Mussel Mania

Cowley biology instructor, students working on project that has nationwide implications. Researchers are trying to prevent the westward migration of zebra mussles. Zebra mussels are not much bigger round than a dime. Here, they are displayed with native mussels. It may be the size of a barnacle, but the zebra mussel has conservationists concerned that it could threaten aquatic ecosystems and damage industry.

Cowley’s Natural Science Department received a $32,000 grant from the United States Fish & Wildlife Service to study zebra mussels. It is hoped that research can help prevent the organism from migrating west past the 100th meridian, which runs on a line from central North Dakota straight south through west-central Texas.

Gene Young, biology instructor at Cowley, has worked on the project for the past four years, including three while he was an instructor at Southwestern College. K. Charles Hunter of Southwestern is the other investigator on the project. Three Cowley students, two of whom have transferred, also have been involved in the project. Jamey Iverson of Arkansas City, Kelly Rickels of Derby, and Hannah Wolcott of Winfield had busy summers. Iverson has transferred to Washburn, and Wolcott to Southwestern. The three students worked on the project throughout the summer. Their job was to survey boaters at more than 30 lakes across Kansas, gathering useful information for later analysis. "They didn’t find any zebra mussels in Kansas," Young said, "and we’re still in the process of analyzing the boating trend data. We have found that boaters have come from as far away as Wyoming and Wisconsin into Kansas."

Zebra mussels have been found in the Arkansas River from Tulsa south, in Iowa and Nebraska in the Missouri River, and near Kansas City in the Missouri River. Bodies of water in the eastern half of the U.S. are full of zebra mussels. "What has resulted from this project is an increased awareness," Young said. "We’re slowing the (migration) process down. It’s inevitable that they will show up in Kansas."

The zebra mussel is an aquatic invasive, nuisance species that looks like a small clam. It has a yellow-brown shell, usually with dark- and light-colored stripes. Most are smaller than an inch long. The microscopic larvae can live in a teaspoon of water. Unlike other freshwater mussel larvae, zebra mussels don’t attach to fish or other hosts prior to adulthood. Consequently, they can easily spread anywhere that water currents, wildlife, or human activities take them. One of the zebra mussel’s most effective means of dispersion is traveling in bilge water of boats.

The three students were in Young’s zoology class at Cowley last spring. Rickels, a physical therapy major, has enjoyed working on the project. "I have a better understanding of a species I didn’t even know existed before I got started on this project," Rickels said. Rickels said most boaters surveyed this summer cooperated. "A lot of fishermen already knew about zebra mussels," she said. "A lot of pleasure boaters, jet skiers, and some of those people acted like they didn’t care. But when we got into more detail, they started to open up more."


Young said the grant, and a smaller one he received, has given students at the community college level rare opportunities to further their study. "These projects are unique because they provide undergraduate students a chance to get involved with some valuable scientific research, providing some significant data that has relevance at the local, state, and national level," Young said. "While this is a common practice for graduate students, and even four-year students at larger schools, it is difficult for smaller schools and two-year schools to have structured research. This has been very positive for Cowley and its students."

Additionally, Rickels has been working on a grant studying freshwater mussels in the lower Walnut River Basin as populations have declined. It is part of a $500 grant Cowley received last year. Zebra mussels are expected to reach a peak population in the Mississippi River within a few years, meaning that there will be thousands per square foot, covering every inch of solid surface down to 45 feet. Zebra mussels can attach to anything firm, including water intakes of power generating plants and municipal water systems. They can accumulate six inches deep, severely reducing the flow of water and posing a multi-billion-dollar threat to industry, agriculture, and city water supplies.

Boaters are asked to take several precautions, including: Inspect your boat hull, prop, and trailer. Thoroughly clean and scrape off any attached mussels. Drain all bilge water, live wells, bait buckets, and engine compartments. Flush clean water through the cooling system of your motor, boat parts, and accessories that normally get wet. Disinfect all live wells, bilges, anchors, bait buckets, boat trailers, and nets with a salt solution. Do not transfer any aquatic organisms, water, plants, debris, or bottom material from one site to another. Young said barge traffic on the Missouri River likely spread the zebra mussels to that body of water.

The grant money was used to pay students a stipend and travel expenses. They also will co-author a report later this year. Young plans to take three students to the 11th International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species in Washington, D.C., in February. Young is co-authoring a paper and poster at the meeting. "The paper will relate to the boating trends observed the last two years," he said. "The poster will summarize information relating to the habitat suitability index. Young said if additional grant monies are available, additional study could take place in summer 2002. "These projects showcase what Cowley College is doing, and they can help further enhance our image," Young said. "A two-year school with students conducting research is very good."

Article written Fall 2001