By Kevin Laframboise

Lake Vernon, one of the four chain lakes in the Huntsville area, has a new, unwelcome, alien in its waterway – the Chinese mystery snail.

The Chinese mystery snail ( Cipangopaludina chinensis ) – is one of three invasive freshwater aquatic snail species in Ontario – has been identified in Lake Vernon and at the Camp Kitchen beach area of Fairy Lake; (reported in 2020) and is likely making its way into other connected waterways.

The Lake Vernon Association (LVA) is fighting back, with a multi-year Invasive Species Awareness and Management Plan to address the Chinese mystery snail and other invasive species that may pose a risk to Lake Vernon. This summer, just over 16,000 Chinese mystery snails were collected and eradicated during several LVA-sponsored “Snails

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