Science

A comprehensive survey of the Wolf River's mussel fauna has been completed but is not yet available on the web. For a paper reprint of "Freshwater Mussels (Unionidae) of the Wolf River in western Tennessee and Mississippi," please contact Dr. David Kesler of Rhodes College. Citation: Kesler, D.H., D. Manning, N. Van Tol, L. Smith and B. Sepanski. 2001. J. Tenn. Acad. Sci. 76:38-46.

A New Mussel Record for Tennessee:Lampsilis siliquoidea (Mollusca: Unionidae) from the Wolf River Citation: Kesler, D.H. and D. Manning. 1997. J. Tenn. Acad. Sci. 71:90-94.

Kesler, D.H. 2004. Influence of a lentic area on the condition indices of Corbicula fluminea in the Wolf River, Tennessee. J. Freshwater Ecol.19:445-453.

The Tennessee Ornithological Society is a volunteer group that collects bird data through point counts and regular census events. Group members have documented more than 220 species along the Wolf River.

  FLORA

"Effects of Headcutting on the Bottomland Hardwood Wetlands Adjacent to the Wolf River, Tennessee," by Karen Weins and Thomas H. Roberts, was published in February, 2003. This study provides interesting baseline data on the herbaceous community and shallow groundwater levels at a number of locations along the Wolf in Shelby and Fayette counties.

An excellent online guide to southern wetland flora is available from the U.S. Geological Survey.

LAND USE INFO

The Wolf River Corridor Study is a GIS compilation of land-use information in the Wolf watershed. This study was funded by the Wolf River Conservancy and the Nature Conservancy of Tennessee. If you wish to obtain a copy of this study on CD-ROM, please contact the WRC.

GOVERNMENT RESOURCES

The Environmental Protection Agency maintains a number of online resources:

• Surf Your Watershed is a searchable site that provides maps and info on watershed issues nationwide, or you can go directly to the Wolf River.
• The Office of Water provides info on environmental laws and regulations.
• The Office of Water also has a special page for kids.
• The EPA provides a number of free publications including The Volunteer Monitor, a twice-yearly newsletter that examines water quality issues with a focus on citizen monitoring efforts.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation maintains the Natural Heritage Database to track imperiled plant and animal species, and runs the State Natural Areas Program to protect imperiled habitat. The WRC partners with TDEC to protect and manage the Ghost River State Natural Area.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency regulates fishing, hunting, boating, and maintains Wildlife Management Areas across the state. The WRC partners with TWRA to protect and manage the Wolf River Wildlife Management Area.

The United States Geological Survey provides realtime data on stream flow:

• River Levels:
  • Fletcher Creek at Sycamore View
  • Wolf River at Germantown Road
  • Wolf River at Rossville
  • Wolf River at LaGrange
• 
  A number of USGS research projects are relevant to the Wolf River:
  • Shoals & Valley Plugs in the Hatchie River Watershed and Causes & Effects of Valley Plugs in West Tennessee provide analyses of the natural phenomenon that creates open-water swamps such as the Ghost River section of the Wolf.
  • Water Quality in the Mississippi Embayment is an extensive study that includes fish sampling data from the Wolf River near LaGrange.
  • Many other publications on water quality in our region are listed here.

The National Aerial Photography Program - View and purchase aerial photos of any part of the United States.

The United States Fish & Wildlife Service maintains several web sites of interest:

• A free publication: Southeast Wetlands: Status & Trends, Mid-1970s to Mid-1980s.
• The Endangered Species Program.

GENERAL RESOURCES

The Right-To-Know Network is a free searchable database of permitted toxic releases into our environment.

The Association for Biodiversity Information is the clearinghouse for the nationwide Natural Heritage Program, which ranks and tracks rare species.

Union of Concerned Scientists - "Working for a cleaner environment and a safer world."
 

[ All contents copyright WRC, 1996-2006. Site maintained by Sherry Weakley.  Comments? Email education@wolfriver.org
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