Agency to target quagga control
Invasive species group to step up plan of action

By DIANA PARKER

TODAY'S NEWS-HERALD

The quagga mussel is one of nearly 40 invasive species targeted in a management plan released Tuesday by the Arizona Invasive Species Advisory Council.

The council, which was created in 2005 by an executive order from Gov. Janet Napolitano, is charged with developing a coordinated approach toward invasive species research, control, management, education and funding.

"The plan in and of itself isn't a cure all. It gives (state agencies) direction," said Tom McMahon, an invasive species coordinator with the Arizona Department of Game and Fish.

"Action still needs to be taken and it's going to take a little bit of time and some money," he said.

The management plan lists plants, animals, insects and disease agents that have been identified as non-native species that are a threat to Arizona's natural biodiversity. They include bullfrogs, fruit flies, salt cedars, the collared dove and West Nile virus, among others.

McMahon described the quagga mussel, which has been found in Lake Havasu as well as lakes Mead, Mohave and Pleasant, the Colorado River below Parker Dam and the Central Arizona Project canal, as the "poster child" of the invasive species.

The mussels attach to underwater surfaces and propagate rapidly. They can clog water supply intakes and restrict the cooling processes of pumps, engines and power plants. Once they've infested a body of water, they can't be eradicated, only managed and controlled.

"It looks like (the Bureau of Reclamation is) holding them at bay, but it costs a lot of money," McMahon said.

The objective now is to prevent the quaggas from being transmitted to other bodies of water in Arizona, particularly the lakes that are supplied by Salt River Project canals, according to the plan.

McMahon said multi-agency cooperation and aggressive on-site inspection has been effective in keeping the quaggas out of Lake Powell. Boats are currently inspected entering California, but the management plan doesn't include a mechanism for in-state inspections. It would be up to the Legislature to create such measures, McMahon said.

For now, agencies will concentrate on efforts that are already in place, including the state's "Don't move a mussel" campaign, that educates boat owners to check and clean their own boats.

"That's mainly what we're going with right now is that outreach and education effort, and it's been fairly effective," McMahon said.

Though agencies have some law enforcement authority, lack of manpower makes stopping boats to inspect them unfeasible, McMahon said.

"So it's really on the public's shoulder to, hey, clean your boat," he said.

The management plan is unclear about where funding will come from as the state adopts more formal measures. In the chapter on funding, the council acknowledges that, given the state's budget deficit, "dedicated funding via legislative appropriation is not a feasible option." The plan goes on to say, "other creative solutions must be identified for the immediate future." Suggested options include using existing agency funding, seeking federal funding and amending existing external grants to cover invasive species.

You may contact the reporter at dparker@havasunews.com.

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