A new $10 million aquatic invasive species trust fund will expand Montana’s efforts to keep the state’s waterways free of non-native invaders.

As with the state’s Noxious Weed Trust Fund, interest generated by the fund would go toward grants to local governments and other organizations for public education, prevention, control and eradication of invasive species. The fund, along with oversight of the grant programs, will be administered by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

Northwest Montana is of particular import when it comes to controlling the spread of invasive species, with Flathead Lake among a number of popular destinations for out-of-state boaters. 

Wildlife experts have for years worried about the potential local impacts of quagga mussels, a nuisance species native to Ukraine that has rapidly spread through waterways from the Great Lakes down to Southern California. Zebra mussels are also closely watched as potential invaders, although their distribution has been mostly limited to the eastern half of the country.

State Rep. Mark Noland, R-Bigfork, who sponsored the bill that created the fund, said he believes it is money well spent, with the Flathead Valley’s tourism industry tied, in part, to the health of its renowned lakes, rivers and streams.

“I grew up on Whitefish Lake, and I see the beauty of it. I want to keep that for my children and grandchildren,” he said on Tuesday. “If it gets here, it’s going to cost millions and millions of dollars to stop it. Let’s do a little legwork up front to prevent a lot of money having to be spent in the future.”

Noland said he envisions the fund allowing grants for public education programs, particularly for out-of-state boaters who may not realize the relative sensitivity of the flathead water system.

Flathead Lake has already had a couple near-misses, with mussel-fouled boats stopped just before entering the lake.

Once introduced, an invasion of mussels can be nearly impossible to reverse. Females are capable of producing up to one million eggs per spawning season, and their prolific reproduction habits have a reputation for clogging the intakes of hydroelectric dams and jet boats as well as irrigation systems.

Caryn Miske is the executive director of the Flathead Basin Commission, which was created by the Legislature in 1983 to protect the water resources of Flathead Lake. Along with numerous representatives from environmental and recreation groups across the state, she testified in support of Noland’s bill during the 2015 legislative session.

“One of our greatest challenges, although the Legislature has been incredibly generous as far as funding, is that the reality is we still don’t have sufficient funding to ensure we are catching the highest-risk boats coming into the state,” Miske said in an interview Monday. 

“I’m hoping it can support locals in terms of launching some innovative projects that are sometimes really difficult to do at the state level but can be done at the pilot level.”

She added that in addition to public education and outreach, she hopes the fund will provide money to local governments to mitigate the impacts of existing invasives. She referred to Sanders County’s efforts to contain Eurasian water milfoil, an invasive algae that forms thick mats over the surface of ponds and shallow lakes, crowding out native species and recreational opportunities.

Bruce Farling, executive director of Montana Trout Unlimited, stressed the need for preventive action on invasive mussels.

“Once we get any of these things in Flathead Lake, it’s going to be extremely problematic,” Farling said. “That’s the same for any lake in Northwest Montana, but since we have so many watercraft from other states going to Flathead, it’s a real challenge to make sure we have a tight enough noose around the lake to make sure we’re intercepting them.”

Of particular concern are the “snowbirds,” tourists and second-home owners who in the summer bring their boats up from places in the Southwest such as Lake Mead and Lake  Powell, both of which already have significant quagga mussel infestations. Farling added that many boats also head to the valley from the Great Lakes, where both quagga and zebra mussels have become well established after they were introduced from the ballasts of transatlantic ships.

“Quagga mussels are apt to spread very fast, and they cover the bottoms of streams and lakes, take up the substrate space and microscopic algae that the bugs need to survive,” Farling said. “They will take up those niches and reduce food sources and areas of cover for fish.”

Noland’s other invasive species legislation, also signed into law last week, directs Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to work with the Montana Department of Transportation to conduct boat checks at ports of entry to the state. It also allows Fish, Wildlife and Parks to authorize other governmental entities to operate invasive species check stations. 

Miske said that new authority could be a game-changer since many local governments have an interest in being able to fund and operate their own check stations.

“One of the keystones of our Flathead plan is that we want protection at all major points of entry coming into the basin,” she said. “It also allows all peace officers in the state to enforce aquatic invasive species laws. Now if there’s a noncompliant, fouled boat and FWP can’t respond because they’re two hours away, the city of Whitefish’s officers could respond, for example.”

She added that the costs saved by combining checks could allow for more comprehensive coverage of boats entering the basin. Montana check stations don’t open for the season until March, and she noted that boaters are increasingly launching into Flathead Lake as early as February, which is when Idaho opens its check stations.

During the dual bill-signing, Noland took the opportunity to speak with Gov. Steve Bullock about working with other states to expand invasive species control efforts across state borders. 

While problem species such as quaggas have exploded in recent years, their spread has been thus far absent in the Northwest. He has also been reaching out to the state’s congressional delegation over the past few months to try to get federal action on the issue.

“Right now, we’re footing the bill for people coming into our area,” Noland said. “I hope we can approach other areas to help foot some of that bill.”

Reporter Samuel Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com