Vernon Politicians at UBCM

Posted on 9/23/2015 by Pete McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM

North Okanagan politicians have been flexing their mussels at the Union of BC Municipalities Convention in Vancouver. Vernon Mayor Akbal Mund says they had a meeting with Environment Minister Mary Polak about zebra and quagga mussells, pressing the need for permanent inspection stations. "Just addressing the concerns that we do have if we get the invasive species within our lakes, it will be a major cost to clean them up and we just want to make sure we are doing all we can to be pro-active."Vancouver. Mund says the minster is very well schooled on the issue, and indicated the province is looking at ways to provide some funding. "Which was really good. It was a good sign. Not an official response as a ministry but they are working on where they can obtain the funds to battle this." Critics say attending the UBCM is a waste of taxpayers money but Mund says for a new political rep like him, it's a worthwhile event. "Now that I know how the process works, it is valuable. You get to talk to other mayors here, you get to go through the seminars and workshops. They are very enlightning what's out there and what you can do, especially for a new member."

B.C. gets boost in fight against invasive mussels

Environment Friday, July 10, 2015 9:15 AM

Columbia Basin Trust is helping the province to double the number of mobile decontamination units aimed at stopping invasive mussels from entering British Columbia waterways, thanks to $360,000 in new funding. This new partnership, in the Ministry of Environment led Invasive Mussel Defence Program, also includes support from Columbia Power Corporation, FortisBC and the four local invasive species councils operating in the region – East Kootenay Invasive Plant Council, Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society, Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society and the Northwest Invasive Plant Council. The new resources mean an additional three mobile inspection and decontamination crews will be dedicated to stopping and ensuring boats are free of mussels. The teams will be based in Cranbrook, Valemount and Nelson, to target major entry points from Alberta and the U.S. The new teams join three other crews that are already operational, doubling the number of mobile units dedicated to protecting B.C.’s lakes and rivers against the threat of quagga and zebra mussels. The decontamination units allow auxiliary conservation officers, who are trained to identify mussel-infested boats, to decontaminate boats and trailers entering B.C. The teams also respond to boats identified as concerns by the Canada Border Services Agency, and partner agencies in Alberta and the U.S. The mobile units move between border locations, focusing on high-traffic routes and have the ability to quickly respond to any reports of potential threats called in through the provincial Report All Poachers and Polluters line. The addition of these specialized mussel detection teams further enhances the provincial early detection and rapid response program for invasive mussels. This includes supporting education and outreach activities, such as the “Clean, Drain, Dry” program being delivered by the invasive species councils. Aquatic invasive species, such as zebra and quagga mussels, pose a significant threat to Canada’s freshwater ecosystems and critical infrastructure such as hydroelectric and drinking water facilities. No zebra or quagga mussels have ever been found in B.C. waterways, and the Province is hard at work ensuring it stays that way.
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• Funding for this initiative is provided as follows:
  • Columbia Basin Trust – $275,000
  • Columbia Power Corporation – $70,000
  • FortisBC – $15,000

Invasive mussel fight gets $100,000

Posted: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 4:54 pm Penticton Herald Staff
The war against aquatic invasive species in the Okanagan has just gotten 100,000 reinforcements. The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen announced Wednesday it received the $100,000 grant from the RBC Blue Water Project program.Funds will be applied to the Okanagan Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Program, which is aimed at keeping quagga and zebra mussels out of local lakes. It’s estimated an invasion of the mussels in Okanagan Lake would cause million of dollars in damage and do irreparable harm to local ecosystems. The Okanagan Basin Water Board has been calling on senior governments to provide more inspection stations to check boats entering B.C. for the presence of the mussels, which are well-established in the Great Lakes and western U.S. states.

