Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC)

Located near Marion, Virginia, the Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) was established in 1998 by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) to actively recover Virginia’s freshwater mussels, an essential component of our rivers and streams that improve water quality by acting as filters. The AWCC has also worked with other aquatic wildlife, including the state-threatened Spiny Riversnail and the Eastern Hellbender.