Seminars

Training sessions as seminars (not 'hands on') and workshops ('hands on') are offered by River Kaster. These presentation genres focus on the practicality of zebra and quagga mussel invasions, identification of life stages, ecology, control protocols, and setting up effective prevention and monitoring programs.

His expertise with zebra and quagga mussels dates to pre-invasion of the U.S. being initially exposed to them in Yugoslavia in 1974 while working on a Smithsonian project. Now, he has acquired more than thirty years of experience working with these mussels. Dr. Kaster holds two zebra mussel patents.

Research done at the Great Lakes WATER Institute, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, as a senior scientist led to numerous findings (not complete):

>Life cycle determination

>Complete embryology

>Early life stage identification

>'King of the Hill' behavioral strategy

>Post-veliger clumping and druss formation

>Lake nutrients and colonization

>Native substrate homogeneity effect

>Zebra mussels as a water contamination early warning system

>Air injector removal (patent)

>Use in water prefiltration (patent)

>Control using lasers, chemicals, electrical, turbulance, sand filters, etc.

>Media (video) production (this was the first early life cycle video)

>Veliger artificial substrate (used as a standard design for monitoring)

Diverse funding has been obtained from (not complete):

>U.S. Department of Defense (DARPA)

>U.S. Department of Defense (Army Corps)

>U.S. Department of Homeland Security (Coast Guard)

>U.S. Department of Commerce (NOAA)

>Wisconsin Electric (power plant)

>Domtar Industries (paper mills)

>Numerous private Consultants