Proposed rules target mussels

SANDPOINT - The state department of agriculture is conducting a public hearing Tuesday to consider rules aimed at keeping invasive species from finding a home in Idaho.

The hearing is set for 6 p.m. at Sandpoint Community Hall.

The proposed rules would prohibit the possession, importation, transportation or release of identified invasive species in Idaho. The comprehensive list covers an array of invasive invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and insect species.

While the list is a veritable zoo of invasive species - certain types of crayfish, round goby, rough-skinned newt, Mediterranean gecko, monk parakeet, nutria, and the marmorated stink bug - one invader appears to be taking the Public Enemy No. 1 spot in North Idaho: freshwater mussels from eastern Europe.

Dreissena mussels, a family of invertebrates which include quagga and zebra mussels, have a rich history of altering aquatic food webs, clogging water pipes, choking boat motors and fouling swimming areas in the Midwest. It's believed the mussels were introduced to North America through the discharge of ballast from transatlantic cargo ships.

The prolific mussels have started turning up in the West, most recently in Colorado reservoirs. They have not been found in Idaho and it's hoped the new rules will keep it that way.

"We think this is a great way for the state to prevent damage to our waterways and our way of life. It's cheaper and easier to stop the invasive species and weeds before they get here than it is to deal with them after they're here," said Susan Drumheller, North Idaho associate for the Idaho Conservation League.

Zebra and quagga mussels are credited with causing millions of dollars in damages to private property and public infrastructure, in addition to disrupting the ecology of numerous bodies of water.

Although the rule-making effort is being applauded, there is a degree of disappointment orbiting the proposed final product. Earlier this summer, the draft rules included measures which would have required boat and personal watercraft owners to certify that their vessels were free of invasive species. The draft rules would have also enabled the state and law enforcement to conduct inspections and quarantine a vessel so it could be decontaminated.

Those provisions, however, are noticeably absent from the final proof of the proposed rules.

Amy Ferriter, invasive species coordinator for the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, was not available for comment on Friday.

"I'd like to see a lot more aggressive action than what I've read so far," state Rep. Eric Anderson (R-Priest Lake), said of the final proof. "I'd like to see that all boats by law, within that rule, shall be washed before they enter any state waterways. Period."

Although it's not entirely clear why the provisions were dropped, there is suspicion that it was a result of limited funding and questions surrounding implementation.

An accepted method of decontamination involves pressure-washing vessels, trailers, and other equipment with hot water. Such wash stations, however, would be costly.

"To keep the quagga and zebra mussels out of our lakes, we really have to be aggressive and think about hot-water wash stations. But the way that our fiscal situation is with the state right now, we don't have the money," said Anderson.

Additionally, the rules contain a lengthy list of invasive species and hot-water wash stations would address only a narrow bandwidth of that list.

Drumheller said ICL would continue to lobby for decontamination certification and inspection checkpoints, plus a rapid-response plan for dealing with invasive species as soon as they are detected.

"These are things that we think are important. We also think that outreach and education are an important component of this," she said.

Drumheller said Idaho could look to Maine to address the funding question. Maine, for instance, requires in-state vessel owners to purchase $10 invasive species sticker ($20 for out-of-state boaters), which amounts to a user fee for boaters.

Anderson is hoping the final proof can be strengthened during the rule-making process.

"If these rules are accepted by the Legislature, these rules are going to become law," he said. "We've really got a shot at this thing now to do it right."