Photo: Spencer Roberts of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary is shown holding an eastern elliptio mussel. Credit: PDE
Last summer, we broke the news about an exciting project that’s coming to our historic Fairmount Water Works museum and learning center this fall: an educational freshwater mussel hatchery that will shine new light on these secret river heroes.
As the project continues to develop, the Water Works and the artists helping to shape the space are hoping you can help by taking this short survey to tell us what you know (or don’t know) about freshwater mussels.
Will you take a few minutes to tell them what you know about freshwater mussels with this quick online survey? (Think of it as a fun quiz followed by some surprising facts about these amazing creatures!)
This groundbreaking freshwater mussel exhibition—titled The River's Restoration Interpretation Project: A Freshwater Mussel Hatchery Installation—is being spearheaded by the Fairmount Water Works along with the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia Water and a diverse team of artists and designers. The project is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Pew Center and a number of Philadelphia Water partners.
The space will feature a 530-square-foot educational resource that will introduce the world of mussels to residents of Philadelphia and beyond.
Visitors will experience a living science laboratory in action, get a behind-the-scenes look at the life and times of a freshwater mussel, and enjoy a unique view of the ever-changing Schuylkill River habitat. The hatchery will also show the good things that can happen if we bring lots of freshwater mussels back to our rivers and creeks—an activity that can greatly improve the health of our waterways.
This project is made possible by generous support from the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage and Philadelphia Water.
