Mussel threat doesn't bode well for private boats in Glacier

As a mussel crisis unfolds in a central Montana reservoir, Glacier National Park could potentially keep its waters closed to certain types of boating for a very long time.

Deputy Superintendent Eric Smith said last week that he envisions a phased-in approach to reopening the Park’s waterways to boating. First and foremost, the Park is waiting further test results.

The Tiber Reservoir earlier this month tested positive for the larvae of aquatic invasive mussels and a subsequent investigation by mussel-sniffing dogs also strongly indicated the presence of mussels in the waterway. Divers were expected to soon survey the reservoir to determine if adult mussels can be found before winter sets in.

Smith noted the Park could allow boats that stay in the Park and never enter another waterway, like concessions boats to operate first. The Park’s own watercraft would also fall under that category. Concession rentals and hand-propelled craft also could be allowed back in as well in a phased-in way.

But if there’s a hard confirmation of mussels in Tiber, which is only about a two-and-half of hour drive from the St. Mary entrance to Glacier, Smith didn’t hold much optimism.

“It’s going to be hard for me to see a situation where all boating would be allowed again,” he said.

He noted that it’s not just about protecting Glacier, it’s about protecting the watersheds of the American West.

The Park is the headwaters of three different watersheds. The Columbia River Basin in particular, which includes Flathead Lake, is still considered mussel-free. The mussel larvae travel downstream in the water current.

Despite the early positive tests, the state of Montana has yet to close Tiber, a popular walleye fishery, to boating. But Glacier and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation did almost immediately and last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service closed Jessup Mill Pond above the Creston Fish Hatchery to all watercraft as well.

The state maintains that because the water is cold this time of year, the mussels aren’t active and transmission of the larvae to a boat is unlikely.

But that didn’t sit well with the members of the Flathead Basin Commission last week. The Commission over the past couple of years, has set up mandatory check stations in Browning and the Flathead to stop boats from entering the watershed without being inspected first.

They want to see the state close Tiber and Canyon Ferry reservoirs immediately, even if transmission during winter months isn’t likely.

“It’s a low probability, but a high risk,” noted Flathead National Forest Supervisor Chip Weber, who also sits on the commission’s board.

The Forest surrounds another potential waterway that would see grave harm if the mussels get established in the state — the Hungry Horse Reservoir.

Mussels are hugely problematic for dams because they become so numerous, they clog the intake pipes and they’re expensive to remove and control. They also greatly alter the fishery, because they filter the algae small fish feed on from the ecosystem. Their dead shells also foul beaches, because they’re sharp and difficult to walk on.

But Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Ron Aasheim said Monday that FWP doesn’t intend to close either reservoir. He said closures hadn’t worked in other states. He said FWP plans on strengthening and promoting its “Clean, Dry, Inspect” campaign, which urges boaters to make sure their boats are clean and dry when moving from water body to water body.

The Commission, meanwhile, will seek greater authority to regulate boaters in the basin. Right now, it can stop boats at its mandatory check stations, but once they close at night, a boater faces no penalty if they enter a water with an unchecked boat.

That’s the problem with check stations in general. They close at some point, and days are long in the summer months, which allows unchecked boats to enter waterways.

For example, one mussel-infested boat from Virginia traveled across the country and was never checked until it reached the check station in Browning, Caryn Miske, the commission’s executive director noted.