Boating season is right around the corner as Colorado鈥檚 lakes and reservoirs begin to warm up. And with more people returning to waterways, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials say they鈥檙e also preparing to combat invasive species. This year, CPW has added additional cleaning stations to their aquatic areas and is encouraging visitors with boats and other watercraft to use them.
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Multiple small creatures can wreak havoc in Colorado waterways, but two that get a lot of attention from wildlife officials are the zebra and quagga mussels. Both are small freshwater mollusks that can damage ecosystems. Zebra mussels have made headlines recently after becoming a problem at Highline Lake State Park. The mollusk was later detected in the Colorado River.
The new cleaning stations will make it easier than ever to remove potentially invasive species. And they aren鈥檛 just for motorboats either. This year, the agency wants to create a bigger focus on anyone visiting a body of water.
鈥淭hings like rafters, paddle boarders, kayakers, really anybody that comes in contact with the water has the potential to be moving these species from one location to another,鈥� said CPW Invasive Species Program Manager Robert Walters. 鈥淲e do hope that those boaters, or recreators, will help us by cleaning and drying their equipment in between each and every use.鈥�
CPW has released a map showing the current and future cleaning stations.
They say these stations are in key areas where action is needed to stop the spread of unwanted creatures. CPW says it鈥檚 important to remember that cleaning gear is also essential and can include anything from boots to fishing lines.
鈥淚t's really through outreach and working with the public that we can get a better understanding of the importance of this program, not just to CPW, but every resident in the state of Colorado, and the active role that we can all take in stopping the continued spread of these species,鈥� said Walters.
Walters says CPW鈥檚 aquatic nuisance species program has three key parts: watercraft inspections and decontamination, early detection, sampling, and monitoring. The last ingredient is public outreach and education, which is critical to stopping the spread of mussels that devour plankton, setting off a chain reaction that damages ecosystems.
鈥淓ven a small amount of standing water on somebody's boat has the potential to transport the larval stages of zebra and quagga mussels,鈥� said Walters. 鈥淪o we are really just looking for people to make sure that their boats are clean, drained and dried before they show up at the inspection station.鈥�
Last year, CPW inspected 463,710 vehicles and decontaminated 32,584 of those boats after they were suspected of carrying mussels or other invasive species.
