Mussel dogs sniff out trouble
A specially trained dog with a nose for nasty critters will be the guest of honour at a public forum next week in Penticton.
Hilo is a black lab employed by the Environment Ministry in Alberta to help inspectors search for invasive mussel species hiding in boats being hauled into that province.
Alberta was the first province to use dogs to help combat the threat posed by the aquatic invaders, and B.C. has now followed suit.
Nonetheless, the mussels are slowly continuing their march west across the continent, leaving states and provinces scrambling to come up with effective defence systems.
The threat is being taken very seriously in Montana, where the discovery of invasive mussel larvae last year sparked a state-wide emergency response and a $5-million investment of tax dollars.
Montana’s efforts to tackle the emergency will be explained at next week’s forum by Stephanie Hester, co-ordinator of the Montana Invasive Species Council.
She’ll be joined by Hilo and his handler, Cindy Sawchuk, both of whom were called to help with Montana’s response.
The forum — Tuesday at Okanagan College in Penticton — is being organized by the Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society.
Doors open at 6:45 p.m. with presentations beginning at 7:15 p.m.
OASISS has played a key role in educating the public about the risks posed by invasive mussels and the steps boaters can take here to help block their spread.
A report prepared for the Okanagan Basin Water Board estimated the cost of an invasion here would run to $40 million per year.
Zebra and quagga mussels, which are established as far west in Canada as Manitoba, ruin beaches with their sharp shells, clog up in-water equipment like pipes and release toxins that can be fatal to fish and birds.