Invasive Mussel News

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife Invasive Species Program is forwarding the following notice from the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission

2025-2026 WID Training Announcement

We are pleased to share the upcoming schedule for virtual watercraft inspection and decontamination (WID) classes. There is no cost to attend but registration is required. Click on the dates below to sign up. Once registered, more information will be sent to you via email.

Level 1 or 2 (Inspection and Decontamination) Classes:

• September 4 – 5, 2025
• September 30 – October 2, 2025
• November 4 – 6, 2025
• December 9 – 11, 2025
• January 13 – 15, 2026
• February 10 – 12, 2026
• March 10 – 12, 2026
• April 14 – 16, 2026
• May 5 – 7, 2026

For more information, please visit the WID Training Website.
Questions? Please contact Elizabeth Brown at elizabeth@widtraining.com.

This message is being forwarded on behalf of the US Fish and Wildlife Service:

The 2025 Funding Opportunity for Golden Mussel Prevention and Control in the Western United States has officially been posted. The total funding amount for projects is $500,000. There has been significant change in the application process over the past three years, resulting from our transition to GrantSolutions.gov. This opportunity will be open for application through October 6, 2025.

Applications will need to be submitted through grantsolutions.gov, and you will need to create a login and password to access the system. There are recipient tutorials online linked below. Below are the steps you will need to take to access and locate the funding announcement. The funding announcement number is F25AS00320 and the full title is "FY2025 Golden Mussel Prevention and Control in the Western United States"

Please disseminate this opportunity to all interested parties. Please feel free to reach out to barak_shemai@fws.gov or cesar_blanco@fws.gov. The opportunity and instructions can also be found at grants.gov but applications may NOT be submitted through grants.gov. The grants.gov announcement can be found here 2025 Golden Mussel Grant Announcement.

Please follow these Instructions after creating a GRANTSOLUTIONS.GOV login and password.

• Sign into grantsolutions.gov
• Go to the Funding Opportunities page
• Once there use CTRL + F to search the name of the opportunity "name in full" or "Golden Mussel"
• You should see the QZAP opportunity - Select Apply on the far right

Links to the recipient training videos:

• https://www.doi.gov/grants/grantsolutions
• GS Recipient Training Videos, https://home.grantsolutions.gov/home/recipient-training-videos/

Link to general information:

• FWS GrantSolutions https://doimspp.sharepoint.com/sites/fws-FF09W00000/SitePages/GrantSolutions.aspx

Do not submit application through Grants.gov

On July 15, 2025, CDFW’s Invasive Species Program (ISP) laboratory staff detected a total of three suspected golden mussel (Limnoperna fortunei) veligers in plankton tow samples collected at Dock 25 in Lake Palmdale on June 26, 2025 and July 10, 2025. The veligers were confirmed by cross-polarized light microscopy (CPLM), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and DNA sequencing for species confirmation.

Lake Palmdale, also known as Harold Reservoir, is a freshwater storage reservoir located near the City of Palmdale in the Antelope Valley in Los Angeles County, CA, and is owned and operated by the Palmdale Water District (PWD). The lake’s two water sources include the East Branch of the California Aqueduct (State Water Project) and Littlerock Reservoir. Water is stored in Lake Palmdale and eventually treated at PWD’s Leslie O. Carter Water Treatment Plant for distribution to the public, serving residents and businesses of the City of Palmdale and unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.

Lake Palmdale receives water from the State Water Project’s East Branch and is the first detection of golden mussel on the East Branch. Multiple detections of golden mussel have been observed upstream of Lake Palmdale in the California Aqueduct.

For specific questions about Palmdale Water District’s response, please contact Scott Rogers, Assistant General Manager, at (661) 456-1020. For questions regarding CDFW’s response, please contact CDFW’s hotline at (866) 440-9530.