The News from Glen Canyon

September Featured Species: Zebra Mussels

Mussels are a key part of our aquatic ecosystems. They’re filter feeders, meaning they filter the water as they eat the debris that floats in it. They also serve as a food source for birds, fish, small animals and even humans. Usually there’s not much more to say about these mollusks, but one particular species, the Zebra Mussel, has made a journey that highlights not only its hardiness, but also the vulnerable balance of native ecosystems.

Zebra mussels are small, freshwater mollusk species named for the stripes that commonly line the outside of their shells. Their sizes and shapes range can vary – oblong to almost circular, measuring anywhere from the size of a fingernail to two inches long – so it can be tricky to identify at first. The species is native to the lakes of Southern Russia but has been introduced, and has since caused quite a stir, in North America, the British Isles, Spain and Sweden.

In these places the species has overgrown, and while it filters the water and provides food for bottom feeders in waterways, it’s more of an unchecked pest than anything. Zebra mussels are prolific. An adult female can produce between 30,000 and a million eggs in a year, which are fertilized during spring spawning sessions. What’s more, there are too few predators to keep the species in check.

Having so many mussels around may not seem like a big problem on its face, but it has proven to be quite costly not only to the other members of its ‘host’ ecosystem but to humans as well.

Many native lakes in North American have seen their native mussel populations drop due to the invasion of the zebra. It tends to latch onto the hardest substrates in the watery environment. In silty sands, these objects are the native mussels themselves, which are then often killed by the attachment of the zebra.

The US coastguard estimates the cost of economic losses and control measures around the zebra to be worth about 5 billion dollars each year! These are hearty creatures that can survive out of water for several days or weeks if the temperature and humidity allow for it. Since 1988 they’ve have reproduced and weathered their way to richly populate all of the great lakes and begin a sprawl into the major rivers in the US. Scientists predict that the zebra mussel will continue to spread its population range by riding along the bottoms of small vessels and tourist ships.

Zebra mussels can disrupt the food chain in freshwater ecosystems, ruin facilities like docks and rams, clog pipelines and engines and litter beaches with their smelly shells. But you can help to stop this trend of their growth in the US.

Before launching your boat, you can check it thoroughly.

Remove all mud, plant and animal debris from the boat, trailer and other equipment to enter the water.

When you’re out of the water, drain the boat, motor and live well so that it can dry out – the boat needs to be completely dry for at least five days before entering another body of water. Doing your part will help protect freshwater ecosystems around the US and in our national parks, as well as reduce the dollars spent to reduce the damage caused by this prolific species.

Public Meeting Provides Information about Lake Powell Pipeline Project

The Utah Division of Natural Resources conducted a public meeting at the Crystal Inn in Cedar City, April 23, to provide information about the Lake Powell Pipeline Eric Millis, deputy director of the Division of Water Resources, said the Lake Powell Pipeline project is in the beginning stages of its development.

“We are underway, and we’d just like to fill you in on the status of things right now and how we see things proceeding in the future,” Millis said. He introduced members of the project team who were present, including Project Manager Larry Anderson, Harold Sersland who is the environmental coordinator, Marc Brown, who represented Montgomery, Watson and Harza Engineering, and Brian Liming who is leading the environmental work.

Plane Damaged In Landing At Closed Backcountry Airstrip

A private plane was damaged last Thursday morning when the pilot attempted to land it at a closed backcountry airstrip just north of Zahn Bay on the San Juan Arm of Lake Powell. The single engine 2008 Husky aircraft evidently ran off the closed runway, causing it to flip. The pilot sustained minor injuries in the accident. He was flown by another private aircraft to a hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado. The passenger in the damaged aircraft was uninjured. The National Park Service, Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the incident.