Regional partnerships can be used to identify actions at a scale relevant to conserving at-riskspecies and to leverage resources for implementing actions that would not be possible for asingle entity

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 3 awarded the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources $133,153 under the State Wildlife Grants program (CFDA 15.634) on January 1, 2026, to conduct a regional status assessment of freshwater mussels in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

The Wisconsin DNR will partner with Illinois and Minnesota to assess the distribution and status of mussel populations in the Mississippi, Chippewa, and Wisconsin Rivers, filling data gaps to inform prioritization of conservation actions for 28 Wisconsin species of greatest conservation need and species of greatest information need, including five federally listed and one proposed federally listed mussel species. The project will evaluate mussel assemblage response to past dam removals and enhance environmental DNA as a survey tool by sequencing male-transmitted mitochondrial DNA genomes to expand the range of available genetic markers for species identification.

Performance occurs in Wisconsin through December 31, 2028. The award is structured as a competitive Project Grant under the State Wildlife Grants program, which funds proactive conservation programs benefiting sensitive, imperiled wildlife and their habitats, particularly species not hunted or fished.

The states of illinois, minnesota, and wisconsin will partner on a regional statusassessment of freshwater mussels in the upper mississippi river basin (UMR). Mussels as agroup are highly imperiled and in need of continued conservation actions and many specieshave been identified as regional species of greatest conservation need (rsgcn) in themidwest region. This project will assess the distribution and status of mussel populations inthe UMR (mississippi, chippewa and wisconsin rivers) to fill data gaps and provide addedcontext for state, regional, and federal partners to prioritize needs and conservation actionsfor 28WISCONSIN sgcn and species of greatest information need (sgin)that include fivefederally listed and one proposed federally listed mussel. Additionally, we will evaluate theresponse of mussel assemblages to past DAM removals and enhance the utility of ednaas a survey tool by sequencing male-transmitted mitochondrial DNA genomes to expandthe range of available markers. This project will provide a unique opportunity to pilotnew approaches to regional-scale conservation and facilitate adaptive management to helpadvance mussel conservation.