Okanagan has declared June as Invasive Species Action Month. Now, the Okanagan Basin Water Board is utilizing this declaration to announce its increased role in the fight against zebra and quagga mussels.

In May, the water board said that it shall not be held liable if zebra and quagga mussels are introduced into the Okanagan.

The board has been continuously taking steps to prevent the invasive species entry into the Okanagan without accompanying measures by provincial government. Utilizing the declaration of June as Invasive Species Action Month, the board wants to strengthen its role in its fight against zebra and quagga mussels.

Water board chairman Doug Findlater was of the view that they believe taking measures is the best way to deal with this concern. Therefore, the board is leaving no stone unturned to prevent the spread of the species into the Okanagan.

The board has experience of dealing with invasive milfoil in Okanagan Lake for past 45 years. From that time, local taxpayers have donated up to 410 million and the province has given just $8 million. There has been no contribution from provincial government side from the last 15 years.

Findlater said that the board thinks that the province government should accept the responsibility for controlling the invasive species and that would come costly. The board wants there should be five permanent inspection stations on the highways from Alberta leading into B. C.

Invasive mussels can be found in many US states and Canadian provinces and especially in the northeastern US and Canadian provinces and the US southwest.