The Conasauga River that runs in southeast Tennessee and northwest Georgia is one of the most biologically diverse rivers in North America. This short river contains more species of fish than the entire Columbia and Colorado River watersheds of the western US have combined. I have had the opportunity numerous times to snorkel in the clear headwaters of this river and see the spectacular fish and other wildlife in this river, an experience not many people in our region have enjoyed. I wanted to capture the beauty of this underwater scene and some of its inhabitants but also the rocky river bottom. The diversity of the aquatic life of the river is a direct result of the river's headwaters being located in the protected Cherokee National Forest, unlike most rivers in the region where human activities cause excessive sediment which limit the diversity of aquatic insects and the food chain relying on them. https://www.fs.usda.gov/r08/cherokee/recreation/conasauga-river-blue-hole
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