Editorial shouldn’t have assigned blame
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/02/2025 (276 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A recent editorial in The Brandon Sun has outlined the situation of a zebra mussel infestation in Clear Lake. The writer has correctly delineated the severe detrimental effects to the lake and downstream waters. It is indeed a disaster in many respects as has been seen in Lake Winnipeg and other waters.
However, the thrust of the editorial seems to be that this is a direct result of “selfishness and negligence” of Clear Lake boaters and cottage owners. I beg to differ.
We are all aware that the infestation of this aquatic invasive species has to have come from another body of water. For several years, there have been stringent requirements for boaters to prevent this from happening. The local boaters and cottage owners have been fully supportive of these efforts. These rules have prevented any watercraft used on Clear Lake to have been used elsewhere. Local owners of watercraft virtually never use them elsewhere anyway. These requirements, however, have not been as stringent for visitors with beach toys, blow-up paddleboards, or other watercraft in spite of the best efforts of park staff with signage, inspections, etc.
In spite of this, a clump of adult mussels was found in the fall of 2023 attached to a floating piece of wood at the boat cove. Where did this come from? It stretches the imagination to believe that it came from a boat having been inspected by park staff on entering and leaving the lake. Was it environmental vandalism/terrorism? Who knows?
In any event, the die has been cast. The lake is infested. No one is happy about that. But yes, the boaters and business owners are happy that we can once again be on the lake since the prevention battle has been lost in spite of our best efforts. I feel it is highly presumptuous for the editorialist to assign blame where none is warranted.
W.E. MYERS, boater and cottage owner
Clear Lake