2017 Freshwater Mussel Rescue and Relocation
Photo: Xerces Soc. 2016
2017 Freshwater Mussel Rescue and Relocation in Crystal Springs Creek
Rescue / Relocation
Sunday, June 25/ Monday June 26
Westmoreland's Union Manor
6404 SE 23rd Ave, Portland, OR 97202
8:00 AM - noon
REGISTRATION REQUIRED (see link below)
Why Rescue Native Freshwater Mussels?
Freshwater mussels are the most at-risk animals in the United States, and Oregon is home to only a few species of native freshwater mussels. Mussels benefit streams and fish by improving water quality, they are food for a variety of mammals and birds, and mussel beds provide habitat for other stream inhabitants. Previous surveys by volunteers from Crystal Springs Partnership, Johnson Creek Watershed Council, and the Xerces Society have shown that Crystal Springs Creek supports large populations of native mussels.
In 2013, volunteers helped tag and relocate mussels over 700 mussels prior to stream restoration in Crystal Springs Creek at Westmoreland Park during the major restoration project there. In 2016 the CSP, Xerces Society, and biologists from the City of Portland rescued and relocated nearly 3,000 mussels in advance of culvert replacements at SE Bybee Blvd. and Glenwood St.
Later this month we will be performing a similar salvage at the site of the bridge replacement project where McLoughlin Blvd. crosses the creek. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will be replacing the decaying bridge over Crystal Springs Creek with a box culvert. The box culvert will be seven feet wider than the existing bridge in order to improve fish passage.
The placement of the new culvert will impact a fairly limited segment of the creek, but within that area the creek will be de-watered during construction. Prior to the de-watering a fish salvage will be conducted by state fish biologists, but the area hosts a population of freshwater mussels, and these will be rescued and relocated by volunteers- maybe you!
Rescue / Relocation
Sunday, June 25/ Monday June 26
Westmoreland's Union Manor
6404 SE 23rd Ave, Portland, OR 97202
8:00 AM - noon
REGISTRATION REQUIRED (see link below)
Why Rescue Native Freshwater Mussels?
Freshwater mussels are the most at-risk animals in the United States, and Oregon is home to only a few species of native freshwater mussels. Mussels benefit streams and fish by improving water quality, they are food for a variety of mammals and birds, and mussel beds provide habitat for other stream inhabitants. Previous surveys by volunteers from Crystal Springs Partnership, Johnson Creek Watershed Council, and the Xerces Society have shown that Crystal Springs Creek supports large populations of native mussels.
In 2013, volunteers helped tag and relocate mussels over 700 mussels prior to stream restoration in Crystal Springs Creek at Westmoreland Park during the major restoration project there. In 2016 the CSP, Xerces Society, and biologists from the City of Portland rescued and relocated nearly 3,000 mussels in advance of culvert replacements at SE Bybee Blvd. and Glenwood St.
Later this month we will be performing a similar salvage at the site of the bridge replacement project where McLoughlin Blvd. crosses the creek. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will be replacing the decaying bridge over Crystal Springs Creek with a box culvert. The box culvert will be seven feet wider than the existing bridge in order to improve fish passage.
The placement of the new culvert will impact a fairly limited segment of the creek, but within that area the creek will be de-watered during construction. Prior to the de-watering a fish salvage will be conducted by state fish biologists, but the area hosts a population of freshwater mussels, and these will be rescued and relocated by volunteers- maybe you!
Although the existing bridge has been deemed not a significant barrier to fish passage it has rotting wooden piles and beams and is in need of replacement. Seen here are steel reinforcement piles were placed in 2015 as an interim measure. View from the stream channel just north of the island on the Union Manor property. May 3 2017
Who Can Help?
No prior experience is required. We will be working with and guided by professional biologists from various organizations including ODOT, so no prior experience is necessary. Due to deep water and sediment in some areas of the stream minors may not be able to work in the stream but will be able to work on the shore.
We will be working on the grounds of Westmoreland’s Union Manor and the space between the McLoughlin Blvd. Bridge and the railroad / MAX tracks, and at either Westmoreland Park or the Eastmoreland Golf Course. Watch this space- more details to follow!
