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Invasive Zebra Mussels reach Tom Steed Reservoir
news
May 22, 2024
Invasive Zebra Mussels reach Tom Steed Reservoir

Invasive zebra mussels have been confirmed for the first time in Tom Steed Reservoir in Kiowa County, according to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The mussels were discovered by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation engineers during a recent routine dam inspection. The engineers took photos and sent them to ODWC for positive identification.

The zebra mussel is normally about the size of a thumbnail and is named for the striped pattern on its shell. They typically are found attached to surfaces, objects or other mussels. Zebra mussels affect ecosystems they invade by threatening native mussels, fish and wildlife by consuming available food, and costing taxpayers millions of dollars by clogging water intakes and pipes, and damaging boat engines.

ODWC’s Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) program has confirmed invasive zebra mussels in more than 25 water bodies throughout Oklahoma, including Kaw, Sooner, Hefner, Keystone, Robert S. Kerr, Grand, Skiatook, Eufaula, Oologah, Claremore, Greenleaf and Texoma lakes, as well as in the lower Canadian, Cimarron, Arkansas, Verdigris, Washita and North Canadian rivers.

In only two or three years from first arriving, zebra mussels can significantly populate a waterbody.

Fisheries Biologist Elaine Gainer, aquatic nuisance species coordinator for the Wildlife Department, said once these invasive mussels are present, there is no feasible way to eliminate them. The best strategy is to prevent them from spreading, she said.

Preventative actions taken by boaters and other people using infested waters is vital in slowing or stopping the spread of zebra mussels. Using the “Clean, Drain, Dry” procedure is highly encouraged.

To fight zebra mussels and other aquatic nuisance species, please remember to drain bilge water, live wells, and bait buckets; inspect boats and trailers when leaving the water; scrape off any zebra mussels or aquatic vegetation found when on dry land; then wash and dry off the boat, trailer and accessories. For more information on “Clean, Drain, Dry,” go to StopAquaticHitchhikers. org or wildlifedepartment. com/fishing/ ans/zebra-mussel.

Gainer said invasive species of any kind should never be returned to the water, and any sightings of them should be reported to ODWC by submitting a form online at wildlifedepartment. com/wildlife/reportwildlife or by calling 918-200-4815. She also encourages those who think they have encountered an invasive species to take photos to help experts with species identification.

Native to the Caspian Sea region of Asia, zebra mussels are believed to have arrived in the Great Lakes in 1986 via ballast water from a transoceanic vessel. They have quickly spread and are now found in more than 30 states.

To learn more about various invasive species affecting Oklahoma, go to wildlifedepartment. com/ wildl i fe / f i eldguide/ invasive.

Jefferson Highway keeps on rollin’
A: Main, news
Jefferson Highway keeps on rollin’
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
June 11, 2025
Long before Route 66, there was the Jefferson Highway. Route 66 was a federally funded, 2,448-mile highway that crossed the country going east and west from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, Californ...
A: Main, news
Jacob Foos re-hired as Eufaula City Manager
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
June 11, 2025
It was a surprise hire, but not a total surprise as former Eufaula City Manager Jacob Foos was rehired as Eufaula’s city manager. The hiring took place following an executive session at a special meet...
A: Main, news
Complications of finding a city manager
June 11, 2025
Jeb Jones resigned as city manager in April. He was hired in 2022 to replace Jacob Foos, who had resigned months earlier and became assistant city manager in the City of Shawnee. Andrea Weckmuel-ler B...
A: Main, news
LEA Poker Run Saturday
June 11, 2025
The Golden Eagle Poker Run, one of the most popular events on Lake Eufaula, is Saturday, June 14. This year’s theme is Pirates & Parrots, so get your crew and costumes ready for a day of high seas adv...
McIntosh County Democrat wins Sequoyah Award
A: Main, news
McIntosh County Democrat wins Sequoyah Award
June 11, 2025
The Oklahoma Press Association presented its Better Newspaper Contest Awards during the OPA Annual convention June 6-7, at the Grand Casino Hotel and Resort in Shawnee. The top award a newspaper can r...
A: Main, news
Commissioners getting an increase in road spending
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
June 11, 2025
Rep. Tim Turner, R-Kinta, announced some good news and some bad news at the Monday morning Monthly County Commissioner meeting. First, the bad news, at least for those who oppose wind turbines in the ...
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Bridge dedicated to World War II veteran
A: Main, news
Bridge dedicated to World War II veteran
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
June 11, 2025
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation recently honored the late veteran William “Bill” Antrum Fox Jr. by naming a bridge after him. The William A. Fox Jr. Memorial Bridge is on SH 9 East at Nine M...
A: Main, news
Ten Mile Yard Sale this weekend
June 11, 2025
Bring an umbrella Bargain hunters set your alarms. The annual 10-milelong yard sale begins at 7 a.m. Sunday, stretching from the east end of Eufaula, down SH 9 east through Longtown and past Enterpris...
Preliminary set for 2 suspected of killing Eufaulan
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Preliminary set for 2 suspected of killing Eufaulan
June 11, 2025
Two Muskogee men charged with killing a Eufaula resident were ordered to appear at a preliminary hearing in district court at 10 a.m., Thursday, July 3. Suspects Kyren Omari Boulware, 19, and Michael ...
2 dead, 4 injured in pileup
news
2 dead, 4 injured in pileup
June 11, 2025
Two people from Marshall, Texas were killed, and four others were injured in a harrowing four-vehicle pileup on U.S. 69 half a mile south of the Muskogee City Limits at about 2:20 p.m. on Monday, June...
Fink inducted into OPA Half Century Club
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Fink inducted into OPA Half Century Club
June 11, 2025
Managing Editor Jerry Fink of The Eufaula Indian Journal and the McIntosh County Democrat was inducted into the Oklahoma Press Association Half Century Club on Saturday, June 7 at the Grand in Shawnee...
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