Randy Posner wasn’t necessarily on the lookout for fishing violations.
Posner was looking for water.
At the access at Gull Lake’s Hole-in-the-Day Bay, he had come to the right place, one might think. Looking out over the refurbished access, there was water as far as the eye could see.
But Posner was looking for water in the parking lot at the access. For lake water — in minnow buckets, livewells and on the floor of boats coming to or from Gull on Tuesday.
That’s a priority for lakes area DNR conservation officers such as Posner in the state’s stepped-up battle against aquatic invasive species.
Legislation aimed at strengthening Minnesota’s ability to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species was signed into law May 27 by Gov. Mark Dayton. Among the results will be more thorough watercraft inspections and stronger regulations to prohibit the transportation of invasive species, which explained this checkpoint on Gull Lake, which was being monitored by Posner and fellow DNR Conservation Officer Rob Haberman out of Little Falls and a DNR intern.
The new law, which received bipartisan support in the Legislature, is the product of a year-long effort by the DNR to gather input from stakeholders, including lake associations, angler groups, conservation organizations, businesses, counties and local units of government. And as part of that effort, the DNR will add new authorized inspectors to ensure compliance with invasive species laws.
“It gives us inspection authority,” said Posner, who works out of Brainerd. “They (anglers/boaters) have to submit to inspection.”
And the new laws now cover more than just watercraft and trailers. Docks, lifts, rafts, trailers, livewells, bait containers and water-hauling equipment capable of transporting aquatic invasive species are addressed in the new regulations. All such water-related equipment, including portable bait containers, must be drained before leaving any water access. Anglers who want to keep leftover bait alive should bring fresh water to replace existing water in bait containers.
But this monitoring of Gull wasn’t just the result of legislation signed into law late last month. With the discovery of zebra mussels in October in Gull, a plan to battle aquatic invasive species in the Brainerd area’s most popular fishing and recreational lake was in the works soon after and DNR inspectors greeted anglers at Gull and many other lakes in the state and area on the fishing opener.
For the most part, those inspectors are there to educate anglers and remind them that lake water — in minnow buckets, live wells and boats — must be drained before leaving an access so as to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species such as zebra mussels.
“We stop and talk to them. It’s courtesy work and education as well,” said Posner, who said he and other conservation officers are mostly reminding anglers of the process and issuing the occasional warning. But few if any tickets have been issued as the conservation officers are concentrating on educating anglers so far this open-water season. “The hardest thing to get a hold of is the bait containers. They don’t want to drain the minnows.”
In about an hour on this excessively hot and humid day in the Brainerd area, Posner and company inspected three boats at the access. Two still had water in the boat.
“My observations are people are getting good at pulling the plug 60-70 percent of the time on Gull Lake but they’re struggling with emptying the bait.”
One angler who came off Gull at the access appeared put out by the inspection.
“They think we’re wasting time — ‘What are you doing sitting in the parking lot?’ they’ll say,” Posner said. “And they don’t like to be bothered by interns. But they see us and know they have to talk to us.”
To help ensure that watercraft owners are familiar with the new regulations, free DNR decals will be distributed later this summer at boat and bait dealers, DNR license sellers, stores, at DNR offices and by DNR conservation officers and watercraft inspectors. Failure to display the decals on watercraft will be a petty misdemeanor after Aug. 1, 2014.
Accelerated inspections are a key element in the heightened efforts to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species. Currently, the DNR employs 100 seasonal watercraft inspectors and interns who work at public accesses around the state. The DNR will hire new authorized inspectors, who along with conservation officers will visually and tactilely inspect water-related equipment. Those inspectors may require the removal, drainage, decontamination or treatment of water-related equipment to prevent the transportation of aquatic invasive species.
The new law puts some muscle behind the requirements. Authorized inspectors can prohibit the launching or operation of water-related equipment if a person refuses to allow an inspection or doesn’t remove water or aquatic invasive species. A civil citation and a one-year watercraft license suspension can be the result.
Businesses that install or remove water-related equipment or structures will also be held to higher standards. They must complete invasive species training and pass an examination in order to qualify for a required permit, which will be valid for three years. People who work for the service providers must also complete DNR training.
And, of course, boat drain plugs must be left our while transporting, and replaced before launching. The DNR has produced an instructional video that explains the state’s new aquatic invasive species laws and shows boaters what they are required to do when leaving Minnesota waters. The four-minute video features underwater footage of zebra mussels, takes viewers along on a boat inspection at Lake Minnetonka and provides tips for doing a thorough cleaning that will keep boaters legal. The video is available at www.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/invasives/index.html.
An “umbrella group” of lake associations in Cass County also has stepped up AIS education, distributing an informative kit to the area’s 130 resorts and campgrounds to inform guests of the dangers of these species to lakes and rivers.
“The single best way to prevent the spread of non-native species is by communication with all who bring watercraft to our lakes,” said Jerry Lerom of Longville, president of the Association of Cass Country Lakes, sponsor of the kits.
The kits, which were funded by a grant from the DNR, include brochures on aquatic invasive species and how to stop them from entering lakes.
ACCL is a voluntary coalition of 37 lake associations in or adjacent to Cass County. For more information on the ACCL and the kits, go to www.acclakes.org.
BRIAN S. PETERSON may be reached at brian.peterson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5864. To follow him on Twitter, go to www.twitter.com/brian_speterson. For his blogs, go to www.brainerddispatch.com.
