Mussels: A Shell of Indiana’s Rivers *FULL*

Red-tail Land Conservancy and Friends of Mounds State Park presents “Mussels: A Shell of Indiana’s Rivers” on Thursday, August 31 from 6:30pm-7:30pm at Mounds State Park’s Nature Center. Join Cassie Hauswald, freshwater ecologist and Director of Freshwater Programs for the Sam Shine Foundation, for a discussion on the past, present and future of Indiana’s freshwater mussels.

This event is free and open to the public. ALL SEATS ARE RESERVED. RESERVATIONS FOR THE PROGRAM ARE NO LONGER BEING ACCEPTED.

More about the program & speaker:

The past, present and future of Indiana’s water can be told through our 75-plus species of freshwater mussels, which places Indiana in the top ten of U.S. states for mussel diversity. From Native American use to Indiana’s thriving pearl button industry to the cultural pearl trade, Indiana’s freshwater mussels and bountiful rivers have sustained life and livelihoods. As filter feeders, freshwater mussels can only survive in clean rivers, and inversely, their filter feeding also cleans water. The history of people and mussels has left a mark on the health of our rivers. At this program, you will learn about the positive choices for water that can keep the story of mussels in Indiana alive and well.

Cassie Hauswald is the Director of Freshwater Programs for the Sam Shine Foundation and previously has worked on conservation issues for The Nature Conservancy in Indiana for over twenty years. As a freshwater ecologist, focusing on aquatic habitats leads Cassie to think about the intersection of rural land use and water quality impacts to Indiana’s river and streams. Cassie is particularly concerned about freshwater mussel populations and their response to improved water quality. This event is part of Indiana Humanities’ Unearthed Speakers Bureau.

Photo Credit: Megan Moss