Mt Olympus Chapter Back Country
Horsemen of Washington
Littleton Horse Camp Work Party
Saturday, March 13
Mt. Olympus Chapter of Back Country Horsemen of Washington is hosting a work party at the Littleton Horse Camp. Meet and greet and safety meeting starts at 10 a.m. Tools and lunch of chili, hot dogs, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate will be provided or workers may bring their own tools, lunch, and beverages.
If you decide to bring a horse, corrals are available (no water) to keep horses in until after the work party. The trail is not totally cleared at this time.
For more information, call Sherry Baysinger 360- 327-3611.
Quillayute Valley Scholarship
Auction Date Set
Saturday, May 15, one day only, is the date for the 2021 QVSA auction. Similar to last year – bidding will be online, pay pal will be available for purchasers, along with credit cards, cash, and checks. The location will be at the school, with no audience but possibly viewing of items – depending on COVID-19 capacity rules at that time.
Trey Baysinger and Natalie Lausche are this year’s senior co-ordinators.
This is the 57th year for the auction. “We know the community will support our seniors as they always have in the past.”
This is all subject to change so watch for updated changes and additions and information on donating items.
Battle of the Books Final Competition
Fourth graders throughout Clallam County are invited to participate in the North Olympic Library System’s (NOLS) Battle of the Books Final Competition on Friday, March 26 at 6 p.m. Trivia will be based on the five books read throughout the year. Unlike other years, students will be placed on teams at the beginning of the event. Registration is required for Zoom login details. Visit www.nols.org/battle-of-the-books to register and to find discussion questions, activities, and title read-alikes!
This season’s Battle of the Books titles are: Stella Díaz Has Something to Say by Angela Dominguez, Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar, Front Desk by Kelly Yang, The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon, and Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi.
About Battle of the Books
Battle of the Books is a year-long collaborative project between NOLS and schools from around Clallam County. Throughout the 2020-21 school year, students have read five books and NOLS has hosted and facilitated discussions. All participating students received free copies of the books read.
This program is generously funded by Friends of the Library Groups. For more information about this and other events and services for youth, visit www.nols.org, call 360-417-8500, or email Youth@nols.org.
State asks public to inspect aquarium moss and prevent movement of invasive mussels
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is asking anyone who has purchased Marimo moss balls from any retailer for their aquarium to inspect the plants for invasive zebra mussels.
This week, the U.S. Geological Survey released a public report of potential invasive mussels detected in shipments of “Betta Buddy” brand Marimo moss balls at a Seattle Petco. WDFW enforcement officers investigated the report, removed 56 Marimo moss balls, and visually confirmed the presence of at least 12 zebra mussels.
Once alerted, several other states have reported the presence of both live and dead zebra mussels at other retailers. As additional zebra mussel reports were coming in, authorities learned that PetSmart has also sold moss balls and the Marimo brand nationwide.
WDFW notified both Petco and PetSmart of the inadvertent distribution of this invasive species, and the retailers quickly acted to pull the product from shelves nationwide and placed them in quarantine. The retailers are partnering with WDFW and other agencies to address the threat.
“At Petco, we’re committed to supporting the health and wellness of pets, people, and our planet,” said Dr. Whitney Miller, head of Veterinary Medicine at Petco. “We immediately paused the sale of all Marimo aquarium moss balls at Petco locations and on petco.com and placed them in quarantine. We’re working closely with regulatory authorities, our vendor partners, and our own veterinary staff on appropriate next steps, including proper handling and disposal of any affected products and proactively contacting our customers to provide information and resources on how to responsibly collect and dispose of them at home if necessary.”
“No one organization can solve the invasive species problem alone,” said WDFW Police Captain Eric Anderson, “We are working in partnership with industry and every level of government to solve this as quickly as possible. This coordination is how we’re successfully preventing these species from taking hold in Washington.”
Lab testing confirmed the mussel as the zebra (Dreisena polymorpha) mussel, which is a prohibited aquatic invasive species in Washington State that, if established in local waters, would be capable of causing significant infrastructure and environmental damage.
Investigations into the product origin are currently underway. The wholesale distributors out of California and Florida have been notified, and shipments into the country will be ceased.
“Anything that moves can move invasive species,” said Justin Bush, executive coordinator of the Washington Invasive Species Council (WISC). “Invasive plants can hitchhike on your boots, aquatic animals can attach to your boat or equipment, and problem species can also move by hitchhiking through commerce; as we see in this case. We all have a role to play to prevent and stop invasive species, and the most basic action is reporting anything that could be a problem and looks out of place. If you see something, say something because you could find the first hitchhiker and prevent millions, if not billions of impacts to our economy and environment.”
Quagga and zebra mussels can clog pipes and mechanical systems of industrial plants, utilities, locks, and dams. If invasive mussels take hold in Washington, officials estimate it would cost more than $100 million each year to keep Washington’s power and water infrastructure running, in addition to causing catastrophic ecological damage.
Two methods for the aquarium owner to safely dispose of the moss ball(s):
• Remove the moss ball(s) and place in a plastic bag. Put the bag in the freezer and leave for at least 24 hours. After that, the moss ball(s) can be disposed of in the trash.
• Place moss ball(s) in boiling water for at least one full minute. After that, the moss ball(s) can be disposed of in the trash.
Aquarium species and accessories:
Collect the fish & plants and place them in another container. Dispose of the water in a sink or toilet. All municipal wastewater is treated to kill all pathogens, and septic tanks are fully self-contained underground.
Carefully use water that is 140 degrees to flush and coat all the tank and accessory surfaces. It is recommended that you do another water change within a week and continue to monitor the tank for any unusual aquatic growth.
If you do not have access to high-temperature water, a 1/3 cup of unscented household bleach per gallon of water can be used as a disinfectant. Allow the aquarium, substrate, rocks, décor, and filter media to soak in the bleach water solution for 10-15 minutes. After adequate contact time, thoroughly rinse off all items prior to resetting up the aquarium. When resetting up the aquarium, dispose of the previously used filter media and replace with new media. Finish by using a dechlorinating product to neutralize any residual chlorine prior to reintroducing aquatic life.
For extremely large aquariums that you may not be able to completely dewater/decontaminate, dispose of the moss ball(s) as above. Officials recommend that the public conduct frequent water changes and continue to monitor the tank for any unusual aquatic growth.
WDFW and the Washington Invasive Species Council recommend that anyone who thinks their aquarium may be carrying invasive mussels to utilize the online reporting options to include the Washington Invasives app or online reporting form. It is as easy as taking a photo and submitting for an expert to review. https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/report-a-sighting/.
