Spread of zebra mussels to Lake of the Woods should be a wake-up call

Dec 02, 20190

Dennis Anderson • Star Tribune count

After a long day's fishing on Lake of the Woods near Big Narrows, which lies about halfway between Minnesota's Northwest Angle and Kenora, Ontario, the big lake lay flat at sunset, its surface yielding a neat wake behind a boat headed for camp.

Several weeks ago, the Department of Natural Resources announced that Lake of the Woods is infested with zebra mussels. This is one of Minnesota's most treasured fishing lakes and, at six times the size of Mille Lacs, our second-largest lake. It can safely be assumed that humans were the cause.

Because there is no technology on the horizon that can control an aquatic invasive species (AIS) in such a large lake, we can assume Lake of the Woods is infested for the indefinite future.

http://www.startribune.com/spread-of-zebra-mussels-to-lake-of-the-woods-should-be-a-wake-up-call/565557402/