Nestled within some of the oldest mountains on earth, the upper Little Tennessee River basin, comprised of the Little Tennessee, Nantahala, and Tuckasegee watersheds and their surrounding mountain ranges, possesses a unique - yet threatened - natural and cultural heritage.

The upper Little Tennessee River basin lies in the heart of the Southern Blue Ridge, and is comprised of three North Carolina counties (Jackson, Macon and Swain) and part of one north Georgia county (Rabun). The Southern Blue Ridge is one of the three main ecological regions that make up the Southern Appalachian mountains, and one of the most biologically significant regions in the United States (TNC/SAFC, 2002). With nearly 3,000 species of plant life alone, there are more species of trees native to the Southern Blue Ridge than any other temperate region on earth. With habitats ranging from warm sheltered valleys to the highest mountain ranges of the eastern U.S., the landscape is home to creatures of both tropical and boreal origins. Its streams and rivers are world renowned for their aquatic diversity, supporting vast numbers of fish, mussels, snails and crayfish. Much of this diversity depends on the high quality of water that flows out of the mountains (Irwin, et al., 2002).

The role of the Southern Blue Ridge as a biological refuge throughout much of the Earth's history is the cause for these vast natural riches. Our mountains are some of the oldest on earth, formed more than 260 million years ago, and have been sculpted by repeated cycles of continental collision and separation, uplift and erosion. They have been continuously vegetated since at least the Cretaceous extinction 65 million years ago. This prolonged history, combined with favorable climatic conditions, has allowed the region to play a primary role as a refuge for species during past periods of global climate change.

This history also helps explain the southern mountains' richness in endemic species - plants and animals that are native to only a limited geographic area, and are found nowhere else in the world. The south to north orientation of the main stem Little Tennessee River valley has served as a corridor for plant and animal migration and is a regionally significant bird flyway. Few regions on Earth outside the tropics comprise such a "Noah's Ark" of biological diversity.