August 10, 2016 – Castanet
The Okanagan Basin Water Board has been working diligently since 2013 to keep invasive mussels out of Okanagan Lake, and while staff have been successful so far, they are now reaching out for the public’s help in continuing to keep the devastating species out of the local waters.
Doug Findlater, OBWB chair and mayor of West Kelowna, is urging the public to spread the message about the dangers of zebra and quagga mussels spreading to Okanagan waters.
“We’re asking people to gently make interventions all on their own, take the message and spread the message seriously,” Findlater said, during a presentation at Hot Sands Beach in Kelowna’s City Park Wednesday morning. “If you have family on the east coast of Canada that is going to drag their boat, or from Ontario, out to B.C., have a talk with them about zebra and quagga mussels.”
The cost of preventing the introduction of invasive species in the lake pales in comparison to the money that will be required if the mussels take hold in the lake.