IrishTex
08-26-2009, 05:55 AM
From the Dallas Morning News (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/082609dnmetzebra.3d4acfe.html)
http://www.wwpatenaude.com/ZMUSSEL.JPG
Biologists test waters at Lavon Lake for zebra mussels
Bruce Hysmith motored across Lavon Lake on Tuesday in search of an enemy too small to see.
Hysmith led a boatload of Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists, intent on determining whether the pesky zebra mussel had invaded the Collin County lake.
The fingernail-sized critters, a scourge in many states, clog water pipes, attach like leeches to boats and endanger fish by eating their food supply. They multiply by the thousands and can't be eradicated.
"They're like the U.S. Marines," said Hysmith, a 35-year Texas Parks and Wildlife Department veteran. "They adapt and overcome."
Adult zebra mussels, named for their striped yellow-brown shells, made their first known Texas appearance four months ago in Lake Texoma. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found more this month about 25 miles south in Sister Grove Creek, which feeds into Lavon Lake.
On Tuesday, state biologists had a different task. They were looking for microscopic zebra mussel larvae. They scooped up a few ounces of water at six locations in the northern part of the lake, planning to ship the samples overnight to a federal office in Denver for analysis.
The results should be back in two weeks, but officials said there's little suspense. They expect the water samples to confirm that zebra mussels have taken hold in Lavon Lake.
And then?
"There's no getting rid of them," said Brandon Mobley, a corps biologist who took samples Tuesday.
Heath McLane, the corps' Lavon Lake manager, said efforts would focus on limiting the spread of zebra mussels. Experts fear they could wind up as far south as the Gulf of Mexico.
"We would go into the mitigation and education mode," McLane said. "We're working on an action plan now."
Precautions
Already, the corps has posted signs around the lake that alert boaters to the threat of zebra mussels. The notices tell boaters to follow these precautions:
•Drain all water from the boat upon leaving the lake.
•Inspect the boat and scrape off any zebra mussels.
•Wash the boat and trailer with high-pressure, 140-degree water.
•Allow them to dry and wait a week before re-entering the water.
Biologists had a serious task Tuesday, but the laid-back, wisecracking Hysmith injected a sense of humor into the two-hour voyage.
Before the military green boat launched, one of his colleagues searched under shoreline rocks for adult zebra mussels.
"Did you find any of them mussels for lunch?" hollered Hysmith, who wore sandals and shorts.
In between collecting water samples, biologists motored over to a device they left suspended in the water three weeks ago.
It's a short plastic pipe, 3 inches in diameter, with wire mesh inside. Adult zebra mussels attach to it.
Corey Crouse, a Texas Parks and Wildlife technician, reached into the water and grabbed a rope, then slowly pulled the device to the surface. It had plenty of algae and slime, but no zebra mussels.
Crouse wasn't surprised. It may take two or three months for the bivalves to lock on.
"This doesn't tell us a lot," he said.
EPA interest
A total of five biologists from the Corps of Engineers and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department occupied the boat.
If zebra mussels are confirmed in Lavon Lake, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also will combat the critters.
"Obviously, there's a lot of interest now," Mobley said.
Lavon Lake, unlike some reservoirs where zebra mussels thrive, has a muddy bottom. The mussels prefer rocky surfaces because they can more easily attach to them.
"This is one time silt may save the day," Hysmith said.
Don't underestimate zebra mussels, though. They were first spotted in the Great Lakes in the late 1980s, and scientists originally didn't think they could survive in warmer water in the south.
"Hogwash," Hysmith said.
Like his colleagues, he's ready to battle zebra mussels, but he isn't predicting victory.
"We're going to deal with it the best we can," Hysmith said. "We don't have a solution."
http://www.wwpatenaude.com/ZMUSSEL.JPG
Biologists test waters at Lavon Lake for zebra mussels
Bruce Hysmith motored across Lavon Lake on Tuesday in search of an enemy too small to see.
Hysmith led a boatload of Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists, intent on determining whether the pesky zebra mussel had invaded the Collin County lake.
The fingernail-sized critters, a scourge in many states, clog water pipes, attach like leeches to boats and endanger fish by eating their food supply. They multiply by the thousands and can't be eradicated.
"They're like the U.S. Marines," said Hysmith, a 35-year Texas Parks and Wildlife Department veteran. "They adapt and overcome."
Adult zebra mussels, named for their striped yellow-brown shells, made their first known Texas appearance four months ago in Lake Texoma. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found more this month about 25 miles south in Sister Grove Creek, which feeds into Lavon Lake.
On Tuesday, state biologists had a different task. They were looking for microscopic zebra mussel larvae. They scooped up a few ounces of water at six locations in the northern part of the lake, planning to ship the samples overnight to a federal office in Denver for analysis.
The results should be back in two weeks, but officials said there's little suspense. They expect the water samples to confirm that zebra mussels have taken hold in Lavon Lake.
And then?
"There's no getting rid of them," said Brandon Mobley, a corps biologist who took samples Tuesday.
Heath McLane, the corps' Lavon Lake manager, said efforts would focus on limiting the spread of zebra mussels. Experts fear they could wind up as far south as the Gulf of Mexico.
"We would go into the mitigation and education mode," McLane said. "We're working on an action plan now."
Precautions
Already, the corps has posted signs around the lake that alert boaters to the threat of zebra mussels. The notices tell boaters to follow these precautions:
•Drain all water from the boat upon leaving the lake.
•Inspect the boat and scrape off any zebra mussels.
•Wash the boat and trailer with high-pressure, 140-degree water.
•Allow them to dry and wait a week before re-entering the water.
Biologists had a serious task Tuesday, but the laid-back, wisecracking Hysmith injected a sense of humor into the two-hour voyage.
Before the military green boat launched, one of his colleagues searched under shoreline rocks for adult zebra mussels.
"Did you find any of them mussels for lunch?" hollered Hysmith, who wore sandals and shorts.
In between collecting water samples, biologists motored over to a device they left suspended in the water three weeks ago.
It's a short plastic pipe, 3 inches in diameter, with wire mesh inside. Adult zebra mussels attach to it.
Corey Crouse, a Texas Parks and Wildlife technician, reached into the water and grabbed a rope, then slowly pulled the device to the surface. It had plenty of algae and slime, but no zebra mussels.
Crouse wasn't surprised. It may take two or three months for the bivalves to lock on.
"This doesn't tell us a lot," he said.
EPA interest
A total of five biologists from the Corps of Engineers and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department occupied the boat.
If zebra mussels are confirmed in Lavon Lake, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also will combat the critters.
"Obviously, there's a lot of interest now," Mobley said.
Lavon Lake, unlike some reservoirs where zebra mussels thrive, has a muddy bottom. The mussels prefer rocky surfaces because they can more easily attach to them.
"This is one time silt may save the day," Hysmith said.
Don't underestimate zebra mussels, though. They were first spotted in the Great Lakes in the late 1980s, and scientists originally didn't think they could survive in warmer water in the south.
"Hogwash," Hysmith said.
Like his colleagues, he's ready to battle zebra mussels, but he isn't predicting victory.
"We're going to deal with it the best we can," Hysmith said. "We don't have a solution."