218-326-5573
The Itasca FiveStar Initiative
The Itasca AIS Program and the Deer Lake Association have partnered to create and implement the FiveStar Initiative. FiveStar enrolls and promotes to the public area businesses who are savvy about AIS and implement prescribed AIS safeguards. FiveStar Lake Service Providers (LSP) are DNR-certified, sign a contract agreeing to apply additional specified AIS best-practices and safeguards when moving from one lake or river to another, and agree to help identify and disseminate AIS best practices and safeguards throughout Itasca County. FiveStar Resorts agree to implement a set of simple common-sense AIS safeguards. In return, the Itasca AIS Program and participating lake associations agree to market FiveStar providers to lake and river property owners.
To implement FiveStar successfully, we need service providers to agree to participate, AND we need the public, particularly lake and river property owners, to patronize FiveStar providers. The Itasca AIS Program is marketing directly to providers via direct mail, personal outreach, free media, social media, and paid advertising. We’re marketing separately and directly to lake and river property owners through those same avenues.
FiveStar Lake Service Providers
Agree to implement the following AIS safeguards in addition to earning and maintaining Minnesota DNR Permitted status:
- My firm monitors closely the official DNR list of infested waters so we are always up to date on which waters are infested. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/ais/infested.html
- My firm agrees that any equipment I use in AIS infested lakes or rivers will before its use in any other waters always undergo a thorough inspection performed by myself, by a DNR-certified AIS technician on my staff, or by the Itasca AIS program (218-256-4243). Following inspection, some watercraft and gear may require decontamination.
Decontamination for recreational gear like waders, inner-tubes, and other similar gear that can't hold standing water, many times can be accomplished by visual inspection, removal of weeds and mud, along with a thorough warm or cold fresh-water rinse.
Watercraft, barges, trailers, and gear that can hold standing water AND are coming from infested waters into any other lake or river always require thermal decontamination to DNR-spec, performed by a DNR-certified AIS technician on my staff or by the Itasca AIS Program. - Decontamination always includes a non-contact infrared thermometer to verify water temperature.
- My firm agrees to certify that any used dock, lift, swim-raft, anchor, ladder, buoy, or any similar water-related equipment we sell or are asked to move from one water body to another has been out of the water and dried out for at least 21 days AND undergone a thorough thermal decontamination performed by the Itasca County AIS program (218-256-4243) or other DNR-certified AIS technician.
- My firm agrees that the Itasca AIS program may from time-to-time visit and review my operations to determine that my firm is abiding by this Agreement and offer recommendations for improvement.
FiveStar Marine Dealers
Agree to implement the following AIS safeguards:
- My firm monitors closely the official DNR list of infested waters so we are always up to date on which waters are infested. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/ais/infested.html
- My firm’s testing for new and repaired watercraft and engines, and all new and used watercraft engine customer test drives, are performed only on un-infested waters OR watercraft, trailer, engine, live well, ballast tank, and any other water-related gear or equipment entering infested waters will afterwards always undergo a thorough decontamination at required temperatures and durations via a thermal decontamination unit operated by the Itasca County AIS program (218-256-4243) or a properly trained AIS technician employed by my dealership. Lives wells, ballast tanks, standing water, and inboard engines require special care and flushing. Decontamination always includes a non-contact infrared thermometer to verify water temperature.
- My firm’s rental watercraft and trailers including pontoons, fishing boats, jet-skis, trailers we rent for pontoon and other seasonal launch and landing, canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, paddle boards, plus swim rafts, inner-tubes, and similar recreational and water-related gear are rented only for use in un-infested waters OR undergo a thorough thermal decontamination as described in #1 above AND are thoroughly inspected by a certified inspector from the Itasca County AIS program (218-256-4243) or properly trained AIS technician employed by my dealership.
- My firm’s used docks, boat lifts, swim rafts, canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, inner-tubes, waders, life preservers, water skis, wakeboards, anchors, ladders, buoys, and similar used equipment and gear for sale will be dried out for at least 21 days before sale AND will be thoroughly inspected as described above.
- My firm agrees that the Itasca AIS program may from time-to-time visit and review my operations to determine that my firm is abiding by this Agreement and offer recommendations for improvement.
FiveStar Resorts, Camps, Campgrounds and Vacation Rentals:
Agree to implement the following AIS safeguards:
- My firm monitors closely the official DNR list of infested waters so we are always up to date on which waters are infested. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/ais/infested.html
- My firm agrees to provide AIS prevention information to my guests prior to their stay, for example along with my reservation confirmation materials. My firm also agrees to provide AIS prevention information in the welcome packet or in the resort information booklet we keep in each guest cabin or guest room.
- My guests may bring watercraft and other recreational gear to use during their stay, or will move their boat during their stay from one lake or river to another for fishing or recreation. My firm agrees that we will ask guests what lakes or rivers those items were in prior to arrival, and whether those items have undergone clean, drain, dispose, and dry.
If watercraft and gear have been in infested waters within the past five days, my firm’s policy is to inspect watercraft and gear prior to launch. My firm will perform those inspections or I will refer my guests to the Itasca AIS program for inspection.
Following inspection, some watercraft and gear may require decontamination. Decontamination for recreational gear like waders, inner-tubes, fishing, and other similar gear that can't hold standing water, many times can be accomplished by visual inspection, removal of weeds and mud, along with a thorough warm or cold fresh-water rinse. Watercraft, trailers, and gear coming from infested waters require careful inspection and may require thermal decontamination to DNR-spec by trained professionals on my firm’s staff or certified staff from the Itasca AIS program.
- My firm agrees that the Itasca AIS program may from time-to-time visit and review my AIS-related operations to offer opportunities and recommendations for improvement.
Property owners are responsible to determine whether the dealership or lake service provider has the skills and capabilities necessary to deliver the product or service the customer wishes to purchase. The Itasca AIS Program is not a party to that transaction and makes no warranty for the listed provider’s services. The Itasca AIS program is simply listing service providers who signed an agreement describing and promising to employ AIS and other safeguards.