The work will take two days, from 8:am to noon, and there will be tasks for those who want to work in the stream and on shore. The weather should be warm but the creek water is chilly year-round so folks might want to take breaks or switch tasks. Prepare for a day in the water and wear clothes you don’t mind getting wet and mucky. Closed-toed shoes and work gloves are suggested because of the possibility of sharp debris in the stream. Hip or chest waders might work in some areas, but there are locations where water could over-top them (even the chest waders while bending over). Headlamps or waterproof flashlights may be helpful while working under the bridge, and polarized sunglasses for other areas. Please dress for the weather and bring plenty of water.
No prior experience is required. We will be working with and guided by professional biologists from various organizations including ODOT, so no prior experience is necessary. Due to deep water and sediment in some areas of the stream minors may not be able to work in the stream but will be able to work on the shore.
We will be working on the grounds of Westmoreland’s Union Manor and the space between the McLoughlin Blvd. Bridge and the railroad / MAX tracks, and at either Westmoreland Park or the Eastmoreland Golf Course. Watch this space- more details to follow!
The work will take two days, from 8:am to noon, and there will be tasks for those who want to work in the stream and on shore. The weather should be warm but the creek water is chilly year-round so folks might want to take breaks or switch tasks. Prepare for a day in the water and wear clothes you don’t mind getting wet and mucky. Closed-toed shoes and work gloves are suggested because of the possibility of sharp debris in the stream. Hip or chest waders might work in some areas, but there are locations where water could over-top them (even the chest waders while bending over). Headlamps or waterproof flashlights may be helpful while working under the bridge, and polarized sunglasses for other areas. Please dress for the weather and bring plenty of water.
A floating “mussel transport unit" being emptied into a cooler during the 2016 mussel rescue. Photo: Xerces Society
What Will the Work Involve?
Two teams will work in the creek: one team will locate and recover mussels at the work site, while another team will place the mussels in the stream bed at a downstream locations at Westmoreland Park (pending approval of a permit) or upstream at the Eastmoreland Golf Course. A third group of volunteers on the shore will receive mussels gathered by volunteers in the stream, count them and transport them in vehicles to a receiving sites.
The work in the stream will involve frequent bending motions and the use of hand-held dredge nets to scour the bottom for mussels. The work on the shore will involve handling bins and coolers full of mussels, counting mussels, and probably more frequent snacks. Snacks and coffee provided, super fun.
This work party is a joint project of the Crystal Springs Partnership and the Johnson Creek Watershed Council.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Volunteers are free to attend one or both days.
Please click on the following web link (or copy it into your web browser if clicking doesn't work) to go to the signup sheet:
www.volunteersignup.org/9HEWP
Two teams will work in the creek: one team will locate and recover mussels at the work site, while another team will place the mussels in the stream bed at a downstream locations at Westmoreland Park (pending approval of a permit) or upstream at the Eastmoreland Golf Course. A third group of volunteers on the shore will receive mussels gathered by volunteers in the stream, count them and transport them in vehicles to a receiving sites.
The work in the stream will involve frequent bending motions and the use of hand-held dredge nets to scour the bottom for mussels. The work on the shore will involve handling bins and coolers full of mussels, counting mussels, and probably more frequent snacks. Snacks and coffee provided, super fun.
This work party is a joint project of the Crystal Springs Partnership and the Johnson Creek Watershed Council.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Volunteers are free to attend one or both days.
Please click on the following web link (or copy it into your web browser if clicking doesn't work) to go to the signup sheet:
www.volunteersignup.org/9HEWP
What’s a freshwater mussel?
Floater mussel (Anodonta sp.) found at Union Manor. Photo: Patrick Norton
Freshwater mussels are bivalves like clams, scallops, and saltwater mussels. Most freshwater mussels belong to the order Unionoida, that live in bodies of fresh water such as streams, rivers, lakes, and marshes. Like clams and saltwater mussels they have two shells (called valves, hence the term bivalve) that contain and protect the soft portions of the body. They feed by pumping water through their gills and filtering food particles from water. Their diet includes a variety of microscopic organisms such as algae and bacteria, either floating free or attached to sediment particles.
