktoe (''Alasmidonta raveneliana'') is a species of freshwater bivalve, freshwater mussel in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. It is native to the United States, where it is known only from North Carolina and Tennessee. Description The Appalachian elktoe has a "thin, kidney-shaped shell, reaching up to about 10 centimeters (4 inches)." Younger mussels normally have a yellowish-brown periostracum (outer shell layer), while more mature mussels generally have a dark brown to greenish-brown periostracum. Features on the outer shell of the mussel, whether juvenile or adult, are often fine or hard to distinguish. In some cases streaks or waves are apparent, which are most easily noticeable on the dorsal region of the outer shell. Most individuals however have green waves, which are a similar hue as the rest of the shell and are often minute. Inside the shell, the nacre has a sheen which is white, blue, and silver. The center of the inner shell changes from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isaac Lea
Isaac Lea (March 4, 1792 – December 8, 1886) was an American publisher, Conchology, conchologist and geologist. He was a partner in the publishing businesses Mathew Carey, Matthew Carey & Sons; Carey, Lea & Carey; Carey, Lea & Blanchard; and Lea & Blanchard. He authored multiple books describing the freshwater mussel genus ''Unio (bivalve), Unio'' and named 1,842 species of fifty genera of freshwater and land mollusks. He sparked a scientific controversy amongst geologists when he published about his discovery of fossilized footprints in Mount Carbon, Pennsylvania, that he incorrectly proposed were from a reptile from the Devonian, Devonian Period over 360 million years old. The fossil has since been identified as that of an amphibian from the Mississippian (geology), Mississippian Age over 330 million years old. He served as president of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia from 1858 to 1863 and of the American Assoc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fontana Lake
Fontana Lake is a reservoir impounded by Fontana Dam on the Little Tennessee River, and is located in Graham and Swain counties in North Carolina. The lake forms part of the southern border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the northern border of part of the Nantahala National Forest. Depending on water levels, the lake is about long. The eastern end is the Tuckasegee River near Bryson City. It has an average depth of and reaches a maximum depth of , making it the deepest lake in North Carolina. The lake has many inlets into coves and many islands formed from former mountain peaks, especially near the eastern end. As with most dam-impounded lakes, the steep banks are exposed when water levels are low. Many towns were submerged shortly after the creation of Fontana Lake, such as Proctor, Judson, and the town of Fontana itself. Fontana Lake provides the only access into the most remote areas of the National Park, unless visitors undertake a multi-day hike to get ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Siltation
Siltation is water pollution caused by particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments and to the increased accumulation (temporary or permanent) of fine sediments on bottoms where they are undesirable. Siltation is most often caused by soil erosion or sediment spill. It is sometimes referred to by the ambiguous term "sediment pollution", which can also refer to a chemical contamination of sediments accumulated on the bottom, or to pollutants bound to sediment particles. Although "siltation" is not perfectly stringent, since it also includes particle sizes other than silt, it is preferred for its lack of ambiguity. Causes The origin of the increased sediment transport into an area may be erosion on land or activities in the water. In rural areas, the erosion source is typically soil degradation by intensive or inadequate agricultural practices, leading to soil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting and conserving imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation", the ESA was signed into law by President Presidency of Richard Nixon#Environmental policy, Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973. The Supreme Court of the United States described it as "the most comprehensive legislation for the preservation of endangered species enacted by any nation"."Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill" 437 U.S. 153 (1978) Retrieved 24 November 2015. The purposes of the ESA are two-fold: to prevent extinction and to recover species to the point wher ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North Fork Holston River
The Holston River is a river that flows from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Knoxville, Tennessee. Along with its three major forks (North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork), it comprises a major river system that drains much of northeastern Tennessee, southwestern Virginia, and northwestern North Carolina. The Holston's confluence with the French Broad River at Knoxville marks the beginning of the Tennessee River. History Maps by early French explorers in this area identified what is now known as the Holston River as the " Cherokee River", after the tribe they encountered. The United States settlers and army fought with the Cherokee over land in Tennessee, North Carolina, and further South into Georgia and Alabama. In the 1830s the government forced the Cherokee out on the Trail of Tears to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), under the authority of the Indian Removal Act passed by Congress in 1830. Early Tennessee historian and Tennessee Supreme Court Justice John Haywood cites ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swannanoa River
