By Amy Joles (Contact / Staff Bio)
May 20, 2009 - 09:50 a.m. EST

CARO — What’s creeping into the Cass River?

That’s exactly what the Thumb Area Nature Group aims to find out. The group will be doing a boat check during Memorial Day weekend at the Chippewa Landing boat launch, near Caro.

“Will we find anything for sure? We don’t know,” said Bob Tallman, chair of the Thumb Area Nature Group. “But at the very least there is a need for education on exotic animals coming in and overwhelming the natural species.”

Tallman has recruited some local Boy Scouts to assist him with the boat check, which will take place Saturday-Monday from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

“We’ll be looking for any place that water and materials could be trapped - the bottom of the boat, the trailer,” said Tallman.

Boats are just one reason why some exotic species have made their way into local waterways, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

“In the Cass, we have the Eurasian Milfoil, which is a common plant found in our waterways, but not naturally occurring,” said Joe Leonardi, a DNR fisheries biologist.

Within vegetation that gets trapped on boats and trailers, some species, such as the zebra mussel may be transferred from one body of water to another. Leonardi said the zebra mussels have not been detected in the Cass River - not yet.

“The Zebra Mussel, the Round Goby - they are all threats,” he said. “We know we have them and they are virtually all around the area.”

The Round Goby, often used in the baiting industry, is making a considerable move into inland waterways.

“We have them in the Saginaw Bay area; it’s only natural that we would have them in the Cass River,” said Leonardi.

And the DNR is concerned with a smaller bait fish that has begun to thrive in its non-native habitats, disrupting and competing with native species for the same foods.

“The Goby is populating extremely fast and it is changing things,” said Leonardi. “We don’t know where that is going to take us.”

Besides using uncertified bait, the DNR is concerned with the spread of fish disease caused by people emptying aquarium contents into local waterways.

Tallman said the Thumb Area Nature Group is concerned about exotic species finding their way into the Cass River and other natural habitats.

“This is no different than the Everglades,” he said. “You have to have education to make a change.”

The Thumb Area Nature Group strives to provide educational programs to area youths. The group has developed study guides and lesson plans for all age groups. The group also provides tours of several park locations.

For more information, call Bob Tallman at (989) 843-6361.

Amy Joles is the editor of the Tuscola County Advertiser. She can be reached at joles@tcadvertiser.com.