Join the UT Arboretum Society on Tuesday, January 25th, 7:00 EDT, for a Zoom presentation on Conservation Fisheries, Inc., a non-profit preserving the Southeast’s aquatic biodiversity. Presenter Pat Rakes is co-director of Conservation Fisheries. He will explain the role and mission of CFI as well as its history, pictures of the hatchery, field work and fish as well as cooperators in this important effort. This is a free Zoom presentation co-sponsored by the Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society.

Rakes has been studying rare fishes since he began his master’s degree project at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 1982, focusing on the distribution and life history of the Barrens Topminnow. This work laid the foundation for efforts that continue today. Rakes and J.R. Shute founded CFI just after finishing graduate school projects. Both are in awe of how it has grown since then.

Years of maintaining aquaria have led to an appreciation of the art and science (the “wet thumb”) involved in keeping fish alive, healthy and able to reproduce. The rewards of co-directing CFI have not been monetary, but rich in constant learning, studying the life history, ecology, reproductive biology, distribution, and taxonomy of rare fish in Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. The snorkeling that was a novel technique for monitoring rare fish 30 years ago never gets old.

This program is co-sponsored by Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning. The program is free but please register to receive your Zoom link. at www.utarboretumsociety.org.  This program will be recorded, and closed captioning is available. Please contact Michelle Campanis at mcampani@utk.edu with any questions or registration issues.

In accordance with the Universty of Tennessee guidelines for COVID-19 precautions, programs are currently being presented online.  Though the UT Arboretum Society’s educational programs are not on-site activities, the UT Arboretum Society is pleased to bring the public some great online options.

The Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center which celebrated its 50^th anniversary in 2014, is one of ten outdoor laboratories located throughout the state as part of the UT AgResearch system. AgResearch is a division of the UT Institute of Agriculture. The Institute of Agriculture also provides instruction, research and public service through the UT Herbert College of Agriculture, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension offices, with locations in every county in the state.

To learn more about the Arboretum Society or for questions on this program, go to www.utarboretumsociety.org