OLCV Talk

Eastern Oregon Ag Could Lose Out to Zebra (Mussles)

Northeastern Oregon's Wallowa Lake is a gem. People travel from all over the state to enjoy the lake -- by hiking, fishing, and relaxing around it.

Wallowa County officials are worried, however, that zebra and quagga mussels could be introduced to the lake, thereby destroying sportfishing, as well as clogging up irrigation pipes across the county. About 38,000 acres of irrigated hay, wheat, and barley fields are at risk.

The solution is to create check stations to examine boats and trailers entering the area for mussles brought from infested waterways, but there isn't currently enough county money to fund such stations. Many fish groups, including Trout Unlimited and the Native Fish Society, members of the Oregon Conservaiton Network, are working to find legislative funding to protect Oregon's waterways from the invaders.

More from The Oregonian.

Can Quagga-Sniffing Dogs Save Billions of Dollars?

Yesterday's New York Times had an article about invasive quagga mussels in the lower Colorado river. From the article:

By stripping nutrients and microorganisms from the water, the mussel could do grave damage to a wide variety of species, including small invertebrates, fish and birds. “This is one bad hombre,” Dr. Fahnenstiel said. “It’s almost your worst-case scenario for affecting the entire food chain...  David Pimentel, a professor of ecology at Cornell and an expert on the economic effects of invasive species, said the maintenance and control costs might run “into the billions, as it has been in the East.”

Read the entire article, which talks about California's quagga-sniffing dogs and has a video of quagga mussels encompassing flip-flops.

Invasive Weeds, Today at Noon

The Salem Statesman-Journal is hosting an online chat today at noon about invasive weeds.

Vern Holm is the Coordinator for the Northwest Weed Management Partnership, an informal multi-agency network of individuals and organizations concerned with rural and urban invasive weed issues in northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington. He is particularly interested in promoting the early detection and rapid response of invasive weeds. Click below to submit questions in advance.
http://community.statesmanjournal.com/chat/chat.php?id=96

More about invasive weeds in Oregon.

The Silent Invasion

The economic and ecological threat of invasive species is starting to get the attention it deserves.  Hopefully the Oregon Legislature will take significant action to tackle the challenge in 2009.

OPB has a great new documentary out, which is airing tonight.  If you're not phone banking or canvassing for candidates, or attending a fundraiser, I encourage you to watch it.

You can check out this preview.

Quagga good for Scrabble, not Oregon

Dedicated Scrabble players desperate with the Q and too many G's may know the word "Quagga" - an extinct mammal somewhat like a zebra. But average Oregonians may soon learn the word as well.

Tuesday's Portland Tribune has a great story on invasive species, including zebra and quagga mussels, blackberries, and the New Zealand mud snail. The species are smothering and killing trees, poisoning songbirds, choking our waterways, and outcompeting native fish for algae.

They're expensive if not dealt with. For example, the quagga clogged pipes and screens in the water district supplying Southern California, forcing a shut down and $6 million in expenses to fix the problem.

Read the Tribune's story

More on invasives from The Nature Conservancy