California is on high-alert these days thanks to a pesky aquatic species that is threatening to make its home in the Golden State. No, manatees haven't made it that far west—yet. State officials are worried about quagga mussels, a mollusk that is smaller than a quarter, and once it gets into local lakes, it's harder to get rid of than in-laws staying at your home during the holidays. The destructive mussel has already been found at Nevada's Lake Mead and Arizona's Lake Havasu.

Since the Colorado River flows through those heavenly bodies of waters and eventually into California and Mexico, it's only a matter of time that these mussels will show up, right? Not necessarily. Scientists say quagga mussels hitch rides in recreational boats, which is why they have arrived in the West from the Great Lakes. (It's believed the Great Lakes got them in the 1980s because of a ballast water discharge.)

These aquatic terrorists have done their share of destruction in the Great Lakes. They rapidly build underwater colonies on hulls, engines, piers and pilings. The mussels even have blocked water-intake pipes for cities and farmers who depend on the freshwater.

If left unchecked, the mussel disrupts the food chain by consuming phytoplankton, biologists say, and upsetting the water's biological balance. Unless California can get plenty of crayfish and diving ducks to Nevada and Arizona in a hurry, state officials have to find alternatives to stop the spread of what they are calling a potential "environmental and economic disaster."

That's why California's Department of Fish and Game is putting on a major campaign to educate boaters. Catchy slogans include, "Quagga Mussels ... Don't let them ride with you!" Now all California needs is for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to start doing commercials asking boaters to "Terminate" the quagga mussel.

Which brings me to my point. Government officials in recent years have been asking a lot of recreational boaters. They've mandated that we quiet our performance boats and have threatened speed limits on some lakes.

And since 2001, the U.S. Coast Guard has notably asked boaters to be on the lookout for terrorists. Now California officials are asking us for help in what is going to be a difficult task of stopping a tiny mussel.

Why can't we just go to the lake or the river, and worry about the simple things. Trying not to make eye contact with police officers on the patrol boat ... remembering to put on sunscreen ... wondering if the gas gauge really reads empty ... thinking if it's possible to refinance the house to buy a new boat.

Besides being an expert at my day job, I've got to know how to drive a boat and be skilled at spotting terrorists and the quagga mussel during my time on the water. The reason people get into boating is to get away from life's stresses. Now they want us to worry about important things like bad guys and mollusks.

Soon enough our Powerboat crew will be at the Colorado River to test a new crop of boats. On the launch ramp, I'll be on the lookout for quagga mussels and spreading the word to manufacturers about pulling drain plugs to make sure they don't give one of the organisms a ride back to California or any state for that matter. I'll preach about thoroughly washing boats and making sure all buckets are drained.

I won't enjoy it, but it's a responsibility all recreational boaters must undertake. With any hope, maybe the invasive quagga mussel will stay at California's borders