The Lake Where You Live

In the words of Minnesota DNR researcher Paul Radomski, “You would have to be living under a rock” not to know about the need to inspect and clean your boat on entering or leaving a lake to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.

That’s a testament to how extensive Clean Boats Clean Waters education has been. And yet, invasive species continue to spread. To cite just one data point, the Minnesota DNR’s 2022 AIS Annual Report says 61 waters were newly invaded in that year, 44 of them by zebra mussels. 

So a fair question is: In the face of all that education, why does this still happen? A recent study in Michigan looked for answers. It was sponsored by the DNR, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. 

Carrie Meier, studying for a master’s degree in the Fisheries and Wildlife Department at Michigan State University, led the project.

In an August 10 webinar, “Why Oh Why Won’t They Clean Drain and Dry,” Meier cited a gap between knowledge and action for AIS prevention. At the heart of the study were in-person interviews with 499 boaters and 488 anglers who fish while wearing waders. I’ll focus here on the boats, which covered all varieties of watercraft, motorized or not.

In those interviews at heavily used lakes and rivers, only 39 percent said they always cleaned their watercraft. Another 36 percent said they cleaned often or sometimes, and 13 percent said they never cleaned. To my surprise, when asked why they cleaned, more said they did so to keep the equipment tidy or to prolong its life than to prevent the spread of AIS.

For those who didn’t clean their boats, the three most common reasons given were: it takes too much time, it’s inconvenient, and it’s not necessary. That last one is a shocker when we consider the frequency of reach of AIS public education. To address the objections based on time and inconvenience, Meier said public education could include demonstrations showing that cleaning is easy and takes only a few minutes. 

The study found clear correlations between awareness of AIS impacts and willingness to inspect and clean boats. For example, Meier found that among those who considered AIS prevention important, 71 percent believed cleaning their boats would likely make a difference. 

As for boat cleaning stations, including those with hot-water pressure washers, the research found that signage identifying the station and telling how to use it helps keep boaters from simply driving by. Meier also noted that such stations should be located out of boat landing traffic patterns; that avoids the perception that cleaning a boat delays launches and departures. 

The study found that natural-resource-related agencies were boaters’ top source of information about AIS, named by 66 percent of respondents. Forty percent cited word of mouth, 29 percent social media, and 29 percent internet. 

Public education has done a great deal to help prevent the spread of AIS. The Michigan study and others show that substantial work still needs to be done. 

Ted Rulseh is a writer, author and lake advocate who lives on Birch Lake in Oneida County. His new book, “Ripple Effects,” has been released by UW Press. You can learn about it by visiting his website at https://thelakeguy.net.