- The Huron River has more than 30 native mussels, a dozen of which are on the state’s threatened and endangered species list
- Plans to remove Peninsular Paper Dam in Ypsilanti could disrupt the Huron River’s mussels
- Volunteers helped relocate 3,000 mussels ahead of the dam’s removal
This summer, groups of about a dozen people each ventured into the Huron River in Ypsilanti just downstream of Peninsular Paper Dam, donning snorkeling gear.
In sections of the river that ranged from a few inches deepto a few feet, they plunged their faces into the water and started digging around. They were looking for mussels.
“We got into a rhythm at some point where somebody would find a mussel, they’d hold it up, and we’d all yell,” said William Moore, a summer aquatic field intern with the Huron River Watershed Council, involved in the mussel search…