Quagga/Zebra Mussel News

The following information is being forwarded on behalf of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

The Funding Opportunity for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife QZAP FY2023 has officially been posted. The total funding amount for projects is approximately $2,200,000.00, which is similar to last year. 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 June 12, 2023.

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 F23AS00319 and the full title is "F23AS00319 FY2023 Implementation of the Quagga and Zebra Mussel Action Plan (QZAP) in the Western United States - 2023".

Please disseminate this opportunity to all interested parties. Please feel free to reach out to Barak Shemai, USFWS Invasive Species Coordinator, at barak_shemai@fws.gov. The opportunity can also be found at grants.gov but applications may NOT be submitted through grants.gov.

2023 QZAP GRANT

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 "QZAP"
• 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

Link to general information:

• FWS GrantSolutions

DO NOT SUBMIT APPLICATIONS THROUGH GRANTS.GOV

The following information is being forwarded on behalf of the California State Parks' Division of Boating and Waterways:

2023 QZ GRANT SOLICITATION NOTICE AND PRESENTATION

A Presentation will be conducted via MS Teams on:

April 13, 2023 10:00 a.m. to noon

The application window is

April 10, 2023 to May 19, 2023

The Solicitation Notice, pre-registration for the On-Line Grant Application (OLGA) system, Guidelines, Presentation materials, and other QZ Grant documents for the 2023 Grant Cycle, are now available on the DBW website: dbw.ca.gov/QZGrant.

Presentation: The Presentation will give an overview of the QZ Grant Program, including eligibility requirements and information related to the utilization of the OLGA system.

RSVP: As a courtesy, please RSVP for the Presentation by April 7, 2023, to QZGrant@parks.ca.gov with the following information:

1. Name of Attendee(s)
2. Agency
3. Phone Number
4. E-mail address
5. Questions (submitting questions in advance is appreciated)

Preparation: Interested applicants should do the following with the information available on our web page:

• Pre-register for OLGA access following the OLGA Step-by-Step Instructions.
  • Review "Application Materials," including the pre-recorded OLGA Instructional Webinar.
  • Access the 2023 Presentation Notice and QZ Grant Presentation slides under "Grant Announcements."

For questions specific to quagga/zebra mussel monitoring, or for prevention planning, contact our sister agency, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, at Invasives@wildlife.ca.gov or (866) 440-9530.

The following information is being forwarded on behalf of the California State Parks' Division of Boating and Waterways:

GRANT ANNOUNCEMENT

California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) will accept applications for the 2023 Quagga and Zebra Mussel Infestation Prevention Grant Program: April 10, 2023 - May 19, 2023, subject to available funds.

Minimum Eligibility Requirements:

1. Grant applicant must own/manage any aspect of the water in a reservoir where recreational activities are permitted.
2. The reservoir must be open to the public.
3. Grant applicant must demonstrate that the reservoir is uninfested with dreissenid mussels. To demonstrate that the reservoir is uninfested, applicants must provide mussel monitoring data collected since March 2022. Monitoring data can be from surface surveys, artificial substrates, and plankton tows.

Tier 1 Planning and Assessment Grant:

• For preparing or updating a Prevention Plan: Applicants that do not already have a CDFW-accepted prevention plan can apply for a planning and assessment grant in order to develop or update a CDFW-accepted prevention plan for the reservoir.

Tier 2 Implementation Grant:

• For implementing activities in a current Prevention Plan: To be eligible for an implementation grant, applicants must provide a letter from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) at the time of application that states CDFW has reviewed and accepted a prevention plan for the reservoir (per Fish and Game Code Section 2302 and California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 672.1(b)).

For questions regarding quagga/zebra mussel monitoring, or for prevention planning, contact CDFW at Invasives@wildlife.ca.gov or Telephone: (866) 440-9530.

A Solicitation Notice including application and Workshop/Webinar information will be sent prior to opening of the grant application window. The Notice will also be posted on DBW's QZ Grant Program website.

On January 6, 2023, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) detected a single quagga mussel veliger using cross-polarized microscopy in a large volume plankton net sample collected at Metropolitan’s Foothill Feeder Pressure Control Structure, which is downstream of Castaic Lake. The veliger was confirmed as a quagga mussel by PCR and DNA sequencing.

Adult quagga mussels were previously detected by the California Department of Water Resources in Castaic Lake in August 2021.

For questions specific to Metropolitan’s facilities and response, please contact Paul Rochelle, Water Quality Section Manager, at (909) 392-5155.

For questions regarding CDFW’s response, please contact CDFW’s hotline at (866) 440-9530.

The following information is being forwarded on behalf of the California State Parks' Division of Boating and Waterways:

SAVE-THE-DATE GRANT ANNOUNCEMENT

California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) expects to open the application window for the 2022 Quagga and Zebra Mussel Infestation Prevention Program Grant Cycle in March 2022, subject to available funds.

Minimum Eligibility Requirements:

1. Grant applicant must own/manage any aspect of the water in a reservoir;
2. The reservoir must be open to the public for recreation; and
3. Grant applicant must demonstrate that the reservoir is uninfested with dreissenid mussels.

To demonstrate that the reservoir is uninfested, applicants must provide mussel monitoring data collected since March 2021. Monitoring data can be from surface surveys, artificial substrates, and plankton tows.

Tier 2 Implementation Grant:

• To be eligible for an implementation grant, applicants must provide a letter from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) at the time of application that states CDFW has reviewed and accepted a prevention plan for the reservoir (per Fish and Game Code Section 2302 and California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 672.1(b)).

