Rock Snot and Felt Soled Boots
I’m Susan Allen this is Open Range. The last few summers riding on my favorite high desert trails I have noticed a sad change, most are covered with knapp weed, a miserable prickly plant that is choking out native grasses. Our rivers and lakes are being invaded by non-natives as well. In fact the Columbia River in Central Washington near my home is now full of milfoil making it uncomfortable even dangerous to enjoy water sports. Recently a teenager nearly drowned having become tangled in it’s tendrils. The seaweed like plant can also prove deadly for hunting dogs doing water retrieves. Yet on the pristine stretch of river I skied this past weekend, near Hermiston it was milfoil free. It’s only a matter of time before boaters carry the spores downstream. More on how we can help coming up. We need to do what we can to stop invasive species that are spread by us; our vehicles, boats, even boots! In the Northwest we now have boat flush and check points to attempt to halt the spread of zebra muscles. If you fly fish listen up. A form of algae better known as rock snot is destroying the aquatic habitat in our mountain lakes and streams. The felt on the sole of wading boots we wear for stability for those "slippery as snot” rocks provides the perfect haven for spoors that drop off as we walk the river. It’s serious, one single cell on the felt bottom of my boot can spawn a new algae colony, the reason both Alaska and Vermont have banned felt soled boots. I am ready to take on knapweed and take off felt soled boots, for good! It’s a small sacrifice to help protect western habitat for future generations.
