From the Crested Butte News (Seth Mensing):
The threat of invasive zebra and quagga mussels isn’t gone from Western Slope watersheds, even though none have been found in the region this year. And local agencies like the Colorado Division of Wildlife and National Park Service are continuing work this summer to keep the mussels at bay. Gunnison County’s Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado’s largest body of water, is ground zero for the DOW’s containment effort. Superintendent Rudd says, “We’re doing a grid sampling across the lake twice a month. That takes us a couple of weeks to get to all of those spots. And we’ll be continuing with double time sampling. As of now we’re still mussel free and this is good news.”
Motor boaters on the lake this summer can expect an inspection before entering the water and after taking their boats out. To speed the process Blue Mesa has installed a second large decontamination station for big boats, or those that need a thorough cleaning. “It seems that people are being pretty responsive to our asking folks to dry and clean their boats when they come to the launch sites,” DOW spokesman Joe Lewandowski says. “I think that’s a big part of the reason we haven’t had [any new populations of mussels] in Colorado this year.”
From the Canyon Courier:
Beginning July 1, all boats launched in Evergreen Lake must be inspected for zebra or quagga mussels, which are tiny freshwater mollusks that arrived from the Black and Caspian seas on ships traveling internationally. All boats and floatable devices, including canoes, kayaks and belly boats, are subject to inspection. A boater pass costs $4 a day or $30 for the season. The inspections are free but mandatory, and are available during business hours seven days a week, as part of a statewide mandatory testing program now in effect.