Province Provides Mussel Money

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Posted on 3/31/2015 by Pete McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM
The BC government is providing 1.3 million dollars to keep invasive mussels from expanding into the province's lakes and rivers. Environment Minister Mary Polak says the funds will be used for early detection and rapid response. "This is a major step in our ongoing efforts to keep the provinces' ecosystems, hydro stations, drinking water facilities and salmon populations safe. It also provides specialized training and summer employment to university students specializing in environmental compliance," Polak told a news conference in Kelowna. The program will start in April and will include three mobile decontamination units, six trained auxiliary conservation officers, and highway signage throughout the province. Other parts of the program incloude expanded monitoring for zebra and quagga mussels, report All Poachers or Polluters response line coverage, and increasing "Clean, Drain, Dry" education and outreach activities. Polak says teams will inspect and, if necessary, decontaminate boats entering B.C. from Alberta and the US. Officials say zebra and quagga mussels pose a significant threat to freshwater ecosystems, and can clog water systems and threaten the tourism industry. Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) are not native to B.C. Both species originate from Europe. They were introduced to Canada (in the Great Lakes region) and the United States in the 1980s, as the result of ballast water being discharged by vessels travelling from Europe. " The economic impact of these invasive mussels to hydropower, agricultural irrigation, municipal water supplies and recreational boating has been estimated to be $43 million per year. This estimate does not include additional impacts on commercial and recreational fisheries," says a government news release. Where introduced, these mussels kill native mussels and clams and reduce native fish species by altering the aquatic food web. They also attach to aquatic plants and submerged surfaces, including piers, pilings, water intakes and fish screens. "Invasive mussels can colonize on boats and other watercraft (on hulls, engines and steering components), as well as on recreational equipment. Their microscopic larvae also can be spread in any raw water moved between waterbodies. If left unchecked, zebra and quagga mussels can restrict the effectiveness of engine cooling systems and damage boat motors," says the release. Zebra and Quagga Mussel Facts: https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hra/invasive-species/mussels.htm

Funding to combat Zebra mussels and a cheer for LNG at B.C. Liberal convention

by Jennifer Smith - Kelowna Capital News posted May 24, 2014 at 5:00 PM

Only a handful of people opposed a resolution to tackle the threat of Quagga and Zebra mussels when delegates at the B.C. Liberal convention put it to a vote Saturday afternoon. A single female mussels can lay up to a million eggs annually, destroying the ecosystem where the larva are deposited. The mollusks release a nasty neurotoxin, which leaves a welt similar to a bee sting on those who walk the beach barefoot. And it populates so quickly it's hard to not to step on one in an infested area. From clogging water intakes in municipal water systems to costing boat owners thousands to strip them from hulls and propellers, the mussels leave a wake of destruction—even leading to downturns in waterfront real estate prices in the Great Lakes. "…It changes the quality of life in places like the Okanagan," said Nelson Jatel, Okanagan Basin Water Board water stewardship director. He told convention delegates the OBWB's estimates peg damages in the $20-30 million dollars range, annually, if the mussels make it into B.C. streams and lakes. The threat is all too real this year after an infected boat nearly crossed the border in Osoyoos, stopped only by a vigilant border guard who took the time to contact conservation officers, though there is technically no law to permitting a search or seizure of boats with mussels. "There's really two deficits right now. One is the federal government needs to reform one of their regulations to be able to stop Quagga and Zebra mussels at the border. You can't take an apple across and you can't take soil across, but you can take invasive mussels across," said Jatel. "And then provincially, the provincial government has an opportunity to really build on the resolution that was passed today and really develop some kind of a program to either sticker boats or at least ensure that people who are boating on our lakes don't have these mussels." The resolution suggests boat owners pay for a sticker to put on their boat that would generate awareness and the funds needed to run inspection stations at the provincial and national borders. Echoing programs already developed in other jurisdictions, the awareness campaign would include tickets and fines to recreational boaters who have not purchased a sticker and would dovetail with programs in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Washington and Idaho. Victoria resident Janta Quigley said the problem threatens her area as well and told delegates she's looking for an education program that would pull in multiple stakeholders, leaning on sectors like the tourism to help spread the word. Mayor Walter Gray backed her words. "I know that the government is very much on top of this…But what we have to do is send a message to the citizen's caucus so they don't slow down in what I believe is the good work they're already doing" said Gray, who gave an impassioned plea to delegates to vote for the resolution unanimously. (more)

