The Greatest Fisheries Management Concern

A composite of two photos of park volunteers collecting water quality data.  A volunteer collecting water quality lab samples (left). Trout Unlimited park volunteers collecting water conductivity and temperature (right).

National Park Service Photos

 

You're Right!

The Smokies suffer from some of the worst acid-deposition problems in North America. Clouds blanketing the sensitive spruce-fir forests found on Clingmans Dome, the highest peak in the Smokies, are often as acidic as vinegar. On average, rainfall in the park is five to ten times more acidic than normal rainwater. The nitrates deposited at Great Smoky Mountains National Park are six to seven times the amount that local soils can naturally process, threatening sensitive plants and aquatic life.

For more info: http://www.npca.org/what_we_do/visitor_experience/clear_air/code_red/smokies.html

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