Seeing Blue?
Emory & Henry students study burrowing crayfish at the Bartlett-Crowe Field Station.
In the BCFS wetland along the Middle Fork Holston river, a population of blue, burrowing crayfish (Cambarus dubius) excavate deep, complex burrows. Students are participating in an ongoing study that involves estimating numbers, inspecting burrows, and investigating genetic diversity. Little is known about these unique organisms, which are found in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia and West Virginia.