Eyes on Manitoba as it tries to blast zebra mussels in unique experiment

May 12, 2014 - 5:37 AM INFO-TEL Multimedia

WINNIPEG - They are small clam-like creatures that seem to spread in the blink of an eye and squeeze the life out of the rivers and lakes they inhabit. This summer, those who grapple with zebra mussels will be watching Manitoba, where officials are trying to stop an invasion with a unique experiment. Once the winter ice recedes on Lake Winnipeg, a silk curtain will be lowered to the lake floor to seal off four infested harbours. Liquid potash will then be pumped into the water until it reaches a lethal concentration for the mussels and clogs their gills. The technique has been tried in a closed quarry, but this is believed to be the first time liquid potash has been used in open water.
Scientists who study the mussels say Manitoba presents a "golden opportunity" to find a way to prevent their proliferation in waterways around the world. The postash plan will cost $500,000, but many say it could save millions down the road if it works. "There is only one guarantee and that is, if nothing is done, then the situation will certainly get worse," said Manitoba Conservation Minister Gord Mackintosh. "The impact of zebra mussels in areas where they have infested waterways is quite profound." The invasive mussels, which are already in the Great Lakes and have spread throughout parts of the United States, were found for the first time in the province last October. The tiny mussels reproduce rapidly. One female can produce up to one million eggs a year. The waterborne, microscopic larvae can be carried unwittingly from lake to lake in buckets and in the live wells of boats. Once hatched, the mussels can attach to virtually any hard surface, including other native mussels and crayfish. They clog up pipes and hydro dams. They threaten fish by interfering with the food chain and have been linked to increases in toxic blue-green algae. "Where zebra mussels have established, they have a significant ecological and economic impact," said Laureen Janusz, fisheries biologist with Manitoba Conservation. "There are annual maintenance

costs to having zebra mussels that just never go away." The Manitoba government was presented with a series of options once the mussels were discovered. Although liquid potash had never been tried in open water, it was unanimously agreed upon, Janusz said. Liquid potash is lethal for zebra mussels, but doesn't appear to hurt any other aquatic life aside from native mussels, she said. "Everyone is still trying to find a control that has no effect on anything else." Those who depend on

the lake for their livelihoods are concerned about the experiment and the impact it could have on the short fishing
season. Jocelyn Burzuik with the Gimli Harbour Authority said Lake Winnipeg is no ordinary lake. It is so huge, it has its own wind tides making it unpredictable and dangerous. "It's going to be very tricky," Burzuik said. Complicating matters further, Burzuik said, both commercial fishermen and those injecting the water with liquid potash need access to the harbour when the water temperature rises to between 10 and 12 C. The two groups are working together to figure out how the experiment can go ahead without devastating the fishery, she said. "It's not that we don't want them to treat zebra mussels. We know exactly what they can do to a fishery," she said. "The cure cannot kill the community." Many are watching the outcome. Hugh MacIsaac, director of the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network, said scientist are very interested in finding effective ways to kill zebra mussels before they take hold. "Given that this animal is in the early stages of its invasion in Manitoba, I think it's important to try to eradicate it," said MacIsaac, a professor at the University of Windsor."Sometimes it doesn't work, but this is a golden opportunity to try to knock them out. If it succeeds then great."

Province Provides Invasive Species Funds

Written by Peter McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM  Friday, 09 May 2014 15:45

Local governments have got some help from the province in the
battle to keep a potentially devastating species out of lakes in the North Okanagan and Shuswap. Local MLA's Eric Foster and Greg Kyllo have announced 59-thousand dollars for three organizations to help control the spread of invasive plants. Kyllo, the MLA for Shuswap, says if left unchecked, the potential introduction of Zebra mussels will have a detrimental effect on pristine lakes and impact thousands of jobs in the tourism sector. He says the funding will be used to educate the public, survey the plant populations, and treat high priority sites. The mussels, which are now mostly in the U-S but can be transferred on boats, can clog water intakes and leave razor sharp shells on beaches. The government awarded grants to the following organizations:

Regional District of North Okanagan received $35,000
Columbia Shuswap Regional District received $10,000
Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society received $14,000

"In addition to the disruption they cause for native species, invasive plants are a significant problem for our agriculture industry," Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster said. "These funds will help protect our industry and our environment." Invasive plants are species that have been introduced into BC from other areas. They displace native vegetation and can cause considerable economic and environmental damage, and some pose a health risk to people.