Volunteers Needed for Dane County Invasive Species Landing Blitz

June 02, 2017
Susan Sandford (608-224-3617)
Land & Water Resources

The Fourth of July weekend is one of Wisconsin’s busiest boating holidays of the year with many people traveling to enjoy Madison and other Wisconsin waterways.  However, they may not be traveling alone and not even know it.  Whether they come in ballast water, on the hulls of recreation boats or from the water of an angler’s bait bucket, many non-native species such as zebra mussels and Eurasian water milfoil have found their way into Wisconsin’s waterways.

 

These non native, invasive species can spread rapidly, crowd out native organisms, and pose a serious ecological and economic threat to Dane County waters.  Several AIS, such as Eurasian water-milfoil, curly-leaf pondweed, purple loosestrife, rusty crayfish, spiny water fleas, and zebra mussels are already present in Dane County waters.  Other AIS, such as silver carp, hydrilla or quagga mussels, are already in Wisconsin or surrounding states and could invade Dane County waters in the future. Removing invasive species can be time consuming and costly so taking steps to prevent their spread to new areas is very important.

 

Dane County is looking for citizen volunteers to help out at our Invasive Species Landing Blitz on July 1, 2017 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. followed by a free lunch. Volunteers will participate in a training  hosted by the Dane County Land and Water Resources Department, with support form the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and then go out to boat landings to educate boaters on how they can stop invasive aquatic hitchhikers.  Volunteers will spread friendly reminders to ensure that boaters are taking actions, such as removing plants and draining water, to stop invasive species from spreading and protect the waters they enjoy.

 

After the Blitz, attendees can choose to adopt a boat landing and continue to volunteer throughout the summer.

 

Anyone interested in volunteering can learn more on the Dane County Office of Lakes and Watersheds website (https://olw-lwrd.countyofdane.com/) or by contacting lakes@countyofdane.com or (608) 224-3617.

 

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