Whitefish funding aquatic invader programs

The Whitefish City Council on May 18 approved spending $35,000 on efforts to keep aquatic invasive species out of Whitefish Lake and other area water bodies. The city spent $40,000 on AIS programs in both 2013 and 2014.

Aquatic invasive species, including non-native plant, fish, mussels and clams, have become an increasing concern for the negative impacts they pose to lakes and rivers.

In the past, Whitefish partnered with the Flathead Basin Commission, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Trout Unlimited and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to operate a watercraft inspection station on U.S. 2 at Coram.

The inspection station was relocated to Browning this year, and Whitefish will contribute $5,000 toward its operation. In May, the new station stopped a boat from Minnesota carrying adult zebra mussels and headed for Whitefish Lake.

The Whitefish Lake Institute and Whitefish’s Parks and Recreation Department operate a boat inspection station at City Beach. Staff visually inspect boats before they launch into Whitefish Lake and gather information from boat owners, including the last water body the boat was launched into.

The city will continue to fund efforts to monitor and control Eurasian watermilfoil in Beaver Lake with $5,000. A 25-by-25 foot patch of Eurasian watermilfoil was found near the boat ramp at Beaver Lake in 2011.

Two areas will each receive $5,000 for monitoring lakes near Whitefish. The Northwest Montana Lake Volunteer Monitoring Network will coordinate efforts to survey lakes for invasive species plant detection.

The Whitefish Lake Institute also will collect samples from nine area lakes for environmental DNA analysis to detect the presence AIS.