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Pros And Cons Of The Snail Darter

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Did you know that many big rivers and lakes have dams to control the water flow? I grew up in a place that did not have many big bodies of water which made it hard to really appreciate what dams do to help the environment. However, the Tellico Dam is a controversial issue. The Tellico Dam was a planned to be built by the Tennessee Valley Authority, but got delayed once they discovered a endangered species. Where the government was allowing the Tennesseans to build the dam, in Lenoir City, Tennessee, there was a small population of a rare species of fish, the Snail Darter. The Snail Darter is a very small species of fish found in Eastern Tennessee freshwater. A little bit larger than the average paperclip, this animal is part of the perch family and primarily feeds on aquatic snails. The females can lay about 600 eggs a year. Found in shallow water, the darters, in captivity, only live up to about four years and even less in the wild. Completing the dam would likely wipe out the Snail Darters in that area, and the Darter could become an extinct species. I believe that we should keep the Endangered Species Act strong to protect animal and plant species such as the Darter. My reasons for this are that the act protects our native species, animal/plant …show more content…

The Endangered Species Act was created to help save the endangered and threatened species and help their ecosystems. Basically, its purpose is to slow down the extinction rate. Created on December 28, 1973 by Congress, this act protects about 2270 species of animals and plants and helps many ecosystems. This act was signed by the president of the time, Richard Nixon. A species being endangered means that the species is likely to go extinct without help. A species being threatened means that the species could soon become and endangered species without help. The Endangered Species Act is important because it protects the animals we have

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