Crow Wing County watercraft inspectors prep for fishing opener

070320.N.BD.Boating.jpg — Boaters head out onto the water on White Sand Lake in Baxter as high temps and high humidity hit the Brainerd Lakes area in 2020.

By Dispatch staff report

May 12, 2022 at 4:00 PM

BRAINERD — The Crow Wing County Land Services Department’s 2022 Aquatic Invasive Species program is ramping up to coincide with the fishing opener Saturday, May 14.

Watercraft inspectors will be active on boat landings within the county beginning Saturday. Almost 16,000 inspection hours on 44 landings are scheduled for the 2022 season, according to a news release.

The 2022 AIS plan focuses on the top priorities identified by area lake associations, citizens and business interests. It includes boat landing inspections, decontamination units, education, awareness and innovative special projects.

Invasive species are a direct serious threat to local economies and recreationists accessing public waters, according to county officials, and preventing and managing the spread of harmful invasive species is up to everyone.

“Crow Wing County is home to some of Minnesota’s best fishing and boating waters. We remind everyone to take action and become part of the solution for protecting our waters,” said Jessica Shea, business manager, in the news release.

Draining all water, removing plants, mud and other debris, and inspecting trailers and watercraft as they are moved from lake to lake, can minimize the risk of spreading AIS. And 21 days of drying time is needed before relocating docks, lifts, or swim rafts into a different water body.

For more information about the county AIS prevention plan, visit www.crowwing.us/ais .

By Dispatch staff report

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of "staff." Often, the "staff" byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

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Crow Wing County watercraft inspectors prep for fishing opener

Crow Wing County watercraft inspectors will be doing inspections starting with the fishing opener Saturday, May 14.