April 2016 Meeting-Mussel Protocal, ODOT Environmental Services 

Speaker: Megan Michael, ODOT Office of Environmental Services

What is a freshwater mussel, anyway?  Why are the living under my bridge?  What do I have to do about it?  These are some common questions that state and county engineers and project managers have been asking.  Although killing mussels has been illegal in Ohio since 1998, Ohio did not have a standard survey protocol or a list of streams that contained mussels until 2013.  The release of the Ohio Mussel Survey Protocol (OMSP) has led to standardized practices, which has helped with project timing and scoping, however; more survey work is now needed than in the past.   This presentation will go over a brief life history of freshwater mussels, the laws that protect them, survey requirements and possible outcomes under the OMSP, and lessons learned in the first three field seasons under the OMSP. 

Speaker Bio:

Megan Michael is a federally permitted mussel biologist that works for the Office of Environmental Services at the Ohio Department of Transportation.  She graduated from Otterbein University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Life Science (ecology concentration) and a minor in Chemistry.  While at Otterbein, she began working with freshwater mussels as a research intern for Dr. Michael Hoggarth.  She continued working with mussels and other macroinvertebrates as an intern with Ohio EPA.  After college, Megan worked at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, where she collected fish and mussels for Scenic Rivers and various grants.   Megan has been at ODOT since 2002, where she has worked as an ecologist.  While at ODOT, she has been the lead worker for mussel surveys for roadway projects, which includes conducting surveys, reviewing surveys, and reviewing and commenting on the Ohio Mussel Survey Protocol.  She has been state permitted to work with mussels since 2000 and has had her federal collection permit for three years.   

Lunch: TBD.

Cost: $20/person (non-members), $15/person (members) or $10/students with RSVP

RSVP by 5:00pm on Friday, April 15, 2016 

A PDH certificate will be provided to attendees.