Zebra mussels are a small freshwater mussel. This species was originally native to the lakes of southeast Russia being first described in 1769 by a German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas. They are still found nearby the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. However, it has been accidentally introduced by cargo boats through rivers and other waterways and has become an invasive species in many different countries.                                                                                                                                          

      Our community’s problem with zebra mussels is the fact that they are shutting down a lot of lakes. We want to raise awareness of the zebra mussels to make sure people check their boats for them, that way they don't go to another lake and continue the spread. There are no natural predators for the zebra mussels in the US, so the next best thing we can do is make sure people know about them. We are going to put up posters at places like Keystone Lake to help stop the spread of zebra mussels.