BLACKSBURG, Va., Oct. 17, 2004 – A new Freshwater Mollusk
Conservation Center allows graduate and undergraduate students
at Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources the opportunity
to gain real research experience with freshwater mussels, as
well as extend the college's research capabilities. Richard
Neves of Blacksburg, Va., head of freshwater mussel research at
the facility and professor of fisheries, got the center up and
running with grants from such organizations as the National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation and The Nature Conservancy, along with
other foundations. The facility sits on two remote acres of land
behind engineering labs and includes a 2000-square-foot research
center, quarter-acre pond, storage buildings, a water well, and
a two-room lab. The main focus of the center is propagation of
some of the 70 endangered mussel species found in the United
States. "Our researchers produced nearly 50,000 juvenile mussels
last year and can produce up to 100,000 juveniles per year
depending on the avai