Our Work Area

 

This map encompasses our working area.

The Little Tennessee River Basin is a biological gem of North America! Stretching about 1,800 square miles across parts of Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, the Little T Basin encompasses cold-water mountain trout streams, large rivers, and everything in between. The Little T’s major tributaries include the Cullasaja, Nantahala, Tuckasegee, and Cheoah Rivers. Major lakes in the Basin include Santeetlah, Nantahala, Glenville, and Fontana which is the highest in the eastern US.

The Little T Basin is home to an incredible diversity of life: over 100 species of fish alone, including some found nowhere else in the world. An important reason why this Basin has maintained its aquatic communities is because of its healthy forested watersheds on the publicly-owned lands of its tributaries. More than half of the land in the Basin is within Great Smoky Mountains National Park or the Nantahala National Forest. And only a small proportion of the Little T Basin is comprised by urban/developed land uses which is concentrated around Franklin, Sylva, Cullowhee, Highlands, Bryson City, and Robbinsville.

Conservation work in the Basin includes land protection, habitat restoration, native species reintroductions, public outreach, and much more. Several government agencies, non-government organizations, schools, and communities work to ensure that the Basin continues to support healthy fish and wildlife populations. This work also helps ensure that high quality camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, and agriculture remain for future generations to enjoy.