While the prairies of the Arkansas and the Poteau river valleys will be a major focus of our Nuttall trek, we’ll also give some love and attention to the river and its vegetation, and to natural lakes (oxbows) and wetlands. Here are a few numbers to get you thinking about just one aspect of life (past and present) in local waters.
Freshwater mussel diversity:
Worldwide 800-1000 species
- North America 300 species
- Southeastern US 270 species
- Oklahoma 55 species
- Poteau River 35 species
- Kiamichi River 31 species
- United Kingdom 6 species
The US, and in particular, the southeastern US, is a major center of diversity for freshwater mussels, with over a third of the worldwide number. Oklahoma is on the western edge of this diversity region, and the Kiamichi River, on the other side of the mountains from the Poteau, is widely recognized for its diverse and abundant bivalves. Several rare mussels are found in the Kiamichi that aren’t found in the Poteau, but the Poteau is actually equally diverse, with over 60 percent of the species found anywhere in the state, and 10% of all North American species. Heavy harvesting of shells from the lower Poteau and the construction of Wister dam in the middle of the watershed have reduced the abundance of mussels in the Poteau River, but the variety of kinds remains high.