Cumberland River
BASIN
FIELD GUIDE
THE BASIN
The Cumberland River basin is a 18,000 square mile area comprising portions of 70 Tennessee and Kentucky counties and over 22,000 miles of streams and rivers.
The Cumberland Basin Field Guide was developed by the Cumberland River Compact to showcase the abundance of ecological, cultural, and recreational resources that the Cumberland River basin has to offer – and why it’s imperative that we protect them.
About this field guide
The Cumberland Basin Field Guide was developed by the Cumberland River Compact to showcase the abundance of ecological, cultural, and recreational resources that the Cumberland River basin has to offer – and why it’s imperative that we protect them.
This guide will allow you to get to know one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. The Cumberland River basin (watershed) is home to three million people and thousands of species and features unique landscapes and waters that provide endless opportunities for recreation and exploration.
With an 18,000 square-mile watershed including rivers, streams, parks, trails, towns, and so much more, we wanted to create this guide to take people to unknown places in the basin – places that give us a snapshot of the deep sense of identity, history, and connectedness of an area we all share and call home.
Use this guide to learn about the intimate features of the streams, culture, and wildlife of the basin and get inspired to go on your next adventure, brought to you by local experts on the region.
Understanding the value of our watershed and how we can all protect it helps us to take real action to improve our communities’ resilience to the effects of climate change, and to protect the waters, and lands, that we all rely on.
Three million people and thousands of species depend on clean water from the Cumberland River.
Learn more about the Cumberland River Compact and their work to restore and protect the Cumberland River Basin.
