Montana was invaded last summer. Not by land, not by air, but by water. A microscopic alien showed up in water samples from the Tiber Reservoir, opening the door to a wide range of potentially devastating impacts for Montana’s fisheries, outdoor enthusiasts and industries.
“SubSurface: Resisting Montana’s Underwater Invaders,” a new podcast from Montana Public Radio, examines what could happen if Montana fails to stop the coming invasion of zebra and quagga mussels threatening the state’s water bodies. In “SubSurface,” MTPR’s Nicky Ouellet examines how invasive mussels changed the Great Lakes region and what those implications could mean for Montana’s future, as well as what the state already is doing to detect and prevent their spread.
The five-episode series launches Monday, Nov. 20, and will be available on iTunes and online at http://mtpr.org/.
“There’s been a lot of reporting about Montana’s efforts to fend off mussels, but not much about what the long-term consequences look like if we fail,” said Eric Whitney, MTPR news director. “And looking at other states’ experiences helps us evaluate whether Montana is doing enough and focusing its time and money in the right places.”
For the podcast, Ouellet traveled to Minnesota and Wisconsin, which decades ago faced challenges with the same invasive species, to investigate what Montana’s waterways could look like if the state fails to fend off the mussels. Listeners will hear from biologists and anglers, crews at water treatment plants and hydroelectric dams, and residents young and old about what it means to live in an invaded landscape.
For more information call Whitney at 406-243-4075 or email eric.whitney@mso.umt.edu.
