Wildlife on the Brink: Southeast

"Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God."

—George Washington Carver

This is high-low country, a place of luxuriant wetlands and ancient forest-clad mountains. Nature's hum is sounding fainter than ever, though, as water squabbles and the liquidation of southeastern forests threaten the wildlife of this region.

IMPORTANT WILDLIFE AREAS

CUMBERLAND PLATEAU: The Cumberland stretches from West Virginia through Kentucky, Tennessee, the westernmost parts of the Carolinas and down to the northern reaches of Georgia and Alabama. Its native hardwood forests host millions of migrating birds, as well as 27 different salamander species.

EVERGLADES: Florida's Everglades are our nation's greatest wetlands. Its swamps and marshes—which include vast sawgrass prairies dotted with patches of forest, labyrinthine mangrove and cypress swamps, and marine and estuarine environments—are home to 68 threatened or endangered plant and animal species, including the Florida panther, the manatee and the Cape Sable seaside sparrow.

THE LOW COUNTRY: Stretching from Charleston, South Carolina to Darien, Georgia, this swath of coastal habitat includes freshwater marshes, tidal rivers, creeks and bottomland hardwood forest. It's a birders' delight, home to thousands of resident and migratory waterfowl, wading birds and migratory songbirds. Endangered species include sea turtles, manatees and wood storks.

Photo: Everglades © National Park Service