Quagga mussels in Idaho

Idaho Fish and Game’s response to the state’s first detection

   with Terry Thompson,
IDFG Regional Communications Manager

Thursday, December 7th, 2023

7:00 PM

Room 201, Shields Building, CSI

This will be an IN-PERSON program

ZOOM link available:

https://csi.zoom.us/j/2730389966

Quagga mussels are an invasive species that have been making their way across the United States over the last 40 years. Idaho, until this year, was able to claim no detections of the mussel in the state’s waters, but that claim went away in September 2023. The news of the detection hit the state hard, as well as the entire Columbia River basin since there had been no detections within the multi-state river basin. Idaho did something that was basically unprecedented – within two weeks of detection, a treatment plan was developed, led by the Idaho Department of Agriculture, and more importantly, their rapid response plan was implemented in an effort to eradicate the invasive mussel. Idaho Fish and Game was an active participant in the planning effort prior to treatment, but also had to react quickly to assess fish populations prior to treatment since the treatment had the potential to kill all fish within the treatment area. Terry’s presentation will touch on the biology of quagga mussels, their impacts to Idaho’s infrastructure and our natural resources, specifically, the fisheries in the 6-mile reach of the Snake River impacted by the chelated copper treatment.

From Terry: The path leading me to the Magic Valley Region of Idaho Fish and Game has many twists and turns. After graduating from Twin Falls High School I found myself at CSI, where I completed an Associates Degree in History. After a short stint at Utah State University and some serious soul searching I realized that I really didn’t know what I was going to do with a history degree. I got a job with the Sawtooth National Forest, what was then the Twin Falls Ranger District and found that I had a passion for natural resources. Jump ahead several years and I received a B.S. from the University of Idaho and as they say, the rest is history. I started my professional natural resource career in 1991 with Idaho Fish and Game Headquarters in Boise when I was hired as the first Nature Center Superintendent at the MK Nature Center. After 10 years in that role I moved to Alaska where I worked for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for about 18 years, working as both the Education Coordinator and the Manager of the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. I moved from that position to the Statewide Communications Coordinator for the Division of Sport Fish for several years before retiring in 2019. Not ready to hang up my natural resource shoes I took my current position with Idaho Fish and Game as the Regional Communications Manager for the Magic Valley Region. I’ve now spent 32 years in a career where I still can’t believe I get to do the things I do, and I even get paid to do them!