One of the primary motivations for embarking on the restoration of New Hope Creek is to improve habitat quality and connectivity, particularly for the state threatened Notched Rainbow Mussel (Villosa constricta) and the federally threatened/state endangered Atlantic Pigtoe Mussel (Fusconaia masoni). While the Concrete Bridge over New Hope Creek does have culverts to allow water to flow through it, these culverts are often clogged and nearly impossible to maintain. As a result, the bridge can effectively act as a dam, impeding stream flow, increasing scour and sedimentation, and separating populations of mussels from each other and from their host fish.
Before removing the Concrete Bridge, a new clear-span bridge will be built just upstream, over the impounded reach of the stream. To ensure that the short-term construction and subsequent removal activity does not impact the mussels in this area, we completed an effort to collect and relocate them to high-quality habitat upstream. This effort was led by Brena Jones, the Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Research Coordinator with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC).
Brena and a team of aquatic biologists from the NCWRC and NC State University snorkeled alongside Duke Forest staff to find and collect all mussels from the impounded area of the creek. We worked slowly and methodically to avoid stirring up sediment, using both sight and feel to locate animals buried in the streambed. After we collected the mussels, Brena led us in setting up a mini-laboratory along the stream bank to count and measure the mussels, swab particular individuals for DNA analysis, and to attach numbered tags to their shells for future assessments.
Once the team was confident that we had thoroughly searched the impounded area, we relocated approximately 400 mussels (final data coming soon!) to a high-quality reach upstream of any future project work. Brena, her team, and the Duke Forest will continue to monitor these animals during the post-construction phases of the restoration to assess how they are thriving in the newly connected habitat.
