Alert: Zebra mussels found in Lake Minnewashta

Alert: Zebra mussels found in Lake Minnewashta
{Copyright to Chanhassen Villager}
Zebra mussels were detected Thursday in Lake Minnewashta in Chanhassen near Carver County’s public boat launch at Lake Minnewashta Regional Park, according to information from the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District.

According to an email from the district, during a routine early detection survey at the public boat launch, watershed district staff discovered zebra mussels attached to rocks near the boat ramp.

Four juvenile zebra mussels were found in 30 minutes of searching. They are of similar size to the first zebra mussels discovered in Christmas Lake. The state Department of Natural Resources, Carver County and the Lake Minnewashta Preservation Association were all notified.

The next step is to determine the extent of the infestation — is it lakewide or does it seem contained to the public access area. MCWD staff will be out tomorrow performing this survey, and will have further information at that time.

Chanhassen Villager article link

Link to Lake Minnewashta Preservation Association – Facebook page

Now, consider this: This access is inside a Regional Park developed & operated Carver County Parks Department, the Gates are closed approx. 10pm-5am with A.I.S. Inspectors on duty when open early May to early October.

Why are we spending so much to try and protect a water body when these efforts fail time and time again?
The Lake Assoc. per their Facebook page is suggesting closing the access and treating with Copper Sulfate and opening the access on the main lake which is shallow and lots of rocks.
Why would we spend thousands of our TAX Dollars on something, that is dumping HARMFUL CHEMICALS into a Lake that has failed time and time again and has unknown side affects on Humans, Animals & Fish?

This is sad, yet just begins another fight over what to do and for how long?

Watch for more details and information as this just broke this afternoon!

I don’t see where an inspector was blamed. Bob, I think you are missing the forest for the trees. The trees are the inspectors. The forest is the entire program. The program was put in place to stop these things from happening but the program does not work. This is an example where an extreme program was put into place and it still failed.

It’s not the inspector’s fault. It is most likely a water craft owner’s fault. The program does not work. So what’s next? Accept that this will happen or throw more dollars, fines, rules, and enforcement at it?

Do we create a system where entry into uninfected waters requires a tag certifying a proper cleaning within the last hour prior to entry?
What happens when this fails?

When is enough enough?

With only 2% of MN lakes infested with Zebs, (a MN DNR number), I’m sure they haven’t had enough yet.

“There is live after zebra mussels” ~ name of a presentation given at the DNR Round Table a couple years ago.

BTW according to yesterdays DNR release, we are on “about” the same track as last year for discovering new lakes with zebs…

“about 10”.

I don’t know if anyone else saw the John Gillespie show about the three to five pound shell cracker sunfish from AZ last winter, but why not try that here?

The shell cracker eats zeebs and out there, once the little clams got introduced, the shell crackers went nuts and are now UUUUGE! It looks like a double win to me. We have sunfish up here already, so introducing a new species won’t be all that strange. They do it with muskies all the time. They are an invasive species in many waters that they are stocked in. Why not throw in a zeeb eating one?

The salmon fishery in the Great Lakes are all non-native as are the smallmouth bass. They seem quite content. Let’s ask for some shell cracker spawn and see what happens.

I like that idea, GordonK!

ClownColor wrote:

If only those darn ducks would stop using or boat landings…

a boat inspector can only do so much. The boat owner must take responsibilty. I do not know how long zebs survive out of water as i have not that much interest but i am guessing, the owner of said boat, not the AIS inspector, did not do what was told…wash boat/trailer with hot water or let sit for 5 days. But yeah, its AIS inspectors fault.

You are absolutely correct with your inference that inspectors can do only so much…..as long as they are doing what they are supposed to do. And in part I agree with your suggestion that the boat owner needs to take time to do the suggested cleaning of their boat. But the big picture has to be looked at with this spreading issue.

Many of the waters being infected have the inspectors and we’ll assume that they are doing their jobs. Now look around these lakes where lake associations have a foothold and take stock of how many home sites have boat ramps on their own property. Just who is inspecting boats coming and going from these places? The state needs to close the back doors and require home owners along all waters use a common launch site that is being inspected by these supposedly trained persons, and not volunteers from that lake’s association. And the state should require that any/all docks has to be pulled each fall and cleaned and inspected by a state trained officer.

If this state wants to rein in the spread of zeebs they’re going to have to implement some serious measures that will, yes, fall on the shoulders of the association members and maybe not to their liking. To that I say “tough titty”. But trying to control a critter like zeebs from one direction….public launch sites….still leaves the back door open to infestation by those with private ramps who come and go at their leisure without having to comply with what the general public has to put up with. If this issue is important enough to people a noose has to be put around it but the problem won’t be affected if the noose doesn’t choke off all of the problem areas.

Hey all:

No, I do not blame the Inspectors or as often referred to as DNR AIS Surveyors and Educational Information Staff.

The whole system is broken and only way to fix it is keeping these Invasive Species out of the U.S., but State & Federal Officials have failed to enact any real plan to keep them out.

My whole point of this is to make everyone aware of the huge sums of our TAX DOLLARS being spent on failed programs. These programs are spending millions of dollars yet only possibly slowing the spread. Two lakes with gates limiting access and full time Inspections in the S.W. Metro and now both infested with Zebra Mussels. The Inspectors cannot do it all, nor are they allowed to search in or ask many questions that Conservation Officers can and do. With that said, Is the education that the Inspectors are doing worth it? IMO, Yes.

Now onto the Lake Associations, they have and will continue to push for many unpopular rules and chemical or other treatments to try and eradicate the A.I.S. as well as gates, centralized Inspections and very likely more things to come.

