The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Explore our most recent Projects on the Buttahatchie River

General Information

Originating in the hill country of northwest Alabama, the Buttahatchie River flows through Mississippi to join the Tombigbee River six miles north of Columbus. While it has been impacted by human activities, the river is home to a rich diversity of terrestrial plants and animals, fish and freshwater mussels.

The Buttahatchie River is a biological jewel with a variety of habitats including upland pine-oak forests, bottomland hardwoods and extensive wetlands.The Conservancy has partnered with local landowners, researchers, businesses and government agencies to study and restore the watershed, and is developing a local, grassroots constituency and conducting scientific research to increase understanding of the river system. The efforts of the Conservancy and its partners will allow the Buttahatchie to remain a valuable resource for all the communities living along its banks.

Plants include the tuliptree, bigleaf magnolia and cypress, along with their smaller counterparts the twisted-petal trillium and little brown jug.

Today a total of 22 species of freshwater mussels are found in the river, a decrease from the 40 species in a 1978 survey. Examples of these creatively-named invertebrates include the fine-lined pocketbook, orange-nacre mucket, Alabama spike, Southern combshell, white heelsplitter, Southern hickorynut, Alabama hickorynut, heavy pigtoe, ridged mapleleaf, squawfoot and fawnsfoot.

Biologists also have found 30 species of fish in the system; seven are listed as species of concern within Mississippi. The frecklebelly madtom, crystal darter, backwater darter, fluvial shiner, Alabama shiner and freckled darter are just a few.

The Conservancy is grateful to the groups who have worked to understand and protect this site’s rare and valuable communities of plants and animals, including local landowners, researchers, Weyerhaeuser company (MS/AL Timberlands Region), Alabama Natural Heritage Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Tennessee Valley Authority, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, Alabama Department of Environmental Management, and the Natural Resources Initiative of Northeast Mississippi.
 

Things To Do

Plan Your Visit

Directions

Discussion

Have you been to this preserve? Are you thinking of visiting? See what others are saying about their experiences and add your comments below.

Add Your Comments

Time for you to join the discussion. Tell us about your experience at this preserve. What plants and animals did you see? When did you go? You can help others plan their visit when you share your thoughts. And thank you for visiting one of our nature preserves!

Read our guidelines on posting comments