04/24/2026
Important alert🚨
Hello USRC Friends,
Our community science project, A Survey of Freshwater Mussels of the Upper Sangamon River: Community Science in Action, has fallen victim to federal funding cuts. But the project is not done. We are committed to completing it, and you can help!
To complete this project we need to raise at least $3000.00 before this season’s surveys begin. This amount will cover the purchase of mussel ID tags and supplies necessary to complete the Mussel Survey. Any additional donations will help cover operating expenses for this project. Will you help?
In 2021, the Upper Sangamon River Conservancy (USRC) and Illinois RiverWatch, along with Illinois Natural History Survey and other partners, began a 10 year freshwater mussel research project. For 5 years hundreds of community science volunteers and a team of researchers have collected a wealth of information about these critically important creatures. If you are one of those volunteers who have helped bring it this far, thank you so much; we are eternally grateful!
A generous USRC supporter and mussel grubber has offered to match donations, doubling the value of your gift! Please donate today!
Online at: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=C87G6CNBVBH6C
Or by check to: USRC, P.O. Box 765, Mahomet, IL 61853 (add note “Mussel Survey”)
100% of your donation goes to this project and is tax deductible.
We appreciate your willingness to volunteer and donate so that USRC can continue this important project.
Thank you,
Joey Anthony, President
USRC Board of Directors
More about the Mussel Survey
To Date:
Completion of 5 years of the 10-year study
20 total surveys completed
More than 5600 volunteer hours logged
More than 6000 live mussels collected
More than 4500 individual mussels tagged
Tens of thousands of data points collected
Help support Upper Sangamon River Conservancy by donating or sharing with your friends.
