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For immediate release: 3/13/08 PHOTO CAPTION INFORMATION:  Aquatic nuisance education ... Sam Ziara, a water biologist with the Grand River Dam Authority’s Office of Ecosystems Management, stands next to a new zebra mussel education display -- "Oklahoma's Most Unwanted" -- located inside the Oklahoma Aquarium (Jenks). GRDA unveiled the display in early March, in conjunction with ribbon cutting ceremonies for the Hayes Family Ozark Stream at the Aquarium. GRDA is hopeful that the display will be an effective tool in educating the public at the risk of the zebra mussels. Over the last few years, GRDA Ecosystems Management has also worked closely with the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary to place zebra mussel prevention tips on signs at many public boat ramps, to increase awareness and to help prevent further spread of this noxious invader.  Here are those tips. Please keep them in mind to help hinder the mussels spread: • Boats should not be left in the water for extended periods of time. With regular use, engine heat should keep mussels from colonizing inside most engine parts. • Always drain the bilge water, live wells and bait buckets. • Inspect the boat and trailer immediately upon leaving the water. • Scrape off any mussel found. DO NOT return them to the water. • If possible, dry the boat and trailer for at least a week before entering another waterway. (If conditions are right, mussels can live for up to seven days on a boat hull outside the water.) • Wash boat parts and accessories that contact the water using hot water (at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit), a ten percent solution of household chlorine bleach, or hot saltwater solution. Do not wash the boat at the ramp where these solutions could pollute the water. Always finish with a clean water rinse. For more information on zebra mussels, or to report a possible sighting in GRDA waters, contact the GRDA Office of Ecosystems Management at (918) 782-3382, or visit the Office of Ecosystems Management page on www.grda.com. |
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