Great News: Invasive Species Numbers Lowering in Colorado River

While Colorado is well known for its fantastic and diverse array of wildlife, there’s a couple of different species that are both invasive and destructive that live here.

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One that was found recently in Loveland is the emerald ash borer, an insect originally from Asia that has been responsible for the deaths of millions of ash trees across the country. Their discovery in Northern Colorado this year was cause for major concern.

Another invasive species that found its way into Colorado this year were zebra mussels, which had been discovered near Grand Junction.
Fortunately, it would seem progress is being made towards reducing their numbers. 

Number of Zebra Mussel Larvae in Colorado River Down

In a recent report from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, it has been discovered that the population of zebra mussel larvae have gone down.

This is incredible news, since the finding of these mussels this summer could only be described as devastating.

In recent water samples, there have been no signs of larvae, which is a positive sign for sure. However, it should be noted that this does not mean zebra mussels are completely gone from the Colorado River.

In fact, CPW claims the lower numbers could be due to colder water temperatures as we start to head into the fall. The way the water flows itself could even play a role.

Regardless, this is still a great sign for the removal of this species in the future.

Why Are Zebra Mussels So Bad?

According to USGS, zebra mussels were first discovered in the United States in 1980, and are originally from Eurasia. 

What makes these mollusks so destructive to local habitats is how they can filter out algae that so many organisms need to live. They also attach to almost everything, including other mussels. 

This not only damages habitats, but also can affect major infrastructure as well as having direct impacts on drinking water and irrigation. 

However, what makes them as detrimental as they are is simply how much they breed. A single female zebra mussel can produce up to one million eggs, which means the sheer volume of them can overwhelm an ecosystem.

This is why it’s such a good sign, even if it might be early, that we’re seeing less zebra mussels in the Colorado River.