The fight to keep the Okanagan invasive mussel-free continues with the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) recently briefed on a new threat with the discovery of an invasive mussel new to North America, the golden mussel.
The following are news briefs from the Oct. 11 meeting of Osoyoos Town Council. In his monthly update, Rod Risling, Chief Administrative Officer for the Town noted that Corporate Services have been doing some work on short-term rental enforcement involving a few properties.
The Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) held their last meeting of the year on Oct. 6 when much talk focused on invasive mussels, drought, and water protection projects.
B.C.’s Invasive Mussel Defence Program was tested to the extreme this summer when a massive barge laden with invasive zebra mussels made its way from mussel-infested Ontario waters to the Lower Mainland.
Right now the battle to keep zebra and quagga mussels – both aquatic invasive species – out of B.C. is being waged successfully thanks to rising awareness amongst the general public and critically the “boots on the ground” in the form of inspectors from the B.C. Conservation Officer Service.
Along with their continual work to educate the public about invasive freshwater mussels, the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) has also been busy looking into the impacts of boating on Okanagan Lake and developing educational events for the fall.
