Fishes of the Tennessee Portion of the Natchez Trace Parkway

Paxton, Chris; Etnier, David; Baxter, J.; Doosey, Michael

The NatchezTrace Parkwayh as its northern origin in DavidsonC ounty, Tennessee2,4 .9a ft km southwest of the center of Nashville at Tennessee Highway 100. It continuse in southwesterlydirection, leaving Tennessee in Wayne County. The entireTennessee portion of the Parkway is in the Western Highland Rim physiographicprovince except for a small portion of the Nashville Basin physiographic province nearwhere the Parkway crosses Duck River. From its northern origin southwest to DuckRiver Ridge, the Parkway is drained by Leipers Fork, tributary to West Fork HarpethRiver system, Cumberland River drainage. This is the only portion of the CumberlandRiver drainage transgressed by the Parkway. This portion of the upper HarpethR iversystem has received less attention from ichthyologists than it perhaps deserves and weanticipate that several additional species would be added with additional work in the area.After crossing Duck River Ridge, the Parkway enters the Duck River system ofthe Tennessee River drainage. The remainder of the Williamson County portion of theParkway is located approximately on the divide between Lick Creek to the west andLeipers Creek to the east, both northern tributaries to Duck River.The Parkway continues its southwesterly orientation through the northwest cornerof Maury County. Leipers Creek, tributary to Duck River, continues to drain the eastemslope of the Parkway, and the western slope is drained by additional Duck Rivertributaries, Lick Creek to the north and Leatherwood Creek farther south. Just prior toexiting Maury County to Hickman County, the Parkway is bordered by tributaries to a small Duck River tributary, Fattybread Branch. Upon entering Maury County, the Parkway crosses a small portion of theNashville Basin physiographic province and Duck River. The crossing of Duck River ison the border between Hickman and Maury counties, just downstream of the mouth ofFattybread Branch and just south of Tennessee Highway 50. This portion of Duck Riverhas not been heavily collected and additional species not on this list surely occur there.The Parkway continues to follow the valley of the Duck River on its western side inHickman County, and then rises out of the Nashville Basin to continue on the WesternHighland Rim, where it crosses tributaries that drain west into Duck River via Blue BuckCreek and Ugly Creek, both tributaries to the northward flowing Big Swan Creek.The Parkway then enters northeastern Lewis County, where it continues to crossDuck River tributaries that enter the Duck River via Catheys Creek and upper Big SwanCreek. Near Meriwether Lewis National Monument the Parkway crosses a low dividethat separates the Duck River system from its major tributary, the Buffalo River. Withinthe Buffalo River system theParkway is crossed from north to south by upper BuffaloRiver, Chief Creek, and Little Buffalo River and their smaller tributaries.The Parkway then crosses the northwest corner of Lawrence County, where itcontinuest to cross tributasries to Buffalo River to the west, upper reaches ofLittle Buffalo River to the east. The Parkway then enters northeaster Wayne County,where it continues inthe Buffalo River system via tributaries to upper Fortyeight creek.Continuing to the southwest Wayne County, the Parkway crosses another dividethat separates the BuffaloRiver system from the south-flowing Shoal Creek system,a direct tibutaryt ofthe Tennessee River Within the Shoal Creek system It crossestributariest of Factory Creek and then farther southwest tributariest o Big Butler Creek.The Parkway exits Tennessee n southcentral Wayne County Wherei its most southerly27 kn are drained by the Cypress Creek system, an additional direct tributary to theTennessee River that enters the Tennessee River to the West of the Shoal Creek system.