Help Need Info

[boatnut]

We live in a rural county in Northern California -- our economy is driven by a fairly large lake (primarily recreation and agriculture). The entire invasive mussel topic (first Zebra and now Quagga) that has caused such evinronmental and economic havic in the Great Lakes region is now a real threat out here. The mussels which had been contained east of the 100th meridian are now in Lake Mead Nevada and several lakes in southern California. If you are in an area where they exist you know what I am talking about. We have a county supervisor that wants to hop on an airplane and visit a lake/area that has been damaged by these mussels to talk to local residents etc. We have also heard of lakes in the effected areas that have managed to keep the mussels out. He also wants to visit such an area. The idea (which is good) is to get some local real knowledge as opposed to talking to some beuracrat that is trying to get another grant etc. I thought possibly our Donzi community (e.g. Donzi = lake/waterway) in the mid west could help me indentify a few potential locations that he (or we) could visit. Thank You in advance! Ed

[Carl C]

You will not keep Zebra mussels out of your lake forever with present technology; You can only delay it. Visit Michigan's Lake Huron shoreline and see the once pristine sand now crunchy with mussel shells. Visit any fishing town near the middle of the coastline such as Alpena, Harrisville or Oscoda and talk to folks at sporting goods stores and marinas, etc. about the disruption of the entire food chain and the decline of the salmon fishing industry. :(

[Tony]

Easy reading here, (http://www.great-lakes.net/envt/flora-fauna/invasive/zebra.html) a good overview but not very detailed. Funny how many think water clarity is a good thing, when in reality it is the mussels stripping all vegetation and creating an illusion of "clean" water.

[boatnut]

Thanks for the info and links. We have done a lot of research on this and have a good understanding of the issue. What we are looking for is a place to visit to personally witness the impact these mussels have made on a lake/community etc. We would also like to visit some of the lakes etc. (that we have indirectly heard about without specifics) where efforts were successful to keep the mussels out -- successful prevention. Some of the people that have to make decisions to spend funds on prevention want to be sure the threat is real, they want to see the results of the mussels not just read about it.

[Carl C]

Here are some pics I took of the Lake Huron shore north of Oscoda yesterday. This is the only visible damage you will see. We've all heard of the nuisance of clogged water inlets and fouled boat bottoms but those are problems we will learn to live with. What is less obvious is the damage to the eco-system and food chain. The damage is very real but not easily seen.

[boatnut]

Carl, thanks for the pictures and your assistance. It is difficult for the local govt decision makers to decide how real some of these threats are and then to prioritize what they spend money on (at least out here our local county governments and state government are very finacially challenged). When the county supervisor decides where to visit, he will talk to home owners, water companies, power companies, marinas etc. and get a good idea of the more hidden aspects of this that you mention. Thks again, Ed