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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Zebra mussels confirmed in Rainy Lake

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REGIONAL—The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has confirmed zebra mussel larvae in Rainy Lake, in St. Louis County. Around one-third of the lake is located within Voyageurs National Park, although the zebra mussel larvae were found in waters outside the park boundary.
Four of five DNR water samples taken in July of 2021 contained zebra mussel larvae, suggesting a reproducing zebra mussel population. These samples followed up on a July 2020 report of a single adult zebra mussel.
At that time, the DNR did not find zebra mussels in Rainy Lake and none of the microscopic zebra mussel larvae were found in water samples.
The DNR has been in contact with the Canadian government, the National Park Service and the Bois Forte Band about this zebra mussel confirmation.
While recent NPS samples did not show veligers, the larger monitoring effort will be important to understanding how extensively zebra mussels may be spread throughout this connected system of lakes, which includes Namakan, Sand Point, Kabetogama, and Crane.