Legislature to look at aquatic invaders bill

A draft bill working its way through the Montana Legislature is aimed at reorganizing the state’s efforts to prevent aquatic invasive species from proliferating in the state’s rivers, streams and lakes.

Zebra and quagga mussel infestations in other states have clogged and coated irrigation systems, dams, docks and other infrastructure, causing millions of dollars in damage. The aquatic invaders also threaten aquatic ecosystems.

A bill in the hands of a joint subcommittee on natural resources would establish Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks as the lead agency in the state’s boat inspection program. It also would increase the program’s budget from about $900,000 to $1.4 million.

Meetings between conservation groups and state agencies resulted in proposals that made their way to Gov. Steve Bullock’s office. His staff worked on the ideas and sent them on to the legislative subcommittee.

The draft bill also calls for cooperation with other state agencies, including the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, the Department of Agriculture and the Montana Department of Transportation.

Similar programs in other states used as models showed that including MDT was critical for selecting effective locations for boat inspection stations.

Last year, the state’s aquatic invasive species program inspected more than 25,000 boats, a three-fold increase over 2011. Inspections were conducted by 48 trained seasonal workers at five highway locations near the state’s borders, along with two internal stations and several mobile inspection teams.

About 20 percent of boats inspected last year originated from out of state, and 3 percent came from high-risk waters. Inspectors talked with about 64,000 boaters and provided information to them regarding aquatic invasive species.

Four watercraft were found to be contaminated with mussels. There were also four cases of illegal live fish, four cases of illegal live baits and about 100 boats with vegetation — three of them confirmed to be carrying Eurasian watermilfoil.