TNC's Rivers of Life: Critical Watersheds for Protecting Freshwater Biodiversity"

Arlington, VA November 14, 1997 --

The Nature Conservancy Proposes Conserving 15% of Nation's Watersheds to Protect At-Risk Species and Human Well-Being Comprehensive Study Identifies Problems and How to Address Them

A new study by The Nature Conservancy warns that continued degradation of our nation's rivers and streams could extinguish nearly 40 percent of U.S. freshwater fish and amphibian species, two-thirds of our mussel species and half of the crayfish species, harm drinking water supplies, and damage human health.

But it is not too late, according to the Conservancy's new study, Rivers of Life: Critical Watersheds for Protecting Freshwater Biodiversity, produced in cooperation with the Natural Heritage Programs and the Association of Biodiversity Information. The report says protecting and restoring as few as 15 percent of the nation's small watersheds will conserve populations of all vulnerable freshwater fish and mussel species. Protecting frshwater species also will benefit water quality, human health, and quality of life in these areas.

On the 25th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, Rivers of Life paints a disturbing picture of many freshwater species poised on the edge of extinction, species found in the United States and nowhere else in the world. Reversing these species' declines is imperative since the U.S. is the global center of species diversity for many species groups. Three culprits are to blame:

I. nonpoint source pollution. Arising from diffuse sources, nonpoint source pollution carried in rainwater and snow melt runoff often includes a variety of chemical and nutrient contaminants that degrade water quality. of special concern are the sediments from uncontrlled soil erosion, which can smother stream bottoms and render them unsuitable for many aquatic creatures.

II. non-native species. Introduced either accidentially or puposefully, they compete with native species for limited resources or prey on them directly.

III. dams and operations. Less than two percent of the country's 5.1 million kilometers of srreams and rivers are free-flowing for longer than 200 kilometers. Dams alter water flow, temperature and nutrient content of waterways.

"The condition of our nation's freshwater systems and species is alamring, but we have a great opportunity to improve the situation through action in these critical watersheds," said John C. Sawhill, president and chief executive officer of The Nature Conservancy. "By saving the species that live in our waters, we actually save ourselves the human health costs of polluted water. The Conservancy is actively working with its partners to protect 85 of these 327 key watersheds, but more must be done." Sawhill added. "Managing and resoring this recommended set of watersheds will not guarantee the survival of all freshwater diversity. Other watersheds may require protection to conserve individual runs of salmon and species not covered in this study."

Rivers of Life reveals that U.S. rivers and lakes rival the tropics in their diversity of fishes and other stream life. According to the report, these animals are in danger throughout the U.S., but the largest numbers of imperiled species are in the U.S. Southeast and West. Western states have the highest proportion of extinct, imperiled and vulnerable fishes.

"In addition to our site-based conservation work, we will target the freshwater species crisis by creating an organization-wide Freshwater Initiative," announced Deborah B. Jensen, Conservancy vice president and director of science. "This cross-cutting program will involve biological information gather, the creation of freshwater conservation demonstration sites, and the development of an internet-based learning network to share lessons and best management practices."

In addition, the Conservancy also will establish a freshwater conservation center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to focus activities in the Southeast, the most biologically rich and imperiled region in the country for freshwater species. "Freshwater species reflect environmental quality. More than two-thirds of U.S. freshwater mussels are extinct or at risk of extinction, and more than one-third of U.S. freshwater fish fauna are at risk. It is no surprise that more than 300 freshwater species are listed or proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act," said Lawrence Master, Conservancy chief zoologist and co-author of the report.

The report profiles eight successful watershed protection efforts, including the Clinch River in Virginia and Tennessee, where farmers have voluntarily protected creeks by controlling cattle grazing on erosion-prone stream banks; the Cahaba River in Alabama, where the Cahaba River Society has helped develop a citizen-based, basin-wide plan for water quality protection'; and the Verde River in Arizona, where endangered fish reintroduction efforts are aimed at re-establishing vanished species.

Rivers of Life presents material developed for a forthcoming book that will be a joint project of The Nature Conservancy and the Association for Biodiversity Information. The report was produced with support from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Regina Bauer Frankenburg Foundation. It is part of the Conservancy's NatureServe series, which is made prossible by Canon U.S.A. Inc., through its Clean Earth Campaign. The NatureServe program is designed to promote biodiversity conservation by raising public awareness and advancing scientific knowledge.

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Canon U.S.A. Inc.'s multi-million dollar annual support of the environment is the focus of its Clean Earth Campaign, which was established in 1990. In addition to Wings of the Americas, Cannon U.S.A. Inc. supports leading programs with the National Parks Foundation and the National Wildlife Federation, as well as Envirothon, an education program for high school students, and the Canon National Parks Science Scholars, a graduate level fellowship program in support of conservation science. The company also underwrites PBS's Nature series and participates in a variety of coporate recycling and energy saving initiatives.

The Nature Conservancy is a private, international, nonprofit organization established in 1951 to preserve plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and more than 900,000 members have been responsibile for the protection of more than 10 million acres in the United States and Canada, and have helped through parternships to preserve more than 60 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific. The Conservancy owns and manages more than 1,600 preserves, the largest private system of nature sanctuaries in the world.