From highly degraded to nearly pristine-Levisa Fork and Smith River

I helped out some labmates Thursday through Sunday last week and had the opportunity to work in drastically different systems that both contain state Endangered species. The Levisa fork is located in Buchanan County Virginia. The river is impacted by coal mining and sewage and has channelized to reduce flooding and to accommodate a railroad and 460 that parallel it on opposite sides. I've attached a picture of the state Endangered variegate darter (Etheostoma variatum), a fish that Jane Argentina studies and coal processing plant right on the river.

Saturday and Sunday I had the opportunity to help Jamie Roberts survey the Smith River above Philpott dam in search of the Roanoke logperch (Percina rex), a state and Federal Endangered species. We only found four but it was great to work in such a nice stream. The river itself is in the Blue ridge physiographic province, and has medium gradient with a mixture of bedrock, cobble, and sand substrate.