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Looking for invasive stowaways; inspections begin at Lake Tahoe

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 28, 2008 at 6:01 am

From the Nevada Appeal, the third in a four-part series on the efforts to keep invasive mussels out of Lake Tahoe. This segment discusses the inspections and the important role boaters have to play:

The first line of defense is getting boaters to comply with boat inspections happening at all private and some public piers around the lake. While the inspections are not mandatory (but may be after today’s Tahoe Regional Planning Agency meeting), they are vital to keeping Lake Tahoe’s waters clear. “As boaters become aware of this problem they become more sympathetic,” said TRPA Executive Director John Singlaub. “People should know that if they have a contaminated boat they will be stopped and required to get it cleaned. The smart thing to do is if they have the potential of a contaminated boat is to turn it around and clean it out.”

The onus to keep mussels out of the lake falls mainly on boaters, said Dennis Zabaglo, TRPA senior environmental specialist and watercraft program manager. “Boating is the main push,” Zabaglo said.

While a stronger emphasis is placed on boaters coming from out of the Tahoe region, Zabaglo said even people who have boats that stay in Tahoe year-round can be part of the process. “You can tell all of your boater friends about the danger,” he said. “Outreach is crucial.”

Part of that outreach is a more than $18,000 campaign to educate the public about the dangers of the mussels. The TRPA and the Tahoe Resource Conservation District have spent $12,000 on a 30-second commercial airing in the basin area and $6,000 on a billboard on Highway 50 to alert boaters. They have also spent a significant amount of money on pamphlets and brochures as part of the $1.3 million campaign, Zabaglo said.

One of the main messages both organizations, and a working group of other state, local and federal agencies, is trying to push is to “clean, dry and drain” your boat. “Clean after you leave, drain all the live wells and make sure everything is dry because the microscopic larvae can live in standing water,” Zabaglo said.

Read more on this story from the Nevada Appeal by clicking here.

May 28, 2008 · Filed Under Lake Tahoe & the Sierra's

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