Senior Aquatic Scientist, Lance Butler and his team of student interns have completed three propagation trials so far. You may know that the life cycle of the freshwater mussel is slightly complicated. Mussel larvae called glochidia must attach to the gills of a host fish to transform into juvenile mussels. In the lab, glochidia are […]
To supporters and friends, both old and new of the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, we greatly appreciate your kind outreach, and encouraging words in the wake of Hurricane Ida, which touched ground on September 1st. Fairmount Water Works was certainly not alone as we experienced drenching rains and historic flooding that struck our region, the […]
Get to know the Schuylkill River from a brand new perspective! In a program held outside the Fairmount Water Works, and on the water, participants will explore ways the native landscape and river waters served the Lenni Lenape people and continues to serve us today. Complete a scavenger hunt of native plants used today in […]
June 5, 2020 Although our doors are closed to the public, the science behind re-establishing our rivers mussel population continues.Through April and May, our scientists collected gravid females of two different species of freshwater mussels, Eastern Elliptio and Tidewater Mucket. Host fish were collected and acclimated in the hatchery tanks. Trout is the host fish […]
Though the Interpretive Center has been closed for months, we have continued to secure funding so that our team can continue to provide high-quality experiential learning programs for youth and young adults! We’re excited to be one of 29 environmental education organizations nationwide to be awarded a Watershed STEM Education Grant from North American Association […]
The cold (or not so cold) winter months have given us time to get our freshwater mussel hatchery ready for the new propagating season. Tanks and equipment are cleaned and sanitized. Equipment is built or repaired. Three brood stock tanks have been set up for the gravid female mussels (gravid means their eggs have been […]