218-326-5573You will need to read and sign the affirmation when you register your boat. Follow all AIS laws including Clean, Drain, Dry, and dispose of your bait properly when coming off the lake.
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In 2014, the State of Minnesota passed a tax bill that provides funding for aquatic invasive species (AIS) prevention. This funding provided $10 million to counties each year to prevent the introduction and limit the spread of aquatic invasive species. The funds are allocated based on each county's share of watercraft trailer launches and each county's share of watercraft trailer parking spaces.
Itasca County received $572,784 for state fiscal year 2017 and $621,124 for state fiscal year 2018.
The Itasca County Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Program Plan for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2017 was approved by the Itasca County Commissioners in March 2016. The Itasca AIS Plan was drafted by the Itasca County Aquatic Invasive Species Technical Advisory Committee (AIS Tech Committee). The AIS Tech Committee is composed of the Itasca AIS Coordinator and up to two representatives from the following agencies/entities:
- US Forest Service - Chippewa National Forest
- Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
- University of Minnesota Extension
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
- Itasca County Environmental Services
- Itasca Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD)
- Itasca Coalition of Lake Associations (ICOLA)
- Itasca Water Legacy Partnership (IWLP)
Five "priority areas" were each managed by a lead agency or organization that was responsible for accomplishing the AIS priorities specific to that priority area and managing the funding allocated to that priority area. In 2017 all non-County priority areas were managed by the Itasca Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD).
The five Priority Areas, are:
Summary of AISP Priority Areas
Prevention: Itasca AIS Coordinator SWCD; priorities include AIS watercraft inspection and decontamination program, enforement, education, public landing infrastructure improvements, partnerships (anglers, fishing guides, bait shops, hunters, marine businesses, float plane operators and all other businesses)
Monitoring and Control: Itasca SWCD; priorities include coordinating trained SWCD AIS field crew(s) for early detection, control and monitoring AIS in Itasca County lakes and rivers. Supplemental training and education will be provided for AIS professionals of Itasca County.
Community Action Projects: AIS Coordinator SWCD/ICOLA; priorities include managing a small grants program that enables organizations, associations or individuals to further AIS prevention locally by means of enhancing other AISP programs or innovative projects, matching funds required to leverage AIS prevention efforts.
Awareness and Training: AIS Coordinator SWCD; priorities include managing public communications, mass media programs, AIS awareness at public events, printed materials, outreach to new partners or external AIS partners, AIS programs for youth, contrubuting website content and collateral support for other priority areas' communcation needs. Public training on AIS as well as Citizen science training for the early detection of AIS and AIS identification will be offered to citizens of Itasca County.
County, Itasca County (Environmental Services as liaison); priorities include participating with the DNR Database, developing a county AIS website to include AIS location map, identification, reporting, calendar of events, volunteer opportunities, contact information; a reserve of unallocated funds will be maintained to provide flexibility to the AISP.
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Our Most Frequent Questions
Below you will find some of our most frequently asked questions about AIS, Boat Ownership, Transportation and Recreational Activities. Have a question that we don't address here?
AIS Related Questions
Take extra precautions when leaving a lake that is infested. It is illegal to transport AIS without a permit. You should: spray your boat with high pressure water, rinse with very hot water, and let it dry for at least 5 days.
All bait must be disposed of in the trash when coming off of a lake, unless you replace the bait water with fresh tap water. It is always a good idea to keep fresh tap water with you for this purpose.
You need to remove as much water from the livewell as possible, by letting it drain. Once it drains as much as it can, you should get a towel and wipe the livewell dry.
Populations of AIS can rapidly grow and reproduce, and change the habitat of a lake. AIS such as zebra mussels can produce up to one million eggs a year! They filter algae and zooplankton out of the water for food, reducing the amount of food available for native animals, disrupting the food chain from the bottom up. Zebra mussels hurt people as well, damaging boat motors and slicing swimmers feet. Aquatic invasives also have many other unseen effects on our lakes. When plants such as curly leaf pondweed and Eurasian Water Milfoil grow in thick mats, they can clog waterways.
Many infestations of AIS can be traced back directly to human activity, especially from the release of ballast water in ships in the Great Lakes. Zebra mussels were spread in such a manner.
Inspections typically last under 5 minutes, unless there is a violation.
It is illegal to transport AIS on public roads without a permit. Before leaving the boat access, clean any visible invasives off your boat and drain any water that may be in your boat. You can also go to a decontamination unit and get a courtesy decontamination at no charge, which takes about 15 minutes..
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There are many good resources for the identification of AIS. Here are two of the best:
University of Minnesota Invasive Species Identification Guide
You can always contact the Itasca AIS Program or the local DNR office for help identifying an AIS sample you have:
Itasca County AIS Hotline: 218-256-4243
DNR Northeast Region AIS Specialist: 218-328-8821