Zebra mussels have spread to Lake Winnipeg, but a two-year cleanup effort at Hillside Beach shows communities can still reclaim its shoreline from the invasive species. “There’s millions and millions of them. After this northwest wind goes down, they’ll be piles along the beach,” said Ken Danwich, councillor for the RM of Alexander. He said he’s seen shells piled six to eight inches high all the way down the beach. The shoreline is constantly swamped by waves carrying the aquatic invasive species. But as of Friday, zebra mussels were difficult to find on the beach — and they didn’t simply wash back into the water. They’ve been moved further back from the shore, to what is quickly becoming a zebra mussel mountain. “It was important to us as a community to figure out a way to bring back the beauty at Hillside Beach,” said Laura Kemp of the Hillside Beach Community Association. Last summer, the Hillside Beach Community Association organized a batch of volunteers. With rakes, shovels and pails, more than 100 people helped clear the zebra mussels away. The group also partnered with the province to first rent equipment, and then purchase a tractor with a beach cleaner. “The great thing about the shells, once they’re back here in the meadow, is they no longer smell. They’re not sharp anymore. And they don’t smell. So, it’s been quite an accomplishment,” Kemp said. It’s an accomplishment achieved through a lot of work and sacrifice — time other communities with zebra mussel-free waterways won’t need to devote if boaters are willing to make a much smaller sacrifice of time by cleaning, draining and drying their boats, as well as pulling the drain plugs. “We’ve got over 90 per cent compliance from the public, from the board, in public. So when I hear people say, ‘Well, you know, it’s all inevitable, it won’t work’ — the statistics say otherwise,” said Jeff Long, the province’s aquatic invasive species director. The battle to keep Hillside Beach clear of zebra mussels is never-ending, but residents say it’s a place worth fighting for. Long said compliance rates are lower in areas the province visits less often. During a roadside inspection blitz along the Manitoba-Ontario border in July, 137 vehicles failed inspection, and 15 needed to be decontaminated. Hillside Beach isn’t the only community having success in the fight against zebra mussels. The province has also partnered with other communities near The Pas and the Cranberry Portage area, and is working with Norway House Cree Nation on similar efforts.
