YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is calling for feedback from the public regarding its plans to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species into the park’s waterways.
According to YNP’s announcement, a proposed 30-day mandatory “dry time” will be required for certain watercraft, and boats that have previously held invasive mussels will be prohibited from entry regardless of dry time.
YNP is on the lookout for zebra and quagga mussels. They’ve been creeping closer to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, but Wyoming remained mussel-free in 2023. The invasive breeds have been detected within a day’s drive of the park, though, and once present, eradication can be challenging.
“Mussels have caused irreversible ecological damage and extensive impacts to infrastructure and recreation in waterways throughout the Midwestern and Eastern United States, as well as in the lower Colorado River Basin,” YNP’s announcement stated. “In both 2022 and 2023, Yellowstone’s AIS inspectors intercepted and denied launch to mussel-fouled watercraft, highlighting the urgency and severity of the threat.”
The proposed 30- day dry time would require complex, motorized boats and sailboats to fully drain and be decontaminated. This would include boats with inboard, inboard/outboard and inboard jet motors. YNP noted that manual decontamination with the use of hot water is not always 100% effective in mussel removal, so the extended dry time would mitigate the risks. All watercraft that has been previously home to mussels will be denied launch, as these boats could lead to false mussel detection in the park’s routine water monitoring.
YNP also stressed that invasive mussel invasion would jeopardize the years of work spent on restoring the population of native Yellowstone cutthroat trout.
The comment period will begin on Thursday, March 7 and be open for 30 days. The preferred method for submitting comments is online. Comments can also be mailed to: Yellowstone Center for Resources Attn: AIS Proposed Changes, PO Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190. The deadline to submit comments is Friday, April 5.
The National Park Service will analyze and consider all comments received. YNP said a final decision is expected in spring 2024.
