An invasive species has been discovered in Iowa’s largest natural lake. Mike Hawkins, a biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says the presence of zebra mussels in Big Spirit Lake has been confirmed in two ways.
Hawkins says the latest sample “got a hit” for zebra mussel larvae in the lake water. Big Spirit Lake is upstream from the Okoboji chain. Zebra mussels were discovered in the Okoboji area in 2012.
Zebra mussels form colonies on hard surfaces just below the water line, including boat propellers and swimming ladders.
Big Spirit Lake sits a mile north of the city of Spirit Lake, along the Iowa-Minnesota border. Big Spirit covers nearly 57-hundred acres, making it the largest lake among the Iowa Great Lakes.
