Securing our waters

Auquatic Invasive Species (AIS) technician Chad White discussed the threat of invasive species, plant, fish and crustation to Keyhole and other waterways during the Summer Kickoff event at Keyhole last weekend.

Keyhole Reservoir is currently harboring one invasive plant and is under immediate threat from quagga mussels and their cousins, zebra mussels.

“Recently, across the border in South Dakota, we’ve had positive identification of zebra mussels at Pactola, which is not very far from here and we do see a lot of cross border traffic of boaters – fishermen in particular,” White explained the agency’s rising concern.

The impact of zebra mussels is overwhelming to an ecosystem and subsequently the economy of surrounding businesses that depend on fishing as part of their summer sales.

“The impacts,” said White, “Are detrimental across the board. They’re actually feeding on the phytoplankton in the water that feed the little fish which then feed the bigger fish which then feed the larger fish and so they would eventually impact the entire ecosystem as a whole.”

These hardy lifeforms grow extremely fast and create large colonies. According to the AIS agent, they can travel and reproduce in only a bit of standing water before arriving at their next destination.

The mussels are comfortable riding on the hull, in live wells and bait wells as well as inside the motors; White advises boaters to be particularly aware of the diligence necessary to clean and dry motors, saying, “It’s extremely difficult to remove that standing water.”

When water crafts stop at check stations, the inspector is looking for such a state and, if found, will clean and kill any potential problem with high pressured hot water.

Mussels, though, are not the only species that can kill Keyhole by catching a ride with unsuspecting boaters and fishermen, “There is an invasive fish called the brook stickleback,” White warns, “that often find their way into bait buckets from harvesting streams that are contaminated. These interlopers also compete with the native population for food and they can be identified by the five spines along their back.” Another is the New Zealand mud snail; they are extremely small, like grains of sand, “They are mostly found in streams so a lot of the fly fishing waters we see in the state are positive for New Zealand mud snails and will be imbedded in the mud. Drift boats, waders, feet of bird dogs… can carry the snails.”

There are also a number of invasive plants on the list of unwelcome habitat killers for which the AIS agents are constantly on the lookout.

Asian clams are the only invasive species that is already present in Keyhole, “But we’re on the lookout for others and there are others that are close by – we are always on the lookout.”

Guests to the reservoir are asked to help protect Keyhole by cleaning their boats, waders, etc. every time, drain all standing water from wells and motors every time and dry thoroughly every time.

White askes resident boaters, “Please stop at the check stations when they come by. Do your best to do your part in helping to secure our waters.”