2017 marks the 4th year in which funding has been available to all Minnesota counties through the County AIS Prevention Aid program (Minnesota Statute 477A.19). Sherburne County is allocated ~$70,000 based upon the number of public boat landings and public access parking spaces. Sherburne Soil and Water Conservation District was delegated the task of administering these funds to prevent the introduction or limit the spread of AIS at all access sites within the county. Since 2014, Sherburne SWCD has overseen numerous county-wide programs in order to achieve the goal of AIS prevention.
Education & Awareness: Increasing the public’s knowledge of AIS is believed to be the best way to passively reduce AIS transport. Since 2014, elementary students in several county schools have seen performances by a Minneapolis theater group which teach the AIS prevention message in a fun, interactive way. This year, over 1,000 students were included in this experience. Other awareness efforts include guest speakers at local events, an AIS themed billboard along US-10 near Becker, and promotional items handed out at lake association meetings and other events. A consistent message to “Clean, Drain and Dry” water-related gear provides a slogan is pointedly effective and also easy to remember.
Inspections & Enforcement: A more direct means of educating the public on AIS is to station watercraft inspectors at the public water access points in the county. These DNR-certified inspectors ensure that watercraft owners are decontaminating their vessels after visiting lakes with AIS (think “Clean, Drain, Dry”) and are following state AIS laws regarding decontamination. 1,000 hours of inspections has been allocated for in 2017 at eight county public access sites. Additionally, a partnership has been established with local county Sheriff Water Patrol Deputies to provide AIS law training for them. Additionally, these deputies will be patrolling area lakes during the summer holiday weekends and looking for opportunities to educate the public on AIS Prevention, in addition to assisting in matters of safety and lawfulness.
Monitoring: Sherburne County lake associations will be again participating in a program designed to monitor for the non-native zebra mussel through “early detection” sampling. The equipment and laboratory analysis fees are paid through the AIS Prevention funds. Sherburne SWCD will contract again this year with Conservation Corps of Minnesota staff to complete searches of area lakes for established invasive plants. Additionally, the county will participate in a University of Minnesota Extension sponsored “Starry Trek” day, in which citizens across the state will be trained on identification and surveying techniques for starry stonewort, Minnesota’s newest and potentially most concerning non-native plant.
Partnership Building: The programs levied through the AIS Prevention funds have had several initial direct impacts, but a further benefit is the partnerships that have been established. Partnerships have been made with law enforcement, elementary students and teachers, university researchers, local government, and lake users of all types. A new county-wide grant program will provide $20,000 to area lake groups which will assist in lake management planning, control of existing AIS populations, and fund innovative ideas related to community capacity building. Finally, a county-wide collaborative effort to establish a Coalition of Lake Associations (COLA) will further expand partnerships and discussion on the topic of AIS in the county by amplifying the voice of lake property owners and their concerns.
It is important to recognize the victories and continued efforts to better understand these non-native plants and animals as well as the hard working citizens and agencies that aim to fight their spread. For more information on how you can participate in these efforts, please contact Dan Cibulka at the Sherburne SWCD (763-567-5369, dcibulka@sherburneswcd.org).
