Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 8

NEWS

Plain pocketbook mussels can grow up to 7-inches long and help keep rivers healthy as filter feeders. (Photo by Chris Martin/WGFD)

Native mussels reintroduced
into Laramie River

Stephen Siddons, fisheries biologist for Game and Fish, transfers
plain pocketbook mussels into buckets prior to planting them in
the Laramie River. (Photo by Chris Martin/WGFD)

8 | September 2020	

LARAMIE - In late July, the Wyoming
Game and Fish Department, along with the
National Park Service, reintroduced a species of mussels that was once prevalent in
southeast Wyoming.
When you think of mussels in Wyoming
waters, the first thought is the bad ones Game
and Fish is trying to prevent from entering
the state - zebra/quagga mussels - aquatic
invasive species not native to Wyoming.
However, Stephen Siddons, Game and
Fish fisheries biologist in Laramie, led a project to reintroduce plain pocketbook mussels
raised by biologists with the Nebraska Game
and Parks Commission. About 2,000 mussels were transported from Nebraska and
reintroduced into two locations along the
Laramie River.
Game and Fish worked out an agreement to get mussels and try to reestablish
a few populations. Siddons said the mussels stocked in July ranged in size between

three-quarters of an inch to 3-inches long,
and all of them were placed in the river
individually by hand. All the mussels were
marked with three different kinds of tags
to monitor growth and survival over time.
"Pocketbook mussels are an important
native species for aquatic ecosystems," Siddons said. "Although they can grow to about
7-inches long, they don't get a lot of attention
because people rarely see any sign of them
unless they stumble upon a shell of a dead
mussel. They're important because they're
filter feeders. They do a lot of good work as
far as cleaning up our rivers naturally. It also
is part of our state mandate to conserve all
of our native species of wildlife."
One of the relocation spots was at the
Fort Laramie National Historic Site, which
is managed by the National Park Service. The
second location was on private land outside
Wheatland.
"Everything went better than expected,"



Wyoming Wildlife magazine

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wyoming Wildlife magazine

Table of contents
Cover
From the director
A couple pennies
Letters to the editor
Opening shot
News
Project profiles
Ask Game and Fish
Case files
In the Field
The terrestrial extra
Elk and Elke
Earrings with info
Still in Love
Wild country dispatch
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Cover
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - From the director
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Table of contents
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - A couple pennies
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Letters to the editor
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Opening shot
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 7
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - News
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 9
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 10
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 11
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 12
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Project profiles
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Ask Game and Fish
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Case files
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - In the Field
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 17
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - The terrestrial extra
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 19
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 20
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 21
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 22
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 23
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Elk and Elke
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 25
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 26
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 27
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 28
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 29
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Earrings with info
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 31
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 32
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 33
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 34
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 35
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 36
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 37
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Still in Love
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 39
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 40
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 41
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 42
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 43
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 44
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 45
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Wild country dispatch
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 47
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 48
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