Bill to protect Montana waterways from invasive species

It may seem like much ado about, well, not much, but Montana Senator Verdell Jackson is pushing a bill that would help protect Montana's lakes and rivers from a very tiny, but very troublesome menace.

Jackson's bill, Senate Bill 343, proposes the creation of the Montana Aquatic Invasive Species Act, which would specifically target a pair of mussels that have ravaged ecosystems in other parts of the country and could very easily be introduced here.

"The purpose is to put a program in place to prevent against zebra and quagga mussels," Jackson said, which bring with them a host of troubles, including their propensity to glom onto pipes and other intakes and filter nutrients out of the water.

Jackson said he was approached by the Flathead Lakers about drafting such a proposal, and though he admitted he "doesn't normally carry bills like this," the threat seemed to warrant action.

"The Lakers were evidently first to recognize that this is something we have to take on right now," he said. "The more I studied it, the more I came to realize that I had to do my part."

The Lakers have led a campaign to help inform boaters that the invasive species could attach to a boat hull — the most common means of contamination — and launching into Flathead Lake without a thorough cleaning could be catastrophic.

The bill has three main components, Jackson said. The first is education and outreach, to make sure boaters are aware of the issue. The second is setting up inspection points and portable cleaning stations, especially at special events like fishing tournaments, where many boats are being towed in from other states. The final part is identifying likely routes for the mussels to enter from out of state and set up inspection points for boats at the state line.

Agencies ranging from Fish, Wildlife and Parks to the Department of Agriculture — which will administer the fund — will collaborate in the effort.

The bill would also give the governor's office the authority to tap into emergency funds in case a species was discovered in Montana to attempt to quarantine or eliminate a contaminated area.

All of this comes with a price tag of $667,000 per biennium.

Though it's no small amount of money, Jackson said the bill came out of the Senate Business and Labor Committee with a perfect vote and passed the Senate 47-3.

Jackson said that groups supporting the bill have ranged from the governor's office to environmentalists to the power companies to agriculture interests.

"There's no slush in it at all," he said of the proposal. "It's lean and mean and goes directly toward doing it."

Robin Steinkraus, the executive director of the Flathead Lakers, said her group was pleased with the progress, but that the threat is ever-present.

"Almost everybody is supportive of not having these mussels invade," she said. "It's sort of a time bomb out there waiting to happen."

Steinkraus lauded Jackson for his efforts and his success in getting his colleagues from around the state to support the measure.

Now, Jackson said, House District 11 Representative Janna Taylor will take the bill into the House for that body's consideration.

"Between her and me, we pretty much have all the lake," he said. "We figured it was our responsibility to step up and do it."

Taylor was optimistic about the bill's chances in the House last Thursday when she spoke with the Eagle and said she was comfortable with the price tag when considering the alternative.

"The cost of not doing this is so great," she said.