Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Understanding The Importance Of Dreissenid Mussel Mitigation In South Dakota, Allison P. Gross

Honors Thesis

Since 2014, dreissenid mussels have been established in South Dakota, spreading throughout the state. These invasive mussels can be vastly detrimental to an environment and completely disrupt the balance of natural systems they invade. In South Dakota, a state that relies heavily on land and resource use for some of the state’s major economic drivers, such as agriculture, hydropower, and tourism, the issue could be incredibly harmful if left uncontrolled. The mussel’s impacts range from increasing rash-causing bacteria in lakes and rivers to damaging critical infrastructure within dams. To understand the importance of the issue further, this paper explores the …