Invasive species spread to new waters in Kansas

RILEY COUNTY (KSNT) - Wildlife experts are monitoring the advance of two invasive species in northeast Kansas and urging locals to help stop them from spreading further.

Commissioners with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) recently met in Hays on June 20 to discuss several regulation changes, including the addition of two waterbodies to the Kansas Aquatic Invasive Species Designated Waters list. These include Willow Lake and the portion of the Kansas River in Riley County.

27 News reached out to Christ Steffen, aquatic invasive species coordinator with the KDWP, to learn the reason for these changes. He said the spread of zebra mussels and white perch prompted the regulation updates.

Steffen said Willow Lake was added to the list as land separating it from nearby Tuttle Creek River Pond has eroded to the point where both waterbodies are now often connected. Zebra mussels present in the pond now have access to Willow Lake.

The addition of the Riley County portion of the Kansas River to the list was done for the benefit of record keeping as it was left off the list inadvertently in the past. Both zebra mussels and white perch are found in this section of the river.

"The invasive species in these waterbodies (zebra mussels and white perch) are not able to move to other nearby waters on their own," Steffen said in a written statement. "The danger is in humans unintentionally or intentionally moving these species to other waters."

Steffen said people can help stop the spread of these invasive species to new areas by following a few simple steps. These include:

• Clean anything that comes in contact with the water.
• Drain water on location.
• Dry everything before going to a new lake, reservoir or river.

The current list of Kansas Aquatic Invasive Species Designated Waters, created in 2020, names numerous waterbodies that are now home to invasive species like Asian carp, zebra mussels and white perch. You can learn more about which waterbodies are on this list by clicking here.

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