USFS trying to save native river mussel in Tahoe
Western pearlshell mussels in the Upper Truckee River are being measured, weighed and tagged. Photos/Kathryn Reed
By Kathryn Reed
Part of the U.S. Forest Service’s nearly $5 million restoration of its section of the Upper Truckee River includes relocating 12,000 Western pearlshell mussels.
This summer 10 percent of the mollusks are being plucked from the river’s bottom, weighed, measured and tagged, then put in coolers before being relocated to other sections of the river, as well as Trout Creek, as part of a pilot project.
Scientists want to see how the relocation works before all of the mussels are moved.
Different control plots have been created so if there is a die-off the scientists will ideally be able to isolate what went wrong.
Mason Bindl hovers on the water, splashing a bit as he uses a snorkel and mask to look for these mussels that look big enough to eat. He scoops them into a mesh bag.
On the riverbank are Cody Bear, Phil Meting Van Rijan and Erin Miller. They are recording the particulars about the mussels so as monitoring begins in October, and then continues every three months, officials will know the survival and growth rates.
Working on the project are, clockwise from right, Mason Bindl, Cody Bear, Phil Metting Van Rijan, and Erin Miller.
If they aren’t removed, they all would die. This is because where they are will be drained in 2016 and then filled in with dirt. A final sweep of the current channel will be made that summer to retrieve any stragglers.
A new 7,000-foot river channel has been in the works for a few years.
Sarah Muskopf, fish biologist with the USFS, said, “It’s important to salvage this population. Not only is it the last one, but it’s a huge part of the ecosystem.”
The creatures, which can live to be 100 years old, are considered filter feeders. This means they feed off the nutrients and contaminants in the water, which in turn helps with clarity.
These native mussels used to be prolific in the Upper Truckee Watershed. Their numbers are diminishing. While scientists don’t know exactly why the decline has occurred, they point to declining habitat for the mussels.
“The habitat is marginal here at best,” Muskopf said.
They prefer cold, clean water with a cobble or gravel floor. That’s exactly what is being designed for the new channel.
Most of the current channel lacks gravel, is warming because it is so shallow and is murky because of all the sediment.
River otters are the mussels’ main predator. When the Lahontan cutthroat trout were in the river this also helped the mussel population grow because they would feed off the excrement.
Besides the Upper Truckee River, these pearlshell mussels are found in the lower Truckee River – beyond the dam in Tahoe City – and in other fresh water bodies in the Western United States.
Educating the public would help. I have seen piles of mussels on the shore of the river, from people pulling them out of the water, thinking they are harmful-invasive.
This article makes no sense. The USFS is trying to save a species by relocating mussels that are up to 100 years old. So 12,000 mussels are located there and they are dying everywhere else. So what is the point of filling in the old river at this location? If the habitat is marginal then how come it hosts the last good populations that are a huge part of the ecosystem.
And what happens if the relocation doesn’t work and they all die. Does anyone know how it worked out on the river they built downstream below near airport. If it fails do you dig up the old river and put it back. If they help clarity and there is so many and so old why would anyone ever think of messing with them. According to muskopf it’s the last big population and part of a huge ecosystem. What happens if you fail USFS? Are you going to admit it? And how do you fix it back to what it was?
USFS,
Where is the USFS answer to Mussel man’s excellent questions ?
Those questions are terrible, the USFS should not answer them.
For example:
“If they help clarity and there is so many and so old why would anyone ever think of messing with them”
Seriously?
Also, where *are* the USFS*’* *answers* to (unless you are referring to one question)
Sarah Muskopf-an actual scientist-‘The habitat is marginal here at best’-duh
Hi all,
The pilot study that is being conducted right now (moving <10% of the population) will help to investigate the best sites for relocation, based on a large number of habitat variables that are beleived to play a role in this species' survival. This study is set up in such a way that the population will end up being relocated to the best suitable place in the Tahoe basin for continued survival and growth.
Please see http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/xerces-status-review-margaritifera-falcata.pdf for a detailed account of this species.
Anyone at the USFS LTBMU can be contacted via telephone for questions-just call the front desk and ask for anyone mentioned in this article.
I think the key element is, “They prefer cold, clean water with a cobble or gravel floor. That’s exactly what is being designed for the new channel. Most of the current channel lacks gravel, is warming because it is so shallow and is murky because of all the sediment.”
If anyone knows the Upper Truckee, it is basically a drainage ditch. The section by the Airport is the worst.
Why they are dying is probably a simple answer, pollution from upstream.
I appreciated the comment.. Not sure what pescado added except a garbage comment. Many locals such as myself have the similar questions. For one, there is already gravel in the channel and it’s certainly not a ditch. It has limited erosion and lots of overhanging vegetation. And gravel… That’s why the mussels are there right now.. It’s beautiful, diverse, complex and has amazing habitat. This area is phenomenal.. How do you improve a species population when it’s already exceptional.? In Tahoe we are always trying to protect native species. But here we have a native species flourishing in its natural habitat and they chose to move it thinking that man can improve it somehow. With limited data on it’s existing state and success of past projects. Let’s say it was the cutthroat that was there now. Would you move those too? I don’t think anyone including fish and game would allow permits to touch it. This mussel has the largest populations and abundance of mussels anywhere in the sierras. How is it that the USFS can move 12000 native species in the hopes that what they do works. Like mussel said, how do you fix it if it fails. Spend another 100 million to breed a native mussel species we accidentally killed in the name of restoration. This will be on the USFS shoulders if / when it fails. The project is way to risky…
You missed the point. What they are doing with the mussels is part of mitigating the collateral damage that needs to happen to make the ecosystem better in the long term.
‘ I don’t think anyone including fish and game would allow permits to touch it. ‘
Baseless assumption. I am pretty sure you are allowed to catch Lahontan cutthroat, so there you go. Made yourself look silly.