Hello GLA Members,  yesterday we heard back from Sharon Natzel, President of Hubbard County Coalition of Lake Associations (HC COLA) that the second Zebra Mussel Veliger (ZMV) test we did this year ( July 2020) showed the presence of 2 veligers.  Bummer.  I am sure we are all disappointed as we have gone for the last 3 samples without finding one.   As you may recall, we take these water samples at 3 points around Lake Garfield two times a year, June and July.  We started this ZMV testing in July 2017,  before we were a lake association.  As of today, we have still not seen the presence of any adult zebra mussels.

I guess one take away from this is the importance of being diligent in monitoring access to  our lake and the importance of the Clean-Drain-Dispose efforts to keep the AIS from spreading.

1.  CLEAN all visible aquatic plants  from your watercraft, trailers, and water-related equipment before leaving any water access or shore land.

2. DRAIN water-related equipment (boat, ballast tanks, portable bait containers, motor) and drain bilge, live well and baitwell by removing drain plugs before leaving a water access or shoreline property. Keep drain plugs out and water-draining devices open while transporting watercraft.

3. DISPOSE of unwanted bait, including minnows, leeches, and worms, in the trash. It is illegal to release bait into a waterbody or release aquatic animals from one waterbody to another. If you want to keep your bait, you must refill the bait container with bottled or tap water.

If you are interested, click here the actual RMB Lab report that shows the presence of these 2 veligers.  It is no big deal but I thought one of our members might be interested in seeing what it says.

As it shows in our GLA By Laws, the mission of the GLA is to “protect and enhance the  quality of the lake”.   We will continue to work with those who can help us do that for Garfield.  If you have any questions regarding this please contact any of the Board members using their emails shown on the GLA website: https://garfieldlakeassociation.com/

Thank you for being a member and supporting Garfield Lake.

Ron Ray, President   

                Zebra Mussel Veliger Test Results                           

                Garfield Lake 2017 – 2020                             

                RMB Labs Results                            

                June Test                             July Test

2020       none found                        2 veliegers                                              

2019       none found                        none found                                       

2018       1 veliger                               1 veliger                                              

2017       not taken                            1 veliger