7102-R4_LSLA_2020_SummerNewsletter_Web

Courtesy Boat Inspection 2020 Hitchhiking plants and other invasive organisms.

Hitchhiking plants and other invasive organisms. Information courtesy of Maine DEP www.maine.gov/dep/water/invasives/inspect and Pam Wilkinson. We look forward to the date when the State puts the dock in at the boat ramp. As of this article it is not available but certainly should be mid may. LSLA has been informed that the attendants only can ask to check boats for milfoil and other invasive plants and educate the public. Parking will be first come first serve. Please be mindful of your parking to allow easy turns and flow of trailers entering and exiting the ramp. Please respect the marked no parking areas and leave room for this to happen. There is no parking on Mt. Hunger Shore road and the road association will call for your car to be towed and provide the contact information on how to retrieve your vehicle on its signs. Inspectors Jim and Jackie will be there to check your boats as they go in and out for invasive variable milfoil that is in our lake. We all need to be aware of other invasive plants and species that are threats from surrounding states. Sharing our invasive milfoil with other lakes is something we are trying to avoid and we certainly do not want new invasive threats brought into our lake. LSLA appreciates your cooperation during the process of checking your boat, trailer and other fishing tools. It only takes a moment to be a supporter of this effort. These preventive measures should be practiced whether you are bring your boat to the lake via the boat ramp, your friend’s entry to the lake or other ramp accesses. To avoid this transmission, the State has provided the following materials and photos to share:

Clean: Inspection will reveal plant fragments and other debris anywhere on the outside of the boat, but especially on and behind propellers, license plate holders, rollers or ‘bunks’ that the boats ride on, the trailer frame, and any gear on the outside of the boat. Check gear inside the boat – such as anchors and lines, chains, fishing tackle, the floor of the boat, and live wells. Drain: It is important to drain water from the boat and motor after removal from a waterbody to prevent the spread of small animals such as the

invasive zebra and quagga mussels, Asian clam and water flea. Drain the bilge, engine motor, live wells, and bait containers possibly before leaving the lake or before entering another lake. Wakeboard boats have ballast tanks which should also be drained before leaving the lake or entering another lake. Check jet boats and personal watercraft (PWCs) intake grates. In the perfect world it would be good to run the engine 5-10 seconds to blow out excess water and vegetation from internal drive before leaving the lake or entering another body of water. Dry: It is encouraged to dry the boat and equipment between uses at different lakes. This is especially important if it came from a known zebra mussel or spiny waterflea infested water. Drying can be done manually with a towel or by allowing the boat and equipment to dry thoroughly between uses.

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