Illinois State Museum (ISM) - Land, Life, People & Art.  
www.museum.state.il.us

J.B. Pritzker, Governor
ISM System :Public Events
Visitor Information
Exhibitions
Programs & Events
Publications
Stores & Artisans Shops
Teachers & Students
Lesson Plans!
Online Exhibits
Research & Collections
Staff Directory
Job Opportunities
Members & Donors
Volunteers
Public Museum Grants
About ISM
News/Press Room
Search/Site Map




Join Our E-Mail List
For Email Marketing you can trust





Public Events --

  Brownbag Lectures: Illinois Mussels: The Silent Storytellers (Revisted)   

Brownbag Lectures: Illinois Mussels: The Silent Storytellers (Revisted)

  • Location: ISM Research & Collections Center, Springfield
  • Date: Wednesday, April 10, 2013, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Presented by Robert Warren, Ph.D., Curator of Anthropology, Illinois State Museum

Historically, the streams and lakes of Illinois housed a rich fauna of freshwater mussels. Biologists have documented 79 species in the state, and mussel populations were formerly quite large. Today, however, mussels are on the decline because of recent human alterations of the natural environment. Mussel collections from archaeological sites provide important baseline information on the diversity and composition of past mussel communities. Striking contrasts exist between ancient and modern mussel collections in the Illinois River basin, and these changes tell an interesting story about how and why mussel communities have changed. The lecture also looks at past and present human uses of mussels as sources of food and pearls and raw material for tools, ornaments, shell buttons, and cultured pearls.

One of our Brownbag Lectures

Weekly lectures held at the Museum's Research and Collections Center. Lectures are usually held during lunchtime on Wednesday. The RCC is located at 1011 E. Ash Street in Springfield. Access to the building is from 10 ½ Street (between Ash and Laurel Streets), where there is ample visitor parking in the west parking lot. For more information, please call 217-785-0037. Brown Bag Lectures are free and open to the public.

Also, if you want to be informed of upcoming lectures by email, you can sign up for the brownbag announcement list

For more events at ISM Research & Collections Center.