The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) surface water team recently participated in the Xerces Society Mussel Camp to learn about the important role native species play in aquatic ecosystems. Western North American Freshwater Mussels filter gallons of water per day and are vital to the health of streams where they reside.
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation conducts research, shares best practices, and offers training to support the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. Their annual mussel camp teaches federal and state employees the protocol for identifying native mussel species.
Knowledge about native aquatic species is central to many aspects of DEQ’s work. For example, DEQ is currently updating the water quality criteria for ammonia in Idaho surface waters, and native mussels are particularly sensitive to ammonia.
