Montana is currently free of zebra and quagga mussels, invasive species that cause major problems for fish, boaters, irrigation and economies. At a two-day conference in Polson beginning May 19, experts from throughout the West will gather to discuss the best ways to keep these invasive mussels out of the Flathead and the rest of the state – and how to manage their spread if they do turn up in local waters.
The conference at the KwaTaqNuk Resort, titled, “Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Combating Aquatic Invaders in the Flathead Watershed,” is sponsored by the Flathead Basin Aquatic Invasive Species Work Group and the Clark Fork Task Force. Officials who have dealt with the mussels in watersheds elsewhere will be on hand to describe their successes and failures.
According to Flathead Basin Commission Executive Director Caryn Miske, the conference is, “designed to get the issue out there before the public, especially if they’re taking their boats from lake to lake.”
“It is incredibly important, and we cannot stress this enough, they need to inspect, clean, drain and dry their boats,” she added. “Unless local folks, local watersheds are willing to get their own houses in order, it’s just a matter of time.”
The mussels spread by attaching to boats or other equipment to “hitchhike” from one body of water to another, and can live for up to five days out of the water. These fingernail-sized mussels reproduce rapidly, and can clog pipes for irrigators, hydroelectric generators and other structures, necessitating expensive and difficult cleanup measures. The mussels have no natural predators, and take nutrients out of the water, damaging native species.
“Native mussels do not have the ability to attach to surfaces,” Miske said. “If folks see any kind of mussel attached to anything, call FWP immediately.”
The conference will also focus on containing Eurasian Watermilfoil, a nuisance plant confirmed in the Noxon and Cabinet Gorge reservoirs in Sanders County.
Participants can register at KwaTaqNuk beginning 8 a.m., May 19, or register early with Kristen Dolence of the Whitefish Lake Institute by contacting her at [email protected] or 862-4327. The fee is $20.
Related: Clean Lakes Start With Clean Boats