Library to Host Seminar on Water Invasive Species

A free public seminar on detecting the zebra mussel and other water invasives is set for Saturday, July 30 9:30 a.m. at the . The speaker is Wendy Flynn, environmental analyst in the boating division of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

“All of us need to become investigators to limit the damage caused by this aquatic hitchhiker,” said Ray Hoesten of Sandy Hook, a member of the Lake Zoar Authority and the organizer of the seminar.

Zebra mussels put swimmers, water-skiers, boaters and fisherman at risk of being cut on the sharp edges of the shells. They foul boat engines and boat hulls. They clog water intakes. They aggravate the cost of generating hydroelectric power. And they disrupt the ecological balance.

Traces of the mussel were discovered last fall in lakes Zoar and Lillinonah and a research team from Western Connecticut State University is currently collecting taking water samples from the two lakes and Candlewood Lake.

Additional information about the seminar is available from Hoesten at (203) 426-2253 or kc2ray@charter.net.