Tribes declare invasive species emergency
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News from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes PABLO — The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes declared a formal emergency Dec. 20 to counter the potential spread of invasive mussel larvae into the Flathead Indian Reservation.
The invasive zebra and quagga mussels have spread to 29 states since their introduction into the Great Lakes ecosystem in 1988. With each introduction, this animal has had devastating impacts on local economies and ecosystems. Some states have taken action in their state legislatures to fund full-time boat inspection stations and require clean boat certifications before watercraft can be launched. Montana is now taking similar steps to protect State waters.
Governor Bullock declared a natural resource emergency on Nov. 30 to address the detection of quagga mussels in the Canyon Ferry and Tiber Reservoirs earlier this year. Additional detections may have also occurred on the Milk River and upper Missouri River.
“In order to best protect our many waters on the reservation and the southern half of Flathead Lake, we needed to take this action to focus our efforts,” Chairman Vernon Finley said. “We have been watching the zebra and quagga mussels spread closer to our lands and now they are in Montana. This is a matter we take very seriously.”
CSKT’s resolution calls for the formation of an incident management team empowered to draw from all Tribal resources.
“Assets invested to prevent an infestation on the Reservation are well spent,” said Rich Janssen, Department Head of the CSKT Natural Resource Department. “Initial staff research and investigation has shown that the Zebra and Quagga mussels could have a greater than $90 million annual impact to our local economy. These mussels could cause our fishery to collapse, make swimming and drinking waters unusable, negatively affect wastewater treatment operations, impact tourism, as well as cause irrigation and hydropower costs to dramatically increase if they become established here. Our entire community needs to encourage local legislators to take action as soon as possible.”
CSKT called for working with existing efforts, like the State of Montana Mussel Response Team and numerous other non-government entities. “It’s often said, but this time it’s really true. We need to pull together as a team, everyone, to prevent invasive mussels from getting into our waters,” Janssen said.
Expect to see more activity in terms of enhanced monitoring efforts, public outreach, and public education. People need to inspect their boats and any water craft that are used in other waters including kayaks, canoes, paddle board and even their waders.
