Minnesota DNR News

Road Check Finds Boaters Missing Message

A recent educational road check of boats, conducted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in the Chisago Lakes area, found that many boaters are still inadvertently transporting aquatic plants on their boats, anchors, motors and trailer. A law passed this spring by the Minnesota Legislature to protect the state's waters from harmful exotic species makes transporting aquatic plants illegal and carries a $50 civil penalty.

Although most of the plants discovered during the road check were not Eurasian watermilfoil, the high percentage of boats carrying aquatic vegetation has DNR officials concerned, said Jay Rendall, DNR exotic species coordinator. Because of the difficulty of correctly identifying Eurasian watermilfoil, and because any aquatic plant can carry zebra mussells, boaters need to completely remove all plants from their boats before they leave the boat landing. Rendall said. This road check shows that many people still haven't gotten the message or aren't taking it seriously.

During the August 3rd raod check, DNR conservationn officers examined 188 trailered boats, 102 of which carried aquatic plants. Because the law is relatively new, this was an educational effort and offenders were given warnings. Rendall said. However, we will be stepping up enforcement of the exotic species law during the rest of the boating season to help raise awareness of the laws and to prevent the spread of harmful exotic species in Minnesota.

So far this summer, four additional lakes in Minnesota have been identified with Eurasian watermilfoil infestations. They are Whaletail and Wirth Lakes in Hennepin County, Gilchrist Lake in Pope County and Twin Lakes in Dakota County.

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