Mid Mo Smallies

[timinmo]

When I was a child, 50 to 60 years ago, we spent alot of time on the Bourbeuse.  We found lots of large mussels.  They seem to have all disappeared.  On Operation Clean Stream this past summer one of my sons found a large shell, but most of the small ones, about the size of your thumb nail or a little bigger,  you see are an invasive Asian mussel.

In just the last couple years MDC has started to do some studies but it maybe too little too late.  

[Chief Grey Bear]

Mussels of many species have been on the decline for many, many years. They are finding that they are not reproducing and expiring at a very young age. 

Two points are being looked at as potential reasons. One being a change at the amount ultra violet light that now reaches earth, which is also being looked at as a contributing factor for the reason of the decline in frogs also. 

The second is land use practices. Lobbyist such as Farm Bureau have much more power than those agencies that actually want to protect the land like the DNR and EPA. 

Those of a certain political party have for years pleaded and cried to the public that these agencies were overreaching and out of control. And in some areas I may somewhat with squinted eye, almost agree. 

But just because it is your land, doesn't mean it won't affect others, even me. 

But hey, the water is the same color so we know that ain't it. 

[tjm]

The biggest change in this part of the Ozarks in my life is conversion of oak barrens to Fescue. Lost a lot wildlife to that "improvement". From quail to mussels. But hey, cattlemen get better production from the land and the water is still wet.

[grizwilson]

1 hour ago, tjm said:

The biggest change in this part of the Ozarks in my life is conversion of oak barrens to Fescue. Lost a lot wildlife to that "improvement". From quail to mussels. But hey, cattlemen get better production from the land and the water is still wet.

Fescue Foot in cattle, reproduction problems in horses........ short term better maybe, long term about as good for the farmer and his livestock, as quail and mussels...shame 

 

[Gavin]

Missouri raises allot more cows, corn, & beans than it used to and it seems to have a significant effect.

 

[tjm]

Way less row cropping in my area than there was in the '50s or '60s. 90+% of the land that used to be cropped is now in fescue also.

[Hog Wally]

im curious why the meramec has such a healthy population of mussels?  It's definitely getting hammered by poor farming practices.   I have seen massive mussel beds this year while gigging 

[Chief Grey Bear]

1 hour ago, Gavin said:

Missouri raises allot more cows, corn, & beans than it used to and it seems to have a significant effect.

 

Second only behind Texas in beef production. Millions of turkeys and chickens. Massive dairy operations. Large scale hog operations. 

All that poop has to go somewhere.

[timinmo]

Like most environmental problems there is probably not any one answer.  Most likely all the things mentioned above have some effect but maybe no one of them is the complete answer.  Any environmental issue is going to have people on both sides and it seems like it always has to reach a critical point before any thing is done.  Wally I don't doubt what you are seeing but I certainly am not seeing that on other flows.

As an addition, some of the common names are really good, like Spectacle Case and Heel Splitter.  I guess if the current trend continues these and others will pass out of usage. We will all be poorer for it.        

[Basfis]

30 minutes ago, Chief Grey Bear said:

Second only behind Texas in beef production. Millions of turkeys and chickens. Massive dairy operations. Large scale hog operations. 

All that poop has to go somewhere.

Much litter goes into digesters to use the gases for power and speed up fertilizer ready solids from fowl. Why not heat the houses with a byproduct?

Beef, well it regenerates pasture much like the 30 million buffalo did before cattle repopulated their grazing ground. Some runs off for sure  

Manure runoff isn’t new. Petroleum based fertilizer run off is...