Gov. Lee Signs Order to Conserve Duck River

The Duck River at Henry Horton State Park. (Photo: Bob Butters)

After years of advocacy from conservation groups, Gov. Bill Lee recently signed an executive order aiming to protect the Duck River, the longest and most biodiverse river in Tennessee.

The scenic 269-mile waterway is renowned for hosting the largest variety of living organisms of any freshwater river in North America. But the Duck was named the third-most endangered river in the nation by nonprofit environmental organization American Rivers this year due to the threat of “excessive water withdrawals” as utility companies seek to extract millions more gallons of water to supply Middle Tennessee’s fast-growing population.

Read more.

Cassandra Stephenson – Tennessee Lookout

See videos from Gov. Lee and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation.

See earlier post about efforts to protect the Duck River.

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