On the Great Allegheny Passage Debbie Olsen cycles Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands
LEBRON HEADING BACK TO THE CAVALIERS
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Red Deer Advocate WEEKEND EDITION SATURDAY, JULY 12, 2014
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E H T F O N O I INVAS
THE PROVINCE HAS LAUNCHED A CAMPAIGN TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF IMPORTING ZEBRA AND QUAGGA MUSSELS. THE INVASIVE AQUATIC HITCHHIKERS HAVE WORKED THEIR WAY AS FAR WEST AS MANITOBA’S LAKE WINNIPEG
S L E S S U M BY PAUL COWLEY ADVOCATE STAFF
Alberta is standing on guard against zebra mussels. The pipe-clogging, fish habitat wrecking menaces that have plagued the Great Lakes for decades have worked their way as far west as Manitoba’s Lake Winnipeg. Alberta is determined to keep them out of its water bodies. There is a campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of inadvertently importing zebra and quagga mussels. They usually hitch a ride on boats coming from mussel-infested lakes in the U.S. or from provinces to the east. To keep the mussels out, the province has set up four inspection stations on main entry points at the south and eastern borders of the province at Coutts, Crowsnest Pass, Vermillion and Dunmore. Two-person teams will work seven days a week at the inspection points. A similar approach taken by the five U.S. states to the south has proven effective, stopping a number of mussel-fouled boats at the border. Boaters entering Alberta at the checkstop sites will be directed by signs to pull into truck weigh stations where specially trained Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Department staff will check boats. In the first week, more than 100 boats were checked. So far, no invasive mussels have been found on boats or in Alberta water bodies.
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Sunny. High 28. Low 12.
Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . .C9-C10 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . D4-D7 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D9 Entertainment . . . . . . . . C4-C5 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4-B8
FORECAST ON A2
I f found, mussels can usually be cleaned off hulls using hot water and pressure washers. Alberta Environment spokeswoman Kate Wilson said the best defence is for boaters to clean, drain and dry their boats before leaving the lake. Besides attaching themselves to hulls, zebra mussels can get into bilges, ballast tanks or inside hull walls, said Wilson, who is aquatic inva-
sive species program coordinator for the department. Mussels are hardy and can survive out of water for up to a month. When dead, they crumble to the touch. If live mussels are found a fishery officer will be called in to remove them. In some U.S. states, including Idaho directly south of Alberta, boats are quarantined for up to 30 days if zebra mussels are found. Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers can also order a quarantine if it’s deemed necessary.
Please see MUSSELS on Page A2
Nordegg wildfire prompts more closures A big wildfire continues to burn west of Nordegg, and more closures and warnings were issued on Friday. Story on PAGE A3
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KITCHEN/ DINING 16 x10
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