This picture is taken from the banks of the Little
Tennessee River by the Needmore Tract. The Needmore tract is a keystone
area to the forested corridor connecting the Nantahala and Cowee
Mountain ranges, providing pathways for black bears and other migrating
wildlife. This tract contains 4,600 acres on a stretch 27 miles long of the Little Tennessee
River between Franklin, NC and Fontana Lake (Swain and Macon Counties).
The Little Tennessee River has 37 miles of tributary streams, more
of which are being documented to provide habitat for the Spotfin
chub during late summer/fall.
Needmore is one of the last remaining pristine wild places in
western North Carolina. This tract is home to outstanding biological
resources,
including two federally endangered mussels, the Appalachian
elktoe and the Littlewing
pearlymussel , as well as an endangered plant, the Virginia
sweetspire (or spiraea) (Spiraea
virginiana). The majestic bald
eagle (Haliaeetus
leucocephalus) is not a rare view in these lands. The Little
Tennessee River through the Needmore Tract still contains its
full
complement of original species, the only major river in the Blue
Ridge to do so.
The Ipix™ picture below leads to information on the Little Tennessee River . Double-click on or near the targets to see more details.
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