This contract for FY2008 was approved by BPA under the  Federal Columbia River Power System Fish Operations Interim Funding Agreement.  Since its inception in 2003, the Freshwater Mussel Project of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation has conducted research designed to understand the biology and ecology of freshwater mussels. Specifically, the project has focused on three main components designed to determine: 1) the status and distribution of freshwater mussels in CTUIR Tribal lands; (2) factors controlling the distribution and abundance of mussels, and (3) whether genetic differences exist among western freshwater mussel species in the Columbia River basin.  The long-term goal of this project has been to restore freshwater mussels to the Umatilla River basin as part of ongoing efforts to rebuild ecosystem diversity, function, and traditional cultural opportunities in the basin.    

Freshwater mussels are vital components of intact salmonid ecosystems that have been affected directly and indirectly by dams, habitat deterioration, and declines in salmon populations. Mussels are also culturally and traditionally important to Native Americans in the region. Yet prior to this study little was known about their distribution, status, limiting factors, or population structure to guide recovery actions in the mid-Columbia river drainages. The information generated since the project's inception is essential for the conservation and restoration of freshwater mussels.