Project Overview
Mussels are mysterious creatures known to be sensitive to changes in environmental conditions. The absence or presence of mussels in a streams is often an indicator of water and habitat quality. School groups, watershed projects, stream monitoring groups, and others interested in the health of local streams are encouraged and invited to assist us in this statewide effort to assess stream habitat in Iowa.

This project concentrates on collecting information important to evaluating the habitat quality of small and medium sized streams. The scientific research participants are supporting through their involvement is a DNR funded study focusing on assessing the state's mussel faunae and describing the physical characteristics of streams where mussels live or do not live. The information collected and reported by volunteer monitoring groups provides a preliminary rapid-assessment of stream quality.

Well-designed rapid surveys can serve as a screening tool for prioritizing sites for further assessment or monitoring when extensive quantitative sampling is cost prohibitive. The methods for rapid assessment of general stream conditions developed for this project are based on the techniques used by Frest (1987). These methods provide a coarse-scale evaluation of stream quality and are intended for screening a large number of sites on "wade-able" streams. The information reported by volunteers will be used to assess the general condition of a stream and is extremely valuable in determining where to focus future research efforts.

Volunteers play a important role in this project. We will visit dozens of Iowa streams throughout the state but, without volunteers, many streams will be left undone. This is an opportunity for the public to learn more about what we believe is Iowa’s most fascinating creature, check out the stream health in their area, and make valuable contributions to scientific research. If you or your group/organization is interested in being involved in this research project contact us for more information.

Contact Information Kelly Arbuckle Research Assistant Department of Animal Ecology Iowa State University 124 Science II Ames, IA 50014 515-294-1808 karbuck@iastate.edu

Additional Information Volunteer Procedures Data Collection Procedures On-line Data Submission Project Volunteers References