Big Muddy Speaker Series presents:
"Missouri Mudbuggers" - introduction to Missouri's crayfish
Crawdads, crawfish, freshwater lobsters, river lobsters, mudbuggers, and even ditch crickets...all have been used to describe the fascinating crayfish, Missouri's state invertebrate. Crayfish species fill niches all over Missouri, from the gravel of our smallest streams to mud banks in our biggest rivers. Some even live on dry land, in holes on the prairie.
Chris Riggert, biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, will scratch the surface on all things "crawdad." He will cover such topics as distribution, morphology, life histories, ecology, conservation status, and more!
Meet Your Presenter
Chris Riggert
, Stream Team Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Coordinator
Chris Riggert is the Stream Team Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation in Jefferson City. He began working with MDC’s Stream Unit since 1999 and has worked on various crayfish issues for nearly 20 years, including publishing the updated "Guide to Missouri’s Crayfishes" published this year by MDC. Chris has worked in his current position since 2007 administering the Missouri Stream Team’s Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program statewide.
Related Presentations
Resources & Links
Dig deeper on this topic!
- The newly published "Guide to Missouri's Crayfish" is not yet available at the MDC online store. You can get copies at an area Conservation office or Nature Center.
- Crayfish Fact Sheet (MDC)
- Download Crayfish ID key (pdf-MDC)
- ARTICLE - "Springtime Crayfish Happiness" by Julianna Schroeder, the Opulent Oppossum blog.
- ARTICLE - "Claws for Alarm - stopping the spread of invasive crayfish" - Aug 2013, by Bob Distefano, Missouri Conservationist
- Crayfish of the Prairie Region of Missouri - Washington University
- PURCHASE - "The Crayfishes of Missouri" by William Pflieger
The Big Muddy Speakers Series in Kansas City
is hosted by these wonderful partners!
- Little Blue River Watershed Coalition
- Friends of Lakeside Nature Center
- Missouri River Relief
- Healthy Rivers Partnership
- Kansas City Digital Video
Thanks to all of our venue hosts for making this possible! Click here for a list of upcoming presentations» The Big Muddy Speaker Series is also held monthly in Rocheport and St. Charles.
Recordings of Presentations
Kansas City Digital Video has been recording Big Muddy Speaker Series presentations. These are available on their website at this link. Some contain synchronized powerpoint presentations. We will be posting these to the archived presentation pages on bigmuddyspeakers.org. Thanks Micheal Morgan and crew for putting this important archive online!
Upcoming Presentations
Missouri River Relief: 25 Years on the Big Muddy
November 10, 2026Columbia, MO
Join us for a journey through time celebrating 25 years of Missouri River Relief's work on the Big Muddy.
See Event
Plastic Pollution, Gulf Hypoxia, and Water Quality
November 11, 2026St Charles, MO
Jennifer Wendt from MidAmerica Clean Future guides us through understanding regional water quality challenges.
See Event