04/21/2026
“They are very rapid reproducers,” described Madeline Baker, an invasive species specialist with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Each female can each produce up to one million eggs. They can survive in warm water, cold water, polluted water and at higher elevations. They can live for up to 30 days out of the water.
“There’s nowhere in Colorado we don’t think they can live,” Baker said.
Bakich, who also presented at the summit, described how the zebra mussels can promote the growth of toxic blue-green algae, remove resources relied on by sportfish and other species, decrease biodiversity, shift species composition, and “Outcompete and overwhelm aquatic habitats and resident species. They will literally attach to anything.”
Clean, drain and dry
Roaring Fork Conservancy Executive Director Rick Lofaro described a needed cultural shift to keep aquatic nuisance species from spreading.
“We need our river recreation culture to adopt cleaning principles — every single time — it’s gotta be worked into the culture,” Lafaro said at the Friday event.
After the invasive zebra mussels were detected in the main stem Colorado River around Glenwood in October 2025, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is working diligently to stop the spread and raise awareness about the destructive mollusks.
