Page 8 - Flathead Beacon // 11.30.16

CITY BEAT 14 COURT BEAT 15 Newsworthy
New Mussel Larvae Suspected in Missouri River Near Townsend Flathead Lake Biological Station ramping up monitoring e orts, collecting samples in Northwest Montana
SBY DILLON TABISH OF THE BEACON
TATE OFFICIALS HAVE IDENTIFIED ANOTHER possible presence of invasive mussels in Mon- tana, this time in the Missouri River south of
Townsend.
The state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks
announced Nov. 23 that mussel larvae were con rmed from water samples taken the prior day in the Missouri River near the York’s Islands Fishing Access Site.
FWP o cials are searching for mussels to identify if an adult population has already been established.
The Missouri River is now the third water body in Montana that is suspected of being in ltrated by aquatic invasive species. Tiber Reservoir in north-central Mon- tana east of Shelby tested positive for the larvae of aquatic mussels, and tests from Canyon Ferry Reservoir near Helena show “suspect” but inconclusive results.
“We are continuing to test water samples collected from the Missouri River basin, which is our area of focus now,” said Eileen Ryce, FWP sheries division administrator.
FWP o cials also identi ed inconclusive test results from the Milk River downstream of Nelson Reservoir. The water sample showed the presence of a larvae shell, which indicates it had dried out at some point and died, according to Ryce.
The results are inconclusive because “there’s no way of knowing if the dried larval shell came from the river itself or was brought in already dead by an outside source,” Ryce said.
Water samples from Fresno, Holter, and Hauser res- ervoirs have come back negative, along with samples from Lake Frances and the Marias River, according to FWP. Testing at Fort Peck Reservoir and the entire Mis- souri River system is ongoing. Once sample processing is complete in these close proximity areas, FWP will con- tinue with water bodies west of the Continental Divide, according to the agency.
Local e orts are underway to study the possible pres- ence of mussels in Northwest Montana waters, includ- ing Flathead Lake, which is considered one of the clean- est lakes in the world.
The Flathead Lake Biological Station announced this week it is immediately increasing its monitoring e orts while collecting samples across the Flathead basin to test for any possible signs of aquatic invasive species.
“If these mussels arrive in Flathead Lake, their im- pact will be catastrophic, damaging water quality, dis- rupting the food web and our trout shing, ruining the lakeshore for recreational use, decreasing shoreline property values and increasing the cost of hydroelec- tricity. Our lake will never be the same,” Bio Station Director Jim Elser said in an alert newsletter pub- lished last week.
“But it’s not too late for Flathead Lake. We need to intensify our monitoring e orts on our lakes, our catch- ment, and incoming boats for invasive species using the best possible scienti c methods, including advanced DNA technologies that are being pioneered here at the Bio Station. By comprehensively monitoring the incoming watercraft and the surrounding catchment
Deb Tirmenstein, with the Flathead Basin Commission, and her dog search a boat for aquatic invasive species at an inspection station. BEACON FILE PHOTO
we stand a better chance of preventing mussel invasion and in getting rid of mussels at an early stage if they get established.”
The miniscule mussels, which cling to boats and other watercraft and can colonize rapidly, threaten to have ecological and economic consequences in the last stronghold in America without a devastating infesta- tion. Other lakes across the U.S., including the Great Lakes and Lake Mead, have fallen victim to mussel infestation, which leads to cascading e ects throughout the ecosystem, including deleterious impacts to the food web and water clarity. Most noticeably, mussels promote the growth and spread of deadly algae blooms.
Once zebra and quagga mussels become established in a water body, they are impossible to fully eradicate.
At Tiber Reservoir, detection dogs searched the shoreline and docks that were removed from the water for the winter season. The dogs found a potential pos- itive hit at one point on the shoreline and at one dock. However, no adult mussels were found, FWP said.
At Canyon Ferry, the dogs searched several docks that are still in the water and found a potential hit on a dock at the Silos and on a boat and a section of riprap at Yacht Basin Marina. These hits prompted FWP sta to snorkel around docks at both locations looking for adult mussels. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service divers trained in searching for adult mussels continued the search this week and no adult mussels have yet been found.
To combat the possible spread of AIS, the National Park Service has temporarily closed all waters in Gla- cier National Park to watercraft, along with the Black- feet Nation, which closed reservation waters to all boats.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service closed the Jessup Mill Pond near Creston to all boating access.
The Flathead Lake Biological Station is calling for increased investment in aquatic invasive species mon- itoring and prevention activities by state and federal agencies as well as nonpro t and philanthropic groups.
Montana spends roughly $1 million annually to defend against aquatic invasive species, with awareness campaigns and detection stations established during the summer. In comparison, Idaho spends roughly $10 million in the battle against AIS.
In Montana, the FWP lab in Helena analyzes more than 540 samples from 141 water bodies across the state each year.
Additionally, through the spring and summer FWP operates 17 aquatic invasive species check stations around Montana. New this year was a law requiring recreationists with watercraft to stop at any check sta- tion they encountered. More than 37,000 watercraft came through FWP’s check stations this year. Of those inspected, seven were found positive for aquatic inva- sive mussels.
FWP o cials said the key part of Montana’s mon- itoring and education e orts is its “Clean, Drain and Dry” message, which encourages watercraft users to fully clean their boats and drain all water from the craft before drying it out.
“We need all of our water users to understand and fol- low the Clean Drain Dry message and procedures,” Ryce said. “The success we have at preventing any spread or introduction of AIS in Montana depends on it.”
dtabish@ atheadbeacon.com
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NOVEMBER 30, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM