Colorado's ongoing effort to prevent the presence of a devastating nuisance species in local bodies of water was met with what could have been a major issue this month, though a high level of awareness by Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff saved the day.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, members of their aquatic nuisance species (ANS) staff intercepted a boat that was infested with quagga mussels at the Loma Point of Entry check station on April 6. The boat was in the process of traveling from Arizona's Lake Powell to Grand Junction, covered in the invasive mussels on the outside of the boat.
Highline Lake State Park rangers took possession of the boat following the interception, for the sake of decontamination.
“Seeing the extent of mussels on the boat was alarming,” said CPW Invasive Species Program Manager Robert Walters. “This is the perfect example of why these types of roadside inspections at state lines are so important.”
In Colorado, quagga and zebra mussels "pose a great ecological and financial threat to the state," according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. These species are considered invasive and are known for their rapid reproduction rate.
This was the eighth boat that Colorado Parks and Wildlife has intercepted, to date, with six of those boats that were intercepted after quagga mussels were detected headed into Colorado after a trip to Lake Powell. The other two boats were coming from bodies of water in Texas.
CPW says ANS staff has inspected a total of 330 boats between Loma and Trinidad ports of entry, needing to decontaminate 46 of them.
Boaters traveling east into Colorado on I-70 or north into Colorado on I-25 are required to stop for inspection of their watercraft Thursday through Monday through October 31.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, "inspections for aquatic nuisance species are mandatory on all motorized boats. Any motorboat and sailboat entering Colorado waters must have an ANS Stamp prior to launching."
More information can be found here.
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