May 12, 2006 11:29 am US/Central
Group Warns Of Spread Of Zebra Mussels In MN
St. Paul (AP) ―
Zebra mussels, an invasive species that cause problems for anglers and businesses, have moved into major Minnesota lakes such as Lake Mille Lacs and are poised to spread even further, a lake group warned.
"It's near an emergency situation," said Dick Osgood, executive director of the Lake Minnetonka Association and public policy chair of Minnesota Waters, a statewide group of lakes and rivers organizations.
"It's now or never if we really want to stop them from moving around."
Minnesota Waters wants the state to increase its efforts to control the spread of zebra mussels, Eurasian natives that entered the Great Lakes in the late 1980s and hitchhiked on boats and barges to other lakes and rivers in the Mississippi River basin.
The thumbnail-size creatures encrust themselves on hard surfaces, suffocating and starving native mussels, clogging utility pipes and motors, and fouling beaches.
Since zebra mussels reached the eastern edge of Minnesota in the early 1990s, the DNR has emphasized an education and awareness program to get boaters to clean boats and trailers to avoid moving invasive species from one lake to another.
Consequently, the zebra mussels have spread more slowly here than in such states as Wisconsin and Michigan. But they have slowly moved into the St. Croix and Zumbro rivers, Lake Superior, inland lakes Ossawinnamakee, Mille Lacs and Zumbro, and in a Brainerd-area bay of the Mississippi River.
Now, Minnesota Waters is calling for a more focused, ambitious boat-inspection program that includes restricting lake accesses to streamline inspections; requiring inspections of boats leaving infested lakes; and charging fees on licenses or boat launchings to pay for that work.
This year, the organization asked Gov. Tim Pawlenty to give the Department of Natural Resources' invasive species program more money and to direct the DNR to re-examine its policy of not restricting accesses on lakes with more than one public access.
"Unless Minnesota puts more resources toward preventing the spread and containment of these species, there will be devastating ecological, social and economic impacts to our state," said a letter from Minnesota Waters president Richard Fowler.
Pawlenty didn't respond immediately but approved a DNR request for an extra $975,000 for all invasive species, from zebra mussels to Eurasian watermilfoil. Legislators, however, have trimmed that amount, with $550,000 remaining in the Senate's supplemental budget bill and $261,000 in the House bill.
Rep. Tom Hackbarth, R-Cedar, attributed the cut to other issues competing for the same limited pool of money. He said his Environment and Natural Resources Committee had hoped to learn more about zebra mussels this year, but has yet to schedule a hearing.
Jay Rendall, the DNR's invasive species program coordinator, said his program is doing all it can with its nearly $2 million annual budget.
"If we were to inspect all accesses on infested waters, and we did it 24/7, that would be $22.6 million a year," Rendall said. "The reality is we can't afford to check every boat everywhere, every time. If someone told us to do it and a wand gave us the resources, we would."
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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