A dozen members of the DuPage Birding Club had the unique opportunity to tour the Urban Stream Research Center on Friday, March 13th. The USRC was opened in 2012 by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County and is its cornerstone in preserving aquatic habitats. To this date, nearly 38,000 subadult mussels have been propagated, reared, and released into area waterways to boost declining populations. DBC members saw all stages of the mussel rearing process, as well as turtles, fish, and dragonflies also reared at the facility.
A special shoutout to Andres Ortega, the Aquatic Resources Supervisor at USRC, for leading the presentation and tour for our group. The weather did not allow for a post-tour walk, but no matter. Keep your eyes out for other facility tours in the future!
