Mussel Walk champ encourages others to join in
Ian McRyhew and granddaughters Nevaeh (above) and Harmony (not pictured) picked up hundreds of pounds of garbage while looking for invasive mussels on the Flathead Lakers Mussel Walk Challenge. “I love taking them with me to teach them the importance of all of their decisions, and the impact even the smallest choice can have on our environment,” Ian said.
Walking slowly, turning over rocks on the lakeshore, is a favorite way for some folks to spend a spring afternoon. With the annual Flathead Lakers Mussel Walk Challenge each April through May, those walks help keep Flathead Lake free of invasive zebra and quagga mussels.
Ian McRyhew took on the Challenge with his grandkids this year.
“Thankfully, I did not see any signs of invasive zebra and quagga mussels,” McRyhew said after four days of looking along the south shore in Polson and at the East Bay Ducharme fishing access.
But he found another scourge that has invaded the lake: garbage. After another weekend, he and his granddaughters had picked up over 750 pounds of it. They hauled out a bed frame, tires, plastic bags, and many pounds of beer and soda cans.
“There are still numerous tires and countless pieces of garbage along that [south] shore. I will be going back to that area numerous times in order to make an impact,” McRyhew said.
Ian is a student and research scientist at Salish Kootenai College. He understands very well the critical importance of preventing invasive species from establishing in the lake. He works trying to control the invasive aquatic plant, flowering rush, “before it changes the eutrophic state of our clear waters,” he said. “I care dearly about keeping our lake clear and clean. If we allow invasive species to be moved in we will lose so many values that we hold dear.”
McRyhew encourages others to participate in the challenge.
“The mussel walks are a great way to get out on the lake and learn about our local environment,” he said.
The nonprofit Flathead Lakers has organized the spring walks for several years as a group activity, with partners Flathead Lake Biological Station and CSKT.
This year though, director Kate Sheridan points out that a walk along the shore can be a wonderful time even with social-distancing recommendations in place.
Volunteers can walk their favorite shoreline area or get help finding a stretch not already covered this year by calling 883-1346 or visiting flatheadlakers.org.
The website provides an invasive mussel guide and instructions, and a link to submit findings, photos and locations, so volunteers’ efforts can contribute to an overall picture of the lake’s condition.
“We need you,” Sheridan said emphatically. “Early detection of invasive mussels is paramount to preventing an infestation. Once mussels are established, it is impossible to get rid of them.” She encourages volunteers to “join our community effort to keep a watchful eye on Flathead Lake.”
McRyhew says his family plans to continue the mussel walks “until the threat of infestation has been removed.”
He hopes others will, too.
“We all are a part of our ecosystem and we must find a way to help preserve it for our future generations.”