Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) will be hosting a public meeting at Rifle Gap State Park in Garfield County on March 16 to discuss how the presence of invasive zebra mussels may impact the 2023 boating season.
In September 2022, CPW discovered a single adult zebra mussel on a piece of PVC pipe in Highline Lake. The lake has since been upgraded from "suspect" to "infested."
Zebra mussels are considered extremely invasive and can travel to different waters by clinging to the bottoms of boats.
CPW officials are now considering what changes need to made in order to lower the risk of introducing the mussels to the nearby Rifle Gap State Park and Harvey Gap State Park lakes.
According to a news release, park staff is recommending that boat ramp gates be closed outside of boat inspection hours.
“We know how important our reservoir is to our boating community and anglers who enjoy night fishing from boats,” Rifle Gap and Harvey Gap State Park Manager Brian Palcer.
“We are looking at ways we can mitigate the impacts of this change and still be able to protect our waters. Your feedback is valuable as we make these types of changes.”
The meeting will take place from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM, at the Rifle Gap State Park Visitor Center. More information on how to attend can be found here.
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