By Tom Boisvert

Lincoln County Conservation Program Manager

LINCOLN COUNTY – Many boaters and anglers throughout northern Wisconsin have become familiar with Clean Boats, Clean Waters (CBCW) inspectors stationed at local boat landings.

These inspectors help remind people of the ways they can prevent the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS), and provide educational information on AIS and the state regulations that prevent their spread. These inspectors are critical to reducing the spread of AIS.

As the old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Once AIS get into a waterbody, eradicating and/or controlling that species can become very challenging for natural resources managers. Beyond the logistical hurdles that come with managing AIS, the pocket books of local lake organizations can also be impacted significantly.

Because of this, many lake organizations have found immense value in recruiting volunteers for the CBCW program, and in some cases, hiring paid employees to be stationed at their boat launches.

Two local lake organizations in Lincoln County have partnered with the Lincoln County Land Services Department to expand CBCW efforts at their launches.

The Friends of Lake Mohawksin (FOLM) and the Lake Nokomis Lake District (LNLD) both gave financial contributions to the Lincoln County AIS program. These contributions were used as matching funds on a CBCW grant application with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

This grant was recently awarded and will allow Lincoln County to hire CBCW inspectors that will be stationed on Lake Mohawksin and Lake Nokomis landings throughout the coming summer months.

These inspectors will help prevent AIS from entering Lake Mohawksin and Lake Nokomis, but will also be preventing AIS already in those waters from leaving and potentially becoming established in another area lakes or rivers.

Beyond this, the contributions to Lincoln County will allow two AIS positions to be hired for 2023, rather than only one position as in years past. These positions conduct CBCW inspections as mentioned above, but will also complete a variety of other tasks throughout the summer to limit the spread of AIS within Lincoln County.

For questions regarding the Lincoln County CBCW program, contact Tom Boisvert, Lincoln County Conservation Program Manager, at [email protected].

Lastly, remember:

• Inspect boats, trailers and equipment for attached aquatic plants or animals.
• Remove all attached mud, plants or animals.
• Drain all water from boats, motors, livewells and other equipment.
• Never move live fish away from a waterbody.
• Dispose of unwanted bait in the trash.
• Buy minnows from a Wisconsin bait dealer.

Following these steps helps boaters comply with Wisconsin state law, which prohibits the transport of aquatic invasive species.

To learn more about invasive species and their impacts to Wisconsin’s waters and economy, visit www.DNR.wi.gov and search “Invasive Species.”