How do tiny mussels clean our rivers?

Who cleans a river? It turns out some of the hardest workers are animals you may have never heard of: freshwater mussels. 

Join Tyler Hern from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as we discover how these amazing animals help keep rivers healthy, how baby mussels hitch rides on fish, and why scientists are working hard to protect them.

➡️ Part of the Wild Critters USA series, created with PBS Nature and the National Wildlife Federation

➡️ Learn more about freshwater ecosystems with Ranger Rick Magazine: https://rangerrick.org/

➡️ Learn more about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: https://www.fws.gov/

➡️ Free Wild Critters USA coloring pages: https://www.cumbrekids.org/color-along

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Orbit Family Conversation Starters! 

1. Why do you think freshwater mussels are so important if most people never notice them? 
2. If you were a baby mussel, what do you think it would be like to hitch a ride on a fish? 
3. What are some ways our family can help keep rivers, streams, and lakes clean? 

Continue Learning as a Family! 

1. Visit a local stream, pond, or river and look for signs of wildlife that depend on clean water! 
2. Join a community cleanup or challenge your family to pick up one piece of litter each day. 
3. Explore a National Fish Hatchery or wildlife refuge near you: https://www.fws.gov/program/national-fish-hatchery-system
4. A cool video from PBS showing mussel mimicry and glochidia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7p_w4zE3s4

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