Informational meeting on response to New Zealand mudsnails in Black Earth Creek, Feb. 23 in Cross Plains
http://dnr.wi.gov/news/releases/article/?id=3489
FITCHBURG, Wis. -- The public is invited to an informational meeting on state, local and federal response efforts to the discovery in October 2013 of the New Zealand mudsnail in Black Earth Creek, Dane County. The meeting is set forFebruary 23 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Cross Plains Public Library, 2107 Julius St., Cross Plains.
The Department of Natural Resources is hosting the meeting along with partners the River Alliance of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin Extension.
Since the discovery, progress has been made in understanding the distribution of the New Zealand mudsnail in Wisconsin and in neighboring states.
Experts from the U. S. Geological Survey and the DNR will be present to discuss the results of both environmental DNA and traditional monitoring efforts from 2014. Additionally, the River Alliance of Wisconsin will present on their statewide education efforts that have been designed to prevent the spread of New Zealand mudsnails and the DNR will discuss changes to staff equipment cleaning protocols that were a result of this discovery.
It has been more than a year since the New Zealand mudsnail was found. This discovery represented the first time this invasive snail was found outside of the Great Lakes in the Midwest.
For more information on these snails, search the DNR website, dnr.wi.gov, forNew Zealand mudsnail.