Unlike most clams, which they are related to, freshwater mussels do not have their mantle fused to form true siphons, but rather have incurrent and excurrent apertures (openings), separated by a closed section of the mantle edge when filter-feeding. And unlike saltwater mussels which cling to surf-battered rock with tough threads extruded from a specialized organ, freshwater mussels live in substrate ranging from silty mud to gravel, and are somewhat mobile. Unionoid mussels may burrow into the streambed to avoid winter flood currents, and may plow along the bottom of streams and lakes in search of desirable conditions, using their muscular foot to work their way through the substrate. When on the move a trench in the substrate may be the only visible indication of its mobility.
Unlike most clams, which they are related to, freshwater mussels do not have their mantle fused to form true siphons, but rather have incurrent and excurrent apertures (openings), separated by a closed section of the mantle edge when filter-feeding. And unlike saltwater mussels which cling to surf-battered rock with tough threads extruded from a specialized organ, freshwater mussels live in substrate ranging from silty mud to gravel, and are somewhat mobile. Unionoid mussels may burrow into the streambed to avoid winter flood currents, and may plow along the bottom of streams and lakes in search of desirable conditions, using their muscular foot to work their way through the substrate. When on the move a trench in the substrate may be the only visible indication of its mobility.
Often hidden, but might be in a stream near you...
You might not notice it without the arrow.
A floater mussel in Westmoreland Park.
Freshwater mussel are often overlooked- literally. Living half buried in the mud, sand or gravel of lakes and streams, they look like rocks. You might not notice them, but in some places they form a large portion of the total animal biomass in the water.
North America has a considerable number of species of Unionoid mussels, but relatively few live west of the continental divide. In western Oregon we have several, including the several types of floater mussels (Anodonta sp.) and the western pearlshell (Margaritifera falcata). Both of these occur in the Johnson Creek watershed, though only the floaters occur in Crystal Springs Creek.
North America has a considerable number of species of Unionoid mussels, but relatively few live west of the continental divide. In western Oregon we have several, including the several types of floater mussels (Anodonta sp.) and the western pearlshell (Margaritifera falcata). Both of these occur in the Johnson Creek watershed, though only the floaters occur in Crystal Springs Creek.
Life Cycle
'Freshwater Mussels of the Johnson Creek Watershed' Patrick Norton 2015.
The life cycle of freshwater mussels is interesting, in that it holds the key to how a nearly sedentary and non-swimming species may maintain populations in the upper reaches of a stream; the larvae hitch a ride on fish! The life cycle begins with the male mussel ejecting sperm into the water, some of which may reach a female of the species. The sperm is taken into the female through the incurrent aperture to the gills, and finds its way to the female’s eggs in an organ called the marsupium. The fertilized eggs develop within the female mussel until they resemble tiny versions of the adult. These larvae, called glochidia, are ejected into the current by the thousands. The glochidia float in the water like thousands of tiny Pac Men, ready to latch on to the gills or fins of a fish of the correct species. Oregon floaters use coho salmon and possibly other species, such as stickleback. Once attached, the host fish will grow a cyst around the glochidia and carry the larval mussels for several weeks, when the immature mussel detaches itself and falls to the bottom, possibly upstream of where it started. Immature mussels then burrow into the sediment and reemerge later to spend the rest of their lives in the same area of streambed where they first fall, filter-feeding and reproducing.
New Competitors
Asian clam specimen in a jar. Approximately 3 cm width.
The Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) and many other freshwater “clams” of the order Veneroida (which are mostly saltwater species) also occur in Crystal Springs Creek. Native to southeast Asia, they are invasive here and are detrimental to the native mussels. Near the confluence with Johnson Creek, living and dead Asian clams form a large part of the streambed. They are not found in the upper reaches of Crystal Springs Creek, and are not common in other portions of the Johnson Creek watershed.
