Survey finds good news for local lakes

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A recent Wildsight survey that collected baseline data in 14 lakes in the Columbia Valley found good news: there are no aquatic invasive species present in the surveyed area, for now.

This summer, a small group of aquatic plant surveyors headed to Lake Windermere, Columbia Lake and a series of other lakes looking for nasty aquatic invaders, like Eurasian watermilfoil and yellow flag iris which can take over water-based ecosystems, choke out native species and degrade sensitive wetlands.

They volunteers and Wildsight staff completed the survey by standing on docks, for the most part, and using thatched rakes to collect aquatic species. Surveyors would then identify the species and then repeat the process several times.

Last summer Wildsight surveyed Lake Windermere and the major sloughs in the Columbia Wetlands. They didn’t find any aquatic invasive species. Lake Windermere was surveyed again this summer, and will be next summer as well because it is such a heavily used recreational boating site and the most susceptible to invasive species.

Rachel Darvill, Wildsight’s Columbia Headwaters program manager, said the preliminary survey results are great, but continued recreational use of the lakes means we’re not “out of the water” yet, as far as invasive aquatic plants go.

“We need to keep them out,” Darvill said. “Our baseline studies indicate the lake systems surveyed are free of aquatic invasive plants—but it’s up to users to continue to keep them that way.”

Darvill explained that aquatic invasive plants can be very detrimental to the environment.

“Infestations can lead to reduced water flow and quality, a reduction in biodiversity and disrupted activities such as boating and fishing.”

Darvill said the golden rule for lake users to follow is to always clean, drain and dry your boat and fishing gear before entering a new body of water. The next step for the Columbia Headwaters program is to focus on the educational campaign, which means installing signage near boat launches and distributing pamphlets.

This is the third year of the Columbia Headwaters Invasive Plant Species Program. Activities this year included community weed pulls in Golden, Radium Hot Springs and at Horse Creek. During these events, 17 volunteers removed 61 bags of invasive plants.

Wildsight staff also hand-pulled land-based invasive plants at access points in the Columbia Wetlands Wildlife Management Area and monitored the invasive plant species at sites that were hand-pulled in 2008 and 2009. The 2010 activities were funded by Columbia Basin Trust, Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners and the Columbia Shuswap Regional District. The Town of Golden funded a new pilot program, the Golden Community Weed Program.