Over 1,600 Hours Worked by Boater Education Staff To Help Prevent Aquatic Invasive Species in 2022

The last few days of warm weather hang on around Northeast Wisconsin but soon the temperatures will start to drop. Boaters and anglers are starting to winterize their boats or perhaps switch to waterfowl hunting in Autumn. With an expansion of Fox-Wolf’s Clean Boats, Clean Waters prevention coverage, our boater education staff worked to help boaters prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species from Fond du Lac to Green Bay in 2022. 

In 2022, our boater education team provided AIS prevention at boat launches for a total of 1,663 hours, reached 9,021 contacts, and inspected 5,046 boats!

While our Clean Boats Clean Waters staff have finished for the year, we ask water recreationists to be extra vigilant checking their equipment to ensure they don’t accidentally spread aquatic invasive species. Help protect your lakes and rivers throughout the year by taking two minutes before leaving the launch;

* Inspect boats, trailers, push poles, anchors, and other equipment for attached aquatic plants or animals.

* Remove all attached plants or animals

* Drain all water from boats, motors, livewells and other equipment

* Never move live fish away from a waterbody

* Never release aquarium plants or animals into your local waterways

Thank you for helping prevent the spread of invasive species during your favorite non-summer activities including hunting, ice angling, and more!

Photo Credit: Chris Acy, Alyssa Reinke

Questions? Comments? Contact Chris Acy, the AIS Coordinator covering Brown, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties at (920) 460-3674 or chris@fwwa.org!

Follow the Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance’s Winnebago Waterways Program on our Winnebago Waterways Facebook page or @WinnWaterways on Twitter! You can also sign-up for email updates at WinnebagoWaterways.org.

Winnebago Waterways is a Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance program. The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is an independent nonprofit organization that identifies and advocates effective policies and actions that protect, restore, and sustain water resources in the Fox-Wolf River Basin.

Check out the Keepers of the Fox Program at https://fwwa.org/watershed-recovery/lower-fox-recovery/