Learn about freshwater mussels of the Fox River at Oct. 25 program

More than 70% of the 300 freshwater mussel species historically known from North America are threatened, endangered, or in need of conservation.

Find out more about the freshwater mussels of the Fox River Watershed of Wisconsin and Illinois at the next Tyler Creek Watershed Coalition meeting.

To learn more about these creatures, Alison Stodola, the curator of malacology at the Illinois Natural History Survey, brings 15 years of expertise to the captivating realm of freshwater mussels, specifically within the wadable streams of Illinois.

Her talk promises to illuminate the fascinating life history of these remarkable creatures and shed light on the current research efforts underway in Illinois.

The free program will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, in the Reed Room on the first floor of the Lindner Tower Conference Center at Judson University, 1151 N. State St. (Route 31) in Elgin. She also will livestream her talk.

Complimentary refreshments will be available.

The Tyler Creek Watershed Coalition normally meets the third Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at the Riverside Water Treatment Plant, 375 W. River Road in Elgin.

Tyler Creek is a medium sized, high quality tributary of the Fox River. The stream drains generally to the southeast from southern Rutland Township toward the northwest side of Elgin, where it joins the Fox River. The Tyler Creek Watershed encompasses about 40.4 square miles and includes the small tributaries of Pingree Creek, Sandy Creek, and North Plato Ditch.

The watershed currently has two very contrasting characteristics: the eastern part of the watershed is highly urbanized, dominated by more than 4000 acres of contiguous development. The central and western portions of the watershed are agricultural in nature, with corn and soybean fields the dominant land cover.

Learn more at foxriverecosystem.org/fox/tyler-creek.