Landing Blitz in Menominee and Shawano Counties

The Overarching Message

With the summer now in full swing, so is the activity of anglers and recreational lake goers, and this past 4th of July holiday was no exception. From the 29th of June, through Independence Day, the tenth annual statewide Wisconsin DNR Campaign known as Landing Blitz was taking place. “The Landing Blitz is a statewide effort to remind boaters and users of all other watercrafts that they can take actions to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species, which pose great risks to the health of our lakes and fisheries.” -WDNR. Thanks to the efforts of several Association employees, interns, and volunteers, there was ample coverage at several boat launches throughout the Shawano and Menominee Counties which spread the same important message, “You can prevent the spread of Invasive Species.”

Help from the Public

Pam Anhalt (Pictured Right), whom is the Clean Boats Clean Waters (CBCW) coordinator for the town of Shawano, has a total of 5 interns from the local school district and also recruited 3 volunteers for the campaign that all helped conduct the CBCW program at the County Park in Shawano. After speaking with Pam, she stated “The kids absolutely enjoy what they do.” She said that her interns are not only excited and passionate about what they are doing, but recognize that they are making a difference and impacting the town. Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator (AISC) Brady Stockwell states, “I have noticed that as I continue to do the program at various launches throughout the county, the folks who have been contacted not only comply with the steps that need to be taken to prevent the spread of AIS, but are happy to do so.” Anhalt agrees that the message being spread is very well received by the public and many boaters and anglers are excited to see that there are people out on the launches protecting the lakes they enjoy so much.

Furthering covrage in the region was Arland Dillenburg who is the Lake Manager on Legend Lake in Menominee County. He has 3 volunteers who routinely conduct CBCW out on the three launches at Legend Lake. During the Landing Blitz they gave out almost 150 key chains which display a message about preventing AIS. When Brady Stockwell talked with Arland he said, “Clean Boats Clean Waters provides a nice safe environment and a job that educates people on how to keep our Wisconsin lakes clean.” Because of the work and time that has been put it on the launches at Legend Lake, Arland and his crew are certainly a factor in the reason why the goers of Legend Lake are well educated on AIS and are very progressive on prevention and restoration.

Furthermore, the efforts of the Clean Boats Clean Waters program allows the continuation of recreational activities to be enjoyed on Legend Lake.

Several lake goers enjoying the waters of the Legend Lakes chain (Photo by Arland Dillenburg)

Although the behavior of boaters and anglers is not where it needs to be to efficiently stop the spread of Invasive Species, it is clear that it is shifting in a positive direction. What we can all take away from this is that campaigns such as Landing Blitz further confirm the notion that with continuous support and help from the public, we can all make a significant impact in the protection and conservation of our lakes to preserve them for future generations.

Towels with the “Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers” message were also given out during Landing Blitz

What Can You Do?

Clean Boats Clean Waters is an excellent program when it comes to educating and informing boaters and anglers about invasive species, and the best part is, anyone can do it! All it takes is a quick training session to get background on Aquatic Invasive Species, and to learn the protocol necessary to educate boaters and anglers. You can also help out by doing Citizen Lake Monitoring. Citizen Lake Monitoring is a great opportunity to help out your lake and gather valuable information for the municipalities and local government. Again a short, easy, training session is necessary and then you can be on your own finding out more about your lake and helping improve it along the way. If you or someone you know may be interested in helping out with the program, there are both volunteer and employment opportunities available. Feel free to contact Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator Brady Stockwell for opportunities in the Menominee and Shawano region.