New boat launch signage installed to prevent invasive mussel spread

The Okanagan Basin Water Board has taken a new approach to try to prevent invasive mussels from entering the local waterways.

As part of the ‘Don’t Move a Mussel’ campaign, first-of-its kind boat launch stencils with messaging urging boaters to clean, drain and dry their vessels have been painted at select spots in West Kelowna and Peachland.

A boat launch with the new Don’t Move a Mussel stencil (Image Credit: OBWB)

The new signage, launched as a pilot project between the OBWB and the Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society and local governments, aimed to encourage boaters to follow the simple steps and help prevent bringing invasive mussels or other species into the Okanagan.