Refuge staff, contractors, Friends group members, and students gathered at a portion of Clarks River near Paducah, KY, as the 2005 mussel survey began.

Paducah Middle School’s Cindy Jones and Jeannie Miller treated the honors science class to a “hands-on” day of mussel identification. Students waded in Clarks River on Joe Lindsey’s property, which is adjacent to refuge property, and worked side-by-side with the refuge biologist, refuge manager, and contractors from Mainstream Divers of Murray, KY, who were in charge of the mussel survey. Mussels were pulled from the river, reserved in live tanks for identification, and returned unharmed to the river at the close of the students’ visit. Nineteen species were initially found and identified, with the twentieth being found and identified by one lucky young man just as the group was leaving. Despite the cool water temperature, the students were fastidious in their combing of the river bottom and greatly assisted the surveyors. The excitement was captured by a photographer from Friends of CRNWR, as well as a reporter from KFVS-12 out of Cape Girardeau, MO, who bravely waded up to his knees with his camera in tow; his report was broadcast on Thursday, Sept. 15.

The Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge contracted the mussel survey, which is performed to gauge the health and quality of a river environment. Observations such as number of mussels, variety of species, size and apparent age, and signs of disease or injury are indicators of a river’s viability and its ability to maintain plant and animal life. The 2005 mussel survey continued throughout the week of Sept. 12.  A total of 24 species were collected including two listed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky as Endangered.