Tier 1 Planning and Assessment Grant:

• Applicants that do not already have a CDFW-accepted prevention plan can apply for a planning and assessment grant in order to develop a CDFW-accepted prevention plan for the reservoir.

For questions regarding quagga/zebra mussel monitoring, or for prevention planning, including how to obtain a letter from CDFW, contact CDFW at Invasives@wildlife.ca.gov or Telephone: (866) 440-9530.

A Solicitation Notice including specific dates and application information will be sent prior to opening of the grant application window. The notice will also be posted on the DBW website.

* Forwarded from the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission *

Virtual Watercraft Inspection Trainings for the first quarter of 2022

Upcoming Classes:

• WIT Level 1 – Inspector Training - (2 days; 8 a.m. - Noon PST) check website for registration links - 3 classes available in 2022
• WIT Level 2 – Inspector & Decontamination Training - (3 days; 8 a.m. - Noon PST) check website for registration links - 3 classes available in 2022
• WIT Level 3 - Trainer Training - check website for eligibility requirements and registration - 3 classes available in 2022

Classes fill up quickly. If you plan to attend or send students, register soon.

For more information contact: "Quagga D" Davis, (702) 236-3814, quaggadee@cox.net

Starting September 2021, the purchase of a Mussel Fee sticker is now a separate transaction from your vessel registration and renewal. Vessel owners may purchase the Mussel Fee Sticker directly from DMV's website at dmv.ca.gov/musselfee or through their local DMV field office. Vessel owners will no longer have the option to buy it via telephone, mail, or third-party vendor. Refer to DBW's Mussel Fee Sticker Insert (PDF) for more information about this process.

Boaters who recreate in fresh water, should be prepared for inspections throughout the state as waterbody owners and managers diligently work to ensure California's waterbodies remain mussel-free. Boaters are encouraged to clean, drain, and dry their boats whenever they leave the water. To learn more about how you can help prevent the spread of quagga and zebra mussels, please visit dbw.parks.ca.gov/StopQZ.

Still have questions about the Mussel Fee Sticker?

See the Mussel Fee Sticker FAQs (PDF) for more information.

For questions specific to quagga/zebra mussel monitoring, or for prevention planning, contact CDFW, at Invasives@wildlife.ca.gov or (866) 440-9530.

On May 20, 2021, Rancho California Water District (RCWD) notified the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) that RCWD discovered adult quagga mussel in the Santa Margarita River, Riverside County, approximately 1,000 feet downstream from the San Diego Pipeline #5 WR-34 Discharge Site. San Diego Pipeline #5 transports water from Lake Skinner, a lake known to have quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) since August 2007. Water from Lake Skinner is chlorinated, transported via San Diego Pipeline #5, then de-chlorinated at the WR-34 Discharge Site before being discharged into the Santa Margarita River. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) manages Lake Skinner, the chlorination, and the pipeline, while RCWD manages the dichlorination and discharge into the Santa Margarita River.

Santa Margarita River is west of the CA I-15 Highway in Temecula. Murrieta Creek and Temecula Creek merge to form the Santa Margarita River. The WR-34 Discharge Site is located just below the confluence of Murrieta Creek and Temecula Creek, and flows directly into the Santa Margarita River.

On May 21, CDFW Region 5 and 6 staff conducted surface surveys for presence/absence of mussels in Murrieta Creek working downstream to the Upper Santa Margarita River to the WR-34 discharge site. CDFW laboratory has visually identified the specimens as quagga mussels and confirmed that identification with PCR analysis. CDFW staff will conduct additional surface surveys in Santa Margarita River and at Lake O’Neill.

In December 2014, the US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) notified CDFW of a positive detection from an October plankton tow sample collected near the same area of the Santa Margarita River. Follow up sampling by USBR, CDFW, and MWD in 2015 confirmed the presence of veligers in multiple samples, and several unpreserved samples were examined and no veligers exhibited movement. In June 2017 CDFW analyzed samples collected by RCWD and no mussels were detected.

For questions that are specific to RCWD, please contact Eva Plajzer, P.E., Assistant General Manager, RCWD, at (951) 296-6910. For questions regarding CDFW's response, please contact Dominique Norton at (916) 203-4499.

The following information is being forwarded on behalf of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

The Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force requests proposals to build upon previous assessments and evaluate aspects of the Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! campaign, Clean Drain Dry Initiative™, and PlayCleanGo campaign to determine what messages and delivery strategies are most effective to achieve desired behavioral changes. It is the intent that the results of this assessment will be used by the ANS Task Force, regional ANS panels, states, and partners to produce a national communications and marketing framework that increases the effectiveness and reach of outreach campaigns and encourages prevention behaviors to stop the spread of invasive species through recreational activities.

Grants.gov Opportunity Number: F21AS00229

Applications should be submitted electronically using the GrantSolutions system. Applications are due by midnight Eastern Time on March 10, 2021.

Questions may be directed to Susan Pasko, US Fish and Wildlife Service at (703) 358-2466 or susan_pasko@fws.gov.

The following information is being forwarded on behalf of the California Department of Food and Agriculture:

The California Department of Food and Agriculture's Needles Border Protection Station has temporarily closed as of 3:00pm on Tuesday, December 29, 2020 due to COVID-19. The Station is anticipated to reopen at 7:00 a.m., January 5. During this closure traffic is being routed around the station and incoming shipments and watercraft will not be inspected. Alternatively, the public can go to the Vidal, Mountain Pass, or Blythe Stations for processing of incoming shipments.

Please be aware that during this time watercraft entering California via I-40 will not be inspected.