Secretary Gale Norton (left) and WSFR fisheries biologist Doug Peterson (right) handle an Atlantic Sturgeon, one of the species to be protected under the Aquatic Resources Conservation and Management Partnership, a cooperative new agreement between International Paper Co. and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 10-year agreement, which includes 5.5 million acres of International Paper forest lands, is expected to improve freshwater ecosystems across the Southeast.

Under the agreement, scientists from UGA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will conduct extensive ecological surveys and draw up conservation measures to recover imperiled species. Nearly one-third of the 500 native fishes in the Southern states are imperiled as well as 270 species of mussels. Scientists say 75 percent of those species need protection and management plans to ensure their survival.

The agreement may become a model for future conservation efforts across the U.S. and other regions have already expressed interest in signing and implementing similar agreements.