Wednesday, February 18, 2004
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Wednesday, February 18, 2004 |
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Mussel power Students getting involved with Line Creek project Teenagers of the Fayette County 4-H Homeschool Group and The Campus of Peachtree City are going Feb. 24 to help repopulate a portion of Line Creek with freshwater mussels. The project will consist of the transfer of about 50 mussels from a section of Line Creek at the Palmetto Road Bridge to another area of Line Creek at Rockaway Road. The distance between the two locations is about seven miles. The primary specimens that will be relocated are the “Eastern Elliptio” and the “Iridescent Lilliput.” Since these two species are not endangered, a permit is not required. The main purpose of this project is to repopulate an area of Line Creek that doesn’t have any mussels. The reason for their disappearance in the mid-’90s is not fully clear. Dennis Chase, retired biologist and president of the Line Creek Association, initiated the project. This endeavor is being sponsored by the Line Creek Association and the Fayette County 4-H Homeschool Group. Accompanying Chase will be 10 teenage students split into five teams. Each team will play an important role in th transfer of these freshwater creatures. The teams must collect, clean, tag, and transport the mussels within forty-five minutes to an hour for the creatures to survive. By manually relocating the mussels, Chase and the teens will be speeding up a process that normally takes 60-100 years naturally. Why and how did these three groups come together to transport clams? When a creek or any other water source is contaminated, mussels are the first indication of a problem with the water. Chase and these young people wish to prevent the freshwater mussels from becoming endangered. What makes this project unique is that these teens are doing something that normally college graduates would attempt. The Fayette County 4-H Homeschool Group provides an opportunity for homeschoolers in the area to participate in County 4-H activities. The Campus is a Center for Independent Study in Peachtree City. For a number of years The Campus has been a part of the 4-H Homeschool Group, which meets once a month. The main mission of the Line Creek Association is simply to do what’s best for the environment. They do this through active research and observation. For the last few years, Mr. Chase has worked with the 4-H group to provide community service opportunities for the 4-Hers. What makes this project even more special is that it has attracted interest from the tag supplier in Australia who wants a report of the progress on the project. “They’ll be getting the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Chase. Mussel facts: • During its entire lifetime, the mussel doesn’t move any farther than 100 yards from its egg due to its slowness. • Mussels and clams are the same thing. • Mussels filter out algae and take in oxygen through a special tube. (Editor’s note: This story was written by a student member of the Fayette County 4-H Homeschool Group and Peachtree City Campus. Another student took the accompanying photographs.)
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