Divers will be in the Grand River from Fulton Street to I-196, operating from a floating workstation searching an area the size of eight football fields for federally endangered Snuffbox Mussels and 13 others on the state’s endangered list.
Grand Rapids Whitewater Executive Director Matt Chapman describes the process.
“They’ll be taking these animals as we refer to them, tagging them, identifying them, putting them in mesh bags to keep them alive and at the end of each day they’ll be transporting then to other habitat areas that are available upriver and downriver of the downtown reach.”
Biologists estimate there are 14-15,000 mussels in the project footprint from Bridge to Fulton Streets.
Mayor Rosalyn Bliss noted moving the mussels is required before starting in-river construction to remove low head dams and restore the rapids to the river that gave the city its name.
“This year’s salmon run will happen during the mussel relocation operation so for all of our anglers and fishermen and women out there, we’re going to ask them to be a partner with us over the next several months.”
Signs are posted asking anglers to use caution and stay 100 feet from divers.
Crews with the BioSurvey Group will work now through October to remove as many mussels as possible before the anticipated start of in-river construction in 2025.
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