(FOX 9) - In an effort to boost the mussel population in southern Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources released over 1,400 Black Sandshell mussels in the Cedar River.
According to the DNR, the mussels were released at three sites in the Cedar River where the species was wiped out
The sites were chosen to allow the mussels to spread down the Cedar River to the dam in Otranto, Iowa.
Officials say the freshwater mussels provide critical ecological services, such as filtering out suspended particles in water.
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