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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 26, 2015
Contact: Scott Hanshue, 269-685-6851, Ext. 118, or Elyse Walter, 517-284-5839
Relocation of endangered mussels will allow for dam removal on Grand River
 The Department of Natural Resources today announced that the next step to remove the Lyons Dam on the Grand River in Ionia County will proceed as officials start searching for threatened and endangered mussels and moving them out of harm’s way.
In 2012, the Ionia Conservation District received more than $990,000 from the DNR’s Dam Management Grant Program to remove Lyons Dam – a high-hazard dam that has been determined to be in poor structural shape. The discovery of snuffbox mussels (Epioblasma triquetra) near the dam lead to significant changes in the original plans to remove the structure. The modified plans will result in a more complete removal of the aging obstruction while minimizing impact on the snuffbox and other state-listed mussels and, ultimately, a better river restoration project.
Snuffbox mussels are on the federal endangered species list due to population declines attributed to habitat loss, dam construction, pollution and the invasion of nonnative species. As a result of this mussel species’ presence, consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was initiated to determine how to minimize impact on the mussel and its habitat. The changes to the overall project design were found to be acceptable, and authorization to relocate the mussels, in the form of a USFWS biological opinion, was recently granted.
“Now that the biological opinion has been signed, we can proceed with the relocation of mussels located between Lyons Dam and the Bridge Street bridge to good habitat located further downstream,” said Scott Hanshue, DNR fisheries biologist with the Southern Lake Michigan Management Unit. “All mussels, even those that aren’t Snuffbox mussels, found in the construction area will be relocated as heavy equipment working in the river will be needed to remove the dam.”
A few thousand mussels will be moved during the course of the relocation, which is expected to take several weeks to complete. Anglers and boaters are asked to be mindful of divers and mussel collectors in the river during this time.
Following the relocation effort, demolition of the Lyons Dam is expected to begin in July 2016.
An informational meeting on this effort will be held for the public at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Hazel Devore Park, 216 Water St. in Lyons.
For more information on snuffbox mussels, visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s endangered species website.
For more information on dams in Michigan, visit the DNR’s dam management website.
/Note to editors: Accompanying photos are available below for download. Suggested captions follow:
LyonsDam-GrandRiver-SnuffboxMussel-2.jpg – Work will begin soon to remove all mussels located near the Lyons Dam on the Grand River, including the endangered snuffbox mussel pictured here.
DSK482_100-CMUresearcher.jpg – A researcher from Central Michigan University inventories mussels collected near the Lyons Dam on the Grand River during an earlier study to determine what species were in the area./
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.
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