Invaders "mussel" their way into more Colorado lakes
- Details
-
Created on Monday, 29 September 2008 21:40
-
Written by R. Scott Rappold
Boaters across Colorado have had to deal with inspections and lake closures because of the
discovery of invasive zebra mussels in Pueblo Reservoir this spring.
Well, it turns out they are already spreading elsewhere in Colorado. And, on a journalistic note, I tried to get the phrase "invaders 'mussel' their way" into three separate stories, only to have editors quash it. But hey, this is the Web.
GRANBY, Colo. (AP) — Invasive mussels have been found in Grand Lake, Shadow Mountain Reservoir and Willow Creek Reservoir in the northern Colorado mountains.The Colorado Division of Wildlife said Friday larvae of the zebra mussel and quagga mussel were found in Grand Lake, while larvae of the quagga mussel alone were found in Shadow Mountain and Willow Creek.The three lakes are on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park about 60 miles northwest of Denver.The barnacle-like mussels smother other aquatic organisms and compete with native species for food and habitat. Their massive colonies can plug pumps, pipes and outboard motors.They spread by attaching themselves to boats or hard surfaces. They were first discovered in the United States in 1988 in the Great Lakes.
