Connecting Our Waters, a partnership of the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance and the Waterways Association of Menominee and Shawano Counties, exhibited at the American Marine and Motorsports Boat & Outdoor Sports Extravaganza from February 20 through February 23. We talked to over 200 people.
Most of the boating enthusiasts and anglers we spoke to talked about how hard they work to remove all the plants from their boat along with wiping it down after leaving a waterbody. It was great to hear how effective watercraft inspectors have been in educating the public!
The best part of exhibiting is talking to little kids about the preserved AIS specimens we have at the table. The questions are usually: “What is this? Oh what does this do? Ewww! What is THAT?” The kids keep us on our toes and usually end up asking one question that we have no idea how to answer. It is fun to see how involved the parents end up getting as we talk to their kids about the different AIS present locally.
We handed out so many bobbers, towels, and keychain floats that we ran out! It will be great to see those products out in the wild while their messaging will continue to spread the ”clean, drain, dry” message.
While there were only 5 other vendors by us, we had a great time getting to know them! These vendors were: Denmark State Bank, Humana, Skilled Corn Hole, Badger Sportsman Magazine, and Shawano Country – the Shawano County Tourism Department. We were set up in Pontoon World, tucked away from some of the other vendors, so we did not have a constant stream of visitors. However, the ones we did get were engaged and interested in the Connecting Our Waters program.
So many of the people we talked to live and recreate on Shawano Lake that it was nice to talk about the issues the lake is facing. It seems like people are informed and doing their part to stop the spread of AIS.
We really want to thank American Marine and Motorsports for having us be a part of their show! We are looking forward to next year!
