Other lakes and streams in Wisconsin are at risk. Check the ways you think zebra mussels can get from one body of water to another. Boaters use their boats in several places without cleaning them with hot water. Kids, mucking in a lake, slosh over to a different lake and empty out their boots. Anglers take their bait buckets from lakes to rivers and empty them into the waters.
Someone gets bored with a pet zebra mussel and releases it in a new home.
Ducks, with muddy feet, fly off to new watery homes. Water plants get stuck on boats or other equipment and are carried to different bodies of water. If you find a zebra mussel, take a close look at it. While we are not crazy about having them in Wisconsin, they are fascinating animals. Do not put the mussel back into the water.