5/23/2016  |   13:30 - 13:45   |  302-303

VERMILION RIVER MUSSEL PROJECTS – FROM REINTRODUCTIONS TO DAM REMOVAL The Vermilion River basin remains one of the highest quality and biodiverse stream systems in Illinois with 45 species of freshwater mussels and ~100 species of fishes. Although the watershed is primarily agriculture, most stream reaches have largely intact riparian zones and sand, gravel, and cobble substrates. Several restoration projects are occurring in the basin, and in this presentation, we will discuss two actively occurring projects aimed at enhancing freshwater mussel assemblages. The first project will reflect how a salvage project in Pennsylvania has provided an opportunity for the translocation of two federally-endangered species back into Illinois, and the second will discuss two upcoming dam removals occurring in the basin and how these dams appear to have affected mussel populations. However, the basin does face serious anthropogenic threats. A proposed coal mine would potentially withdraw water and output mining effluent, and a large water treatment plants is prepared to ship their wastewater to a fertilizer plant, removing a significant proportion of the base flow in the basin. These factors and their potential effects on mussels will be discussed.

Jeremy Tiemann (POC,Primary Presenter), Illinois Natural History Survey, jtiemann@illinois.edu;


Alison Stodola ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Illinois Natural History Survey, alprice@illinois.edu;


Sarah Douglass ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Illinois Natural History Survey, sabales@illinois.edu;


Kevin S. Cummings ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, USA, kscummin@illinois.edu;


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5/23/2016  |   13:45 - 14:00   |  302-303

STREAMFLOW AUGMENTATION AS A SHORT-TERM ACTION FOR FRESHWATER MUSSELS CONSERVATION Recurrent and prolonged droughts, coupled with agricultural water withdrawal are threatening mussel populations through stream drying, elevated water temperatures, and low dissolved oxygen concentrations. Stream-flow augmentation via groundwater pumping was proposed as a strategy to temporarily maintain flows and adequate water quality in reaches with important freshwater mussel populations. We investigated the effects of water augmentation on mussel populations in Spring Creek, Georgia between August 2011 and September 2014. Mean survival among sampling occasions was high among all species (0.95-0.98) and did not differ among study reaches. Temporary emigration increased with increasing stream stage rather than at lower stream stages suggesting that stream flows did not drop below a threshold which would invoke burrowing as a behavioral response. Water temperature was on average 3.8°C cooler and dissolved oxygen was 4.0 mg/L higher in the augmented reaches than in the control reach. Several factors may be responsible for not observing the hypothesized beneficial effects of water augmentation on mussel survival and this reach may contain sufficient flow during low flow periods to preclude mortality or behavioral responses except under extreme conditions.

Jason Wisniewski (Primary Presenter/Author), Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, jason.wisniewski@dnr.ga.gov;


Sandy Abbott ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), US Fish & Wildlife Service, sandy_abbott@fws.gov;


Andrew Gascho Landis ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), SUNY-Cobleskill, gaschoam@cobleskill.edu;


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5/23/2016  |   14:00 - 14:15   |  302-303

IMPACT OF WINTER DRAWDOWNS ON MUSSEL DISTRIBUTIONS IN MASSACHUSETTS (USA) LAKES Freshwater mussels provide critical functions in freshwater ecosystems, yet are the most threatened freshwater taxa in North America due to human disturbance. Among these potential stressors are winter water-level drawdowns in lakes, a prevalent annual management strategy in New England to limit aquatic vegetation and protect human-built structures. No previous study has determined the effect of winter drawdowns on mussel distributions and movement. We conducted visual surveys at three depths in three drawdown lakes (0.6- to 1-m amplitude) and three non-drawdown lakes in Massachusetts, before and after water-lowering events in 2015. Mussels (e.g., Elliptio complanata, Pyganodon cataracta) were remarkably absent at the 0.5-m contour in drawdown lakes during the pre-drawdown surveys in contrast to relatively high densities (mean = 3.2 individuals per m2) in non-drawdown lakes. Mussel densities did not differ between lakes in the two deeper contours (1.0-m, 1.5-m) that were not exposed during drawdowns. In the post-drawdown surveys, recently deceased small/young mussels were found along the 0.5-m contours. This study highlights the potential chronic effect of winter drawdowns on mussel distributions with further implications for lake ecosystem processes.

