AIS Awareness-No Joke!
Aquatic Invasive Species such as zebra and quagga mussels could cost Wyoming dearly.
Let’s make certain this never happens. It’s going to take all of us chipping in!
Aquatic invasive species are NO JOKE and could cost Wyoming dearly should they contaminate our waters. Not only would this invasion impact our pristine angling waters but it could also negatively impact our water delivery systems across the state causing water rates to skyrocket.
The WYldlife Fund is bringing awareness to this potentially devastating situation and doing all we can to provide resources to prevent an acute contamination.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has been hard at work implementing a thorough AIS program, inspecting boats at ramps and Ports of Entry across Wyoming. In 2019 the Department was tasked with completing a Rapid Response Plan for our most “at-risk” waters should they become positive for invasive species such as zebra or quagga mussels. While putting these plans together, it quickly became a harsh realization of how difficult and expensive such a task would be-to inspect every boat leaving an infected waterbody most of the year. If Keyhole Reservoir becomes positive, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department would likely need to hire as many as 16 inspectors and purchase numerous amounts of equipment; from signs to decontamination units. For Keyhole, it is currently estimated to cost nearly $300,000 annually, but could range from $450,000 to $750,000 a year just to continue allowing boating.
If one our waters became infested with zebra or quagga mussels, these expenses would run in perpetuity. There is no “cure”. Once zebra or quagga mussels show up, they will always be there.
What can YOU do? Check out our AIS awareness video below and share with your friends on social media! Also, consider a $10 per month recurring gift through our website to help support our partnership with Working Dogs for Conservation. These rescue dogs are trained to detect aquatic invasive species and are an incredibly effective prevention tool!
