Kane County residents can help crack down on an aggressive invasive species in their creeks and rivers: the rusty crawfish.
This Saturday, Aug. 9, the Kane County Forest Preserve is hosting the 7th annual Rusty Rodeo.
Barb McKittrick is the Environmental Education Manager at the Forest Preserve District of Kane County. She said that while naturalists will be there to help, rusty crayfish are easy to identify:
“[They have] spots on their carapace — on their shell," she said, "that look like someone dipped their two fingers in red paint and pinched tight onto their shell and left red blotches on it. And there's no other native crayfish that looks quite like that.”
The rusty crayfish was introduced to local waterways by fishermen who used them as bait and then tossed the unused ones into the water.
They hide under rocks and are larger and more aggressive than native crayfish. They also breed very quickly, which has allowed them to outcompete native species and take over waterways.
Last year, attendees caught nearly 20 pounds of crayfish, numbering in the thousands.
Attendees can bring their own fishing net or use ones provided by the forest preserve.
There will be awards for volunteers who catch the most, the smallest and the largest crayfish.
McKittrick said it’s pretty easy for the whole family to get involved.
“Oftentimes the kids are the ones that want to come out," she said, "because they want to get into the river with a dip net and, you know, scoop up crayfish and look at them and identify them. But the parents end up liking it just as much.”
The rodeo has already had an impact on the ecosystem: the event was moved to a new location this year because rusty crayfish populations have been reduced so significantly at the old one.
The rodeo takes place from 10 to noon at two locations: North Aurora Island Park and Mt. St. Mary’s Park.