Killarney-Turtle Mountain is taking steps to help thwart the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) into Killarney Lake. The council has been in contact with the provincial government for direction and support, with the first steps being to educate residents and visitors to Killarney.
On behalf of Council, Mayor Janice Smith invites everyone who wants to learn more about AIS, specifically zebra mussels, to join them at the Shamrock Centre next week Thursday, April 10th.
Candace Parks is with the Province's AIS Unit and will be travelling to Killarney next week to share more information on AIS in Killarney School. Then the presentation will move to the Shamrock Centre's Lounge for the public meeting and information session where Candace and her AIS team will answer questions and explain more on the threat of AIS.
Council has partnered with the Killarney Lake Committee in setting up an education day for students and residents. They've been working with the provincial AIS team to travel to Killarney for a number of months and so finally being able to put the date on the calendar, especially now in early spring before boating season, is valuable.
"They're going to share what their direction is going to be for the Province to help stop the spread of AIS," shares Smith. "We'll be going into the school and will be educating our staff and students there to help the kids understand that they can certainly help by bringing that information home."
"We would also love to invite the general public to come out and listen to these experts as well," she adds," and we're hoping they can meet with our Killarney Lake Action Committee members as well."
"We are the caretakers of this lake and we want to continue to enjoy it," she adds. "And we have a wonderful relationship with our lake committee, and we consider them as ambassadors for our lake because we recognize the passion they have for the health and viability of our lake," shares Smith. "We have seen positive change in our lake since the installation of the aeration field. We don't want to put it at risk."
The Killarney Lake aeration field continues to help mitigate the growth of blue-green algae. As a prairie lake it's difficult to eradicate algal blooms completely. However, the aeration field has had positive results over the past 8 years. An infestation of zebra mussels puts the aeration field at risk as mussels are attracted to moving water and hard surfaces like plastic.
In addition to the clogged-up aeration field, zebra mussels colonize on other hard surfaces like docks, rocks, boat hulls, anything that they can attach to. When a zebra mussel dies, their shells become as hard and sharp as broken glass and tend to wash up on beaches.
Both Council and the lake committee members agree an infestation of zebra mussels would be detrimental to the health of the lake and the beauty of our beaches.
Mayor Smith says education is key and that's where they're starting; to educate our students, our families and our community as a whole.
Also, it's important to note the aeration field has been turned up to capacity making for more open water and greater caution is needed. Please stay off the lake as we are not able to see the undercurrents under the ice.