Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response Exercise Held Last Week

Last week, a Rapid Response Team held a virtual tabletop exercise in the event invasive quagga or zebra mussels are found in the Columbia River Basin. The mock exercise was based on a scenario involving a contaminated boat that launched and moored in a marina on Lake Billy Chinook. The goals of the exercise were to streamline communication, strengthen skills, improve response time, and coordinate mussel containment actions. Exercise participants included representatives from the Oregon State Marine Board, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Portland General Electric, Invasive Species Action Network, and the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. To read the full joint press release, click here.

You can protect our waterways from invasive species by remembering to Clean, Drain, Dry.

Oregon AIS Inspection Stations: 2018 Year-to-Date Numbers

According to Rick Boatner, The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Invasive Species Coordinator and Oregon Invasive Species Council (OISC) Member, inspections in Oregon found two mussel-transporting boats over the May 11-13 weekend, bringing the 2018 year-to-date total to 6.

As of May 15, inspection numbers in Oregon are at 1,665 watercraft at the Central Point station near Ashland, 1,777 watercraft at Ontario, 153 at the recently opened Klamath Falls station, 197 at Gold Beach-Brookings, and 538 at Umatilla. The inspection station in Burns will be open early next month. Oregon has also intercepted 51 boats through mid-May with invasive aquatic plants, mostly Eurasian Watermilfoil.

To learn more about why it's important to Clean, Drain, and Dry all motorized and non-motorized watercraft,
check out our Clean, Drain, Dry Campaign page!

Original Article Information:
By Brad Carlson, Capital Press. Published on May 24, 2018.
Click here to read the full article

Prevention in Action

Last week, a boat infested with Zebra mussels was stopped at the inspection station in Ontario, Oregon. The 41-foot yacht was coming from Harrison Bay, Tennessee, an area that is known to be infested with this invasive mussel. Just a few weeks prior, a boat coming from Quagga mussel infested Lake Havasu, Arizona had to be decontaminated due to the presence of standing water. "Standing water may not sound like a big problem, but when it comes from a water body infested with Quagga or Zebra mussels, it spells trouble," said Rick Boatner, ODFW’s Invasive Species Wildlife Integrity Coordinator. The larva stage of mussels can live several days in water trapped in a bilge or live well and depending on conditions, an adult mussel can live on a boat for up to 30 days.

In 2016, ODFW completed 16,825 watercraft inspections. Watercraft inspected included boats from nearly every US state, Mexico, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Quebec and Trinidad. From Oregon’s Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Program 2016 Report.

All motorized and non-motorized watercraft entering the state, including paddle boards, surfboards, kayaks, and canoes, must be inspected at one of Oregon’s watercraft inspection stations. Stations are located in Ashland, Gold Beach, Klamath Falls, Lakeview, and Ontario. Failure to comply can lead to a $110 fine.

One way for boaters and other watersport enthusiasts to do their part is to practice  ‘Clean, Drain, Dry’. To learn more, please visit our Clean, Dry, Drain campaign page. To read the full news article, click here.