We as Sportsmen & Women need to help educate others on ways to help prevent the spread of A.I.S. although knowing that nothing is 100% and no matter what you may think about Waterfowl or Water-bird or even Turtles transferring A.I.S. from Lake to Lake. These are items we need to prove by getting photos of Turtles with Zebra Mussels as well as more photos of Waterfowl with Zebra Mussels. The photos should contain date/time stamps with GPS location. Only by having this evidence will we shut up those that do not believer animals can transfer A.I.S. In the meantime we should do what we can to prevent the spread by keeping our watercraft clean, drained and dry.

With that all said, we have a problem with more lakes becoming infested each year, as well as more A.I.S. Species finding their way to Minnesota and the upper Midwest. Last year Minnesota found “Starry Stonewort” in Lake Koronis. Initially they area was said to be less than 50 acres, and then it was over 250 acres. Now, it is in most areas of the lake. A recent FOX9 News Report showed that it looks like sewage floating on the surface in many shallow areas. This crap will hurt ALL Lake User’s as the fish do not seem to like it, they don’t swim through it and it clogs up most every prop. You cannot swim or Ski through it.

Update: Currently, Starry Stonewort has now been confirmed in 4-Lakes! IMO, by the end of 2017 they’ll find it in 50-100 other lakes. It is hard to “Positively Identify” and since it was well established in Lake Koronis before being identified as well as the next nearest positive infestation identified is near Milwaukee, Wisc., some 400 miles away it is highly likely in many other lakes that have yet to be identified. Thus my question: How does a plant get from one lake to another 400 miles away?

Link to Fox9 News: http://www.fox9.com/news/194935704-story

Link to MnDNR, “Starry stonewort confirmed in Upper Red Lake, Cass Lake”: http://news.dnr.state.mn.us/2016/08/25/starry-stonewort-confirmed-in-upper-red-lake-cass-lake/#more-18374

Link to MnDNR, “Aggressive treatment of Turtle Lake starry stonewort begins”: http://news.dnr.state.mn.us/2016/08/26/aggressive-treatment-of-turtle-lake-starry-stonewort-begins/#more-18380

Link to MnDNR, “Zebra mussels confirmed on Lake Minnewashta in Carver County”: http://news.dnr.state.mn.us/2016/08/25/zebra-mussels-confirmed-on-lake-minnewashta-in-carver-county/#more-18372

No, it is not the Inspectors fault, it is watercraft owners and operators that don’t know or don’t care. That along with there being Low Enforcement (Due to low numbers of Conservation Officers & training of other Law Enforcement to Identify Violations) and Laws making it difficult to prosecute. Even when prosecuted, the fines for many are not enough to even feel the pinch.

This was brought to my attention a few years ago by a friend who stated publicly in a meeting, “What will a $100 Fine do to a person whom transports an over 30 foot Yacht from Lake Minnetonka to Lake Superior for a 4-day weekend where they burn $3,500 in fuel?”

Think about that, then consider there are so many water ports on a watercraft of that size and then following the weekend, they has it loaded up and brought back to Lake Minnetonka. How would you decontaminate a watercraft like that?

In ending, I see a serious lack of urgency 10-20 years ago on the part of the MnDNR, but even today the State Legislature has done little to help and set the direction for the MnDNR! This after all is an Election year with many State Representative and State Senate up for election. When they come door knocking or calling or in Debates, etc., get out and ask them the tough questions and school them on the issues. Were still spending millions of dollars and not seeing much bang for the buck.

Please be pleasant with the inspectors, then Clean, Drain & Dry your Watercraft. They are only doing their jobs.

P.S.: If you’re thinking of visiting Lake Minnewashta, they have opened the old #1 Ramp on the main lake. This Ramp and area is shallow with many rocks. Last week, even with recent rains bringing the lake level up to a high point I got a report of 3 people with BASS Boats launching and the 3rd guy could not get his boat off the trailer. Be Very Careful to not ruin some of your equipment. There is a sign posted, “Launch at your own risk.”

Didn’t anyone learn from the Xmas lake fiasco? Dump a bunch of chemicals in the lake and yet still didn’t eliminate every zeeb?

Lakeshore owners with the typical response: “Lets close the usuable access to taxpayers and waste taxpayer money dumping chemicals into public waters”.

joshd wrote:

Didn’t anyone learn from the Xmas lake fiasco? Dump a bunch of chemicals in the lake and yet still didn’t eliminate every zeeb?

Lakeshore owners with the typical response: “Lets close the usuable access to taxpayers and waste taxpayer money dumping chemicals into public waters”.

You’re exactly correct Josh.

They don’t learn and all they want is Private Lakes.

From other’s I’ve learned they pretty much Nuke’d the Lake with Weed Spray this year. At least 4-Treatments for Weeds, most Milfoil is dead and degrading the Water Quality.

A Bass Pro from BASS Elite Series went out last week. 1 Bass in 1 1/2 hours.

Come to think about it now, they Beach was closed for 3-weeks so now I wonder if the Beach closure (E-Coli) was related to all the decaying aquatic plants & potentially animals. I know from a source it was not just E-Coli, so I will be making inquiries.

These Lakeshore Owner’s act as if they own the lake and care greatly for it, yet they are the first to destroy virtually all vegetation near their homes and anyplace else in the lake. They run their big wake and other boat through the acres of Lily Pads and then dump more chemicals in thinking they can kill off the Zebra Mussels. I’m afraid that just like Christmas Lake, they will find more next summer all over the lake.

Now, I’ll get back and report what I find out from the Beach Closure testing as to what was in the lake.