If you saw my last post about how to identify invasive macrophyte species in the Madison area, you might be curious about the steps you can take to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species.
One of the easiest ways you can help prevent invasive species from getting into your local lakes and rivers, is by taking a few minutes to clean of your kayak, paddle board, canoe, or other non-motorized watercraft. Cleaning off your watercraft is absolutely crucial to protect the native fish, plants, and invertebrates that play a key role in keeping lakes and rivers swimmable and enjoyable!
Step 1: CLEAN off any visible plants, animals, and mud from ALL your gear. This includes your paddles, ropes, anchors; basically anything that has touched the water.
Step 2: SCRUB and RISE watercraft to remove any hard to remove particles.
Step 3: DRAIN your watercraft, sponges, buckets or anything else containing water before leaving water access.
Step 4: DRY everything for 5 days or more. This means if you leave your boat outside, and it rains on the second day of drying, you will need to start over. No time to dry your watercraft? Wipe it down with a fresh towel and a small amount of bleach before heading to the next put in.
Do you have a motorized boat and want to know the extra steps to take to decontaminate?
Follow this link to the Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers website.
Taking the time to decontaminate your watercraft is easy and keeps our lakes and rivers clean and healthy so we can continue to enjoy them!
Comments