Are There Zebra Mussels in the St Croix River?
In 1998, the National Aquatic Nuscience Species (ANS) Task Force [Exit DNR] approved an interstate ANS plan on the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. The plan was prepared jointly by Minnesota, Wisconsin and the tribes. It has provided federal funding to each state for $20,000 and to the tribes for $2,500. The federal dollars have been used to protect the St. Croix River against the introduction of zebra mussels. Specific actions have been aimed at enforcing state ANS laws on the St. Croix, monitoring for zebra mussels via dive searches and veliger plankton tows, and information/education efforts such as posting signs and providing information to boaters at the water access sites. A state law that was enacted in 1996 prohibits the placement of any boat, trailer or equipment in the Lower St. Croix if there is reason to believe that zebra mussels are attached. The regulations address the risk to several endangered natural mussel species in the St. Croix River if zebra mussels colonize u
