Zebra mussels detected in Browning
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During the 2013 and 2014 field seasons, the Flathead Basin Commission and its partners funded Aquatic Invasive Species watercraft inspection stations in Ronan and outside of West Glacier. Early this year, a unique partnership was formed between the Blackfeet Nation and the FBC to combat AIS. The Tribe adopted an ordinance to protect Tribal resources from AIS — the most protective in the region — and requires all boaters to obtain a certificate of inspection prior to launching on Tribal waters.
This week, the Blackfeet-FBC partnership truly paid off. Browning inspector Jay Monroe and his partner-in-training Rick Hoyt identified adult zebra mussels attached to the motor of a boat from Minnesota. The boat was bound for Whitefish Lake.
“The owner was extremely cooperative in terms of delaying his launch and undergoing a decontamination process,” Monroe said.
Billy Little Plume, the Director of Blackfeet Fish and Wildlife, added that it was a “great find on the part of our inspectors, and demonstrates the need for stations to be open early in the season.” The boat will be decontaminated by FWP.