Jason Carmignani (Primary Presenter/Author), The Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, MassWildlife, jason.carmignani@state.ma.us ;


Allison Roy ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. Geological Survey, Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Massachusetts Amherst, aroy@eco.umass.edu;


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5/23/2016  |   14:15 - 14:30   |  302-303

WESTERN PEARLSHELL MUSSEL (MARGARITIFERA FALCATA) NATIVE MUSSEL RELOCATION STUDY Margaritifera falcata is a freshwater mussel that inhabits cold creeks and rivers with clean water and host salmonids in the Western US. Their average lifespan is 60 to 70 years. Many historic populations have been drastically reduced in size from dense beds to a few isolated individuals. Threats to populations of this species include anthropogenic impacts on watersheds such as chemical pollution, impoundments, channel modification, siltation, introduction of exotic species, and the decline of host fish. Today the only known populations of M. falcata in the Lake Tahoe Basin are found in the Upper Truckee River and the Truckee River. A restoration project along the Upper Truckee River will dewater and fill in a 2,256 meter reach that currently contains more than 11,500 individual M. falcata. A pilot study was initiated in 2014 that relocated 927 mussels into 37 plots in seven reaches. The objective of the study is to identify suitable relocation methods and site habitat characteristics that will successfully support the relocation of the mussel population. Data will be presented on relocation success one year following relocation.

Shana Gross (Primary Presenter/Author), United States Forest Serivce, Pacific Southwest Region, Central Sierra Province, segross@fs.fed.us;


Erin Miller ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), United States Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, emiller428@gmail.com;


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5/23/2016  |   14:30 - 14:45   |  302-303

USING QUALITATIVE SURVEYS TO IDENTIFY AREAS FOR UNIONID CONSERVATION IN SOUTH DAKOTA, USA Conservation of native freshwater mussel (Family: Unionidae) populations is critical for long-term survival of one of North America’s most imperiled groups. This study focused on using qualitative surveys to identify areas of unionid conservation priority throughout South Dakota, USA. Timed searches were conducted at 202 randomly and proportionally distributed sites throughout wadable streams and rivers in 14 major river basins. Evidence of mussels was found at 78 sites (39%) and each site was ranked into one of three conservation priority categories (‘low’, ‘medium’, or ‘high’) based upon diversity, species richness, individual abundance per species, and relative abundance of species of a critical or listed status. Seventy four percent of sites were located in eastern South Dakota with 67% of ‘high’ priority sites located in the Minnesota River basin. Overall, the James River basin had the greatest number of sites (30%) followed by the Big Sioux basin (17%). Based on our results, conservation efforts should focus in eastern basins, particularly in the James, Minnesota, and Big Sioux River basins.

Kaylee Faltys (Primary Presenter/Author), South Dakota State University, kaylee.faltys@sdstate.edu;


Nels H. Troelstrup, Jr. ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), South Dakota State University Department of Natural Resource Management, nels.troelstrup@sdstate.edu;


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5/23/2016  |   14:45 - 15:00   |  302-303

CAN IMPROVED LABORATORY TOXICITY DATA FOR FRESHWATER MUSSELS LEAD TO BETTER PROTECTION OF IMPERILED MUSSEL POPULATIONS? While freshwater mussels can be sensitive to chemicals in laboratory testing, the way in which water quality affects the survival of mussel populations remains uncertain. Our research attempted to address this uncertainty by expanding and improving upon traditional laboratory toxicity methods to ensure high quality mussel data are incorporated into USEPA’s ambient water quality criteria (WQC). Using acute and chronic toxicity results for over 10 chemicals, we compared the sensitivity of numerous species of mussels to commonly tested aquatic invertebrates (e.g., cladoceran and amphipod) and existing WQC. This led to the determination that mussels were often more sensitive than commonly tested invertebrates or fish in acute and chronic exposures to metals (e.g., copper, nickel, and zinc), major ions (e.g., chloride, potassium, and sulfate), and ammonia. A case study comparing how laboratory results and resulting protection thresholds compare to available mesocosm and field data will explore whether incorporation of new toxicity data into WQC is likely to minimize threats to mussel populations and other aquatic taxa of interest (i.e., mayflies), as well as highlighting future research needs.

Candice Bauer (Primary Presenter/Author), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5, bauer.candice@epa.gov;


Ning Wang ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), US Geological Survey, nwang@usgs.gov;


David Soucek ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Illinois Natural History Survey, soucek@illinois.edu;


Sandy Raimondo ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Gulf Ecology Division, US Environmental Protection Agency, raimondo.sandy@epa.gov;


Christopher Ingersoll ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Columbia Environmental Research Center, US Geological Survey, cingersoll@usgs.gov;


Edward Hammer ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5, hammer.edward@epa.gov;


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