Art students call this painting "Venus on the Half Shell." Its true name is "The Birth of Venus." It was painted by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli in 1485. The painting recreates an even older classical Roman myth when Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, floated to land on a mussel shell. On these pages we aren't as interested in Venus as we are in her mussel she stands upon, but the painting demonstrates the unique and ancient connection humans have to these fascinating but unassuming animals.

There are roughly 1,000 distinct species of freshwater mussels worldwide. Close to three hundred of those are found on the North American Continent, the most diverse population in the world. The Mississippi River Basin is home to most of these.

The health of mussels is intimately tied to the health of our rivers and streams. As river systems change by the introduction of dams, increased sedimentation, pollution, channelization, the introduction of non-native species to rivers, and a host of other factors, change also comes to the plants and animals that inhabit those environments. Many of these changes have not been good for native mussel populations. The Nature Conservancy estimates that 66% of mussel species in North America are at risk or already extinct. Put another way, 2/3 of the 300 different kinds of mussels we should be able to find in our lakes, rivers and streams are either declining or extinct.

But not all is gloom and doom for mussel populations. Recently, there have been some surprising and encouraging finds of rare species thriving where none were expected. As riverside environments are restored, mussel populations seem to be rebounding. New techniques for reproduction and re-introduction of mussel species to particular habitats are finding a ready and interested audience.

These pages present mussels that have been found within the 72-mile stretch of river within the boundaries of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. There are also species that we hope to find and, unfortunately, some that once populated these waters but will not likely be seen again. The National Park Service is working with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to identify the kinds and numbers of mussels that make this part of the river their home.