GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan – Those interested in learning more about the Grand River and its basin could stroll through a series of exhibits on Saturday as part of the Grand River Adventure at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
“Hopefully we’ve inspired some kids to think about becoming scientists one day,” said Dr. Stephanie Ogren, the museum’s vice president of science and education. “There’s always room for more knowledge and more questions.”
The open day-style event allowed children and their families to touch mussel shells and snakes, take a guided river walk and enjoy numerous presentations.
“A day to get people excited about the Grand River,” Ogren said.
In the spirit of that excitement, here are five things about the river adventure that the average Grand River enthusiast may not know.
1. Two billion gallons
Every day, over 2,778,969,600 gallons of water flow from the Grand River into Lake Michigan, enough to fill 4,210 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
2. Snuffbox shell
An endangered species, the snuff clam, can live up to 25 years in the Grand River. Its lifespan is linked to freshwater fish because the snuff clam’s larvae – released by females – can attach themselves to the gills and bodies of passing fish, allowing them to spread throughout the river.
READ MORE: How GVSU and John Ball Zoo are protecting a “keystone species” in the Grand River
3. Sea Lamprey
Considered the “vampire” of the Great Lakes, sea lampreys are an invasive species that can kill up to 40-pound sport fish within 12 to 18 months by clinging to their prey with razor-sharp teeth. While lampreys spend most of their adult lives in the Great Lakes, they spawn in smaller streams and rivers, including the Grand River.
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READ MORE: Measures to control sea lamprey in western Michigan rivers
4. Lake sturgeon
For the past six years, the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) and its partners have been surveying portions of the Grand River for lake sturgeon, a prehistoric freshwater fish that can grow up to six feet long and live up to 150 years.
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Although lake sturgeons are rare, those still swimming are a sign of the health of the river and its potential to support a larger population.
READ MORE: Legend of the Great Lakes: GRPM searches for lake sturgeon in the Grand River
5. Riparian buffer
This term refers to the vegetation that grows along a body of water and the role it plays in protecting water quality.
“They absorb rainwater and prevent pollutants from entering our river,” said Ella Carr of the Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds. “It’s important that there is some kind of vegetative buffer between water and land.”
“Building a riparian protection strip with native plants can be easy,” says Carr, and should be done with consideration for one’s own catchment area.
“The Grand River flows through where I live and empties into Lake Michigan, where I enjoy swimming and boating,” she said. “We get our drinking water from Lake Michigan, so it’s very important to protect that source of drinking water.”
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