Candlewood Lake is under direct threat of many new invasive species entering our waters and establishing themselves. The biggest threat right now is zebra mussels, which have infected many lakes nationwide, and inhabit the waters of the Housatonic River, Lakes Zoar and Lillinonah, Lake Housatonic, the Twin Lakes, the Hudson River, Lake George, and Lake Champlain. If we're not careful when we go from one lake to another with our boats, trailers, PWC's, kayaks etc., we risk introducing all kinds of non-native and invasive species into that body of water.
A non-native species is something that is introduced either intentionally or accidentally to an area, but does not disrupt the ecosystem or cause environmental harm. An invasive species is a non-native species (plant or animal) that when introduced will see significant population growth and have negative impacts to the environment and ecology of the area.
Candlewood has already been battling an abundant invasive plant species for decades, Eurasian watermilfoil. The biggest outside threat to Candlewood at the moment are zebra mussels, with the plants hydrilla and water chestnut of concern as both have been found recently in nearby water bodies.