The Swannanoa River flows through the Swannanoa Valley of the region of Western North Carolina, and is a major tributary to the French Broad River. Its headwaters arise in Black Mountain, North Carolina; however, it also has a major tributary near its headwaters: Flat Creek, which begins on the slopes of Mount Mitchell. The Swannanoa River ends at its confluence with the French Broad, now within the grounds of the 8,000-acre Biltmore Estate in Asheville. The estate encompasses numerous ancient Native American sites, including an earthwork platform mound, now known as Biltmore Mound, that is located south of the Swannanoa River. Based on evidence from excavations conducted there in the early 21st century, the mound was started by indigenous people between 400 and 550CE, with the second to last stage of the mound built about 580-600CE. It was built over a Connestee Phase habitation (built during the Pisgah phase) in the Middle Woodland period. The historic Cherokee peop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
French Broad River
The French Broad River is a river in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee. It flows from near the town of Rosman, North Carolina, Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into Tennessee, where its confluence with the Holston River at Knoxville, Tennessee, Knoxville forms the beginning of the Tennessee River. The river flows through the counties of Transylvania County, North Carolina, Transylvania, Henderson County, North Carolina, Henderson, Buncombe County, North Carolina, Buncombe, and Madison County, North Carolina, Madison in North Carolina, and Cocke County, Tennessee, Cocke, Jefferson County, Tennessee, Jefferson, Sevier County, Tennessee, Sevier, and Knox County, Tennessee, Knox in Tennessee. It drains large portions of the Pisgah National Forest and the Cherokee National Forest. Course The River source, headwaters of the French Broad River are near the town of Rosman, North Carolina, Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, Transylvania County, No ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bryson City, North Carolina
Bryson City is a town in Swain County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. The population was 1,558 as of the 2020 census. Located in what was historically the land of the Cherokee, Bryson City was founded as Charleston to serve as the county seat of Swain County when it was formed from parts of surrounding counties. It grew into an important local rail hub. Today the city serves as a popular tourist destination, lying just to the west of the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, for outdoor activities in the Nantahala National Forest, and along the Nantahala River and Fontana Lake, and serves as the home of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, a heritage railroad that provides tours of the Nantahala valley. The popular Nantahala Outdoor Center provides guide services for many of the outdoor activities in the area. History Indigenous settlements Indigenous cultures of Native Americans have been living and hunting along the Tuckasegee River i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cullowhee, North Carolina
Cullowhee ( , from the North Carolina Collection website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2013-01-29.) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jackson County, North Carolina, United States. It is located on the Tuckasegee River, and the permanent population was 7,682 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census up from 6,228 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. The community is the home of Western Carolina University, part of the University of North Carolina, University of North Carolina System. Developing from a high school and normal school, it has 12,000 students and has become a strong influence in community life. The Jackson County Airport (North Carolina), Jackson County Airport is located just outside the CDP limits. The present community developed at the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swain County, North Carolina
Swain County is a County (United States), county located on the far western border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 14,117. Its county seat is Bryson City, North Carolina, Bryson City. Four rivers flow through the mountainous terrain of Swain County: the Nantahala River, Oconaluftee River, Tuckaseegee River, and the Little Tennessee River. Their valleys have been occupied for thousands of years by various societies of Indigenous peoples, including the South Appalachian Mississippian culture era, and the Cherokee people. Native Americans, mostly members of the federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, comprise 29% of the population in Swain County. History This area was occupied for thousands of years by cultures of indigenous peoples, who successively settled in the valleys of the three rivers and their tributaries. During the Woodland culture, Woodland and South Appalachian Mississippian cul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jackson County, North Carolina
Jackson County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,109. Since 1913, its county seat has been Sylva, which replaced Webster. Cullowhee is the site of Western Carolina University (WCU). In the early 21st century, the university has more than 12,000 students, nearly twice the number of permanent residents of Cullowhee. The university has a strong influence in the region and county. More than 10 percent of the county residents identify as Native American, mostly Cherokee. The federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is based at Qualla Boundary, land that consists of territory in both Jackson and neighboring Swain County. This is the only federally recognized tribe in North Carolina, and one among three federally recognized Cherokee tribes nationally. The other two are based in what is now the state of Oklahoma, a former Indian Territory. History This area was part of Cherokee Na ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
