DNR Reminds About Aquatic Invasive Species

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is reminding lake property owners to carefully check boats and trailers, docks and lifts, and all other water-related equipment for invasive species when removing equipment for seasonal storage. This is important as new zebra mussel infestations were initially reported by people making end of season inspections of docks, boats and boat lifts.

“These recent confirmations serve as a reminder of the importance of carefully examining all equipment when taking it out of the water,” said Heidi Wolf, DNR invasive species unit supervisor. 

It’s especially important to follow Minnesota’s law and keep docks and boat lifts out of the water for at least 21 days before putting them into another body of water. This state law is central to the training DNR-permitted lake service provider businesses receive. Anyone transporting a dock or lift from the adjacent shoreline property to another location for storage or repair may need a permit, to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.

The DNR recommends these steps for lake property owners:

• Look on the posts, wheels and underwater support bars of docks and lifts, as well as any parts of boats, pontoons and rafts that may have been submerged in water for an extended period.
• Hire DNR-permitted lake service provider businesses to install or remove boats, docks, lifts and other water-related equipment. These businesses have attended training on Minnesota’s aquatic invasive species laws and many have experience identifying and removing invasive species.
• Contact your area DNR aquatic invasivespeciesspecialist if you think you have discovered an invasive species that has not already been confirmed in your lake.

More information is available at www.mndnr.gov/AIS.

MPCA Seeking Volunteers for Water Monitoring

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is seeking volunteers for its citizen water monitoring programs. Participants “adopt” one or more Minnesota lakes or streams and track how clear their water is. Knowing the clarity of water helps the agency understand the health of our water. Become a volunteer or learn more about the program on the website, or in the Twin Cities call 651-296-6300 or 1-800-657-3864 if calling from Greater Minnesota.

DNR offers businesses free invasive species decontamination training

 The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is offering free invasive species decontamination training again this summer for lake service providers, such as businesses that rent boats, fishing equipment, and often manage marinas or other lakeside operations.
Participants will receive instruction and hands-on practice in hot-water/high-pressure decontamination methods to remove aquatic invasive species from watercraft.
“This is our fourth year offering free decontamination training to lake service providers,” said April Rust, DNR invasive species training coordinator. “The class helps businesses gain the skills they need – and learn the tricks of the trade – to provide aquatic invasive species decontamination services to their customers.”
Businesses that complete the training will be marked as trained to use hot-water/high-pressure decontamination equipment on the online list of permitted lake service providers.
Preregistration is required. Trainings are scheduled on:

• Thursday, June 23, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Northland Arboretum, Brainerd.
• Tuesday, June 28, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Tonka Bay Marina, Tonka Bay.
• Wednesday, July 13, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Beltrami Electric, Bemidji.

Registration deadlines are one week prior to each session. Classes will be cancelled if the registration minimum is not reached.
To register, or for more information about decontamination training, contact April Rust, invasive species training coordinator, at april.rust@state.mn.us or call 651-259-5706 or 888-646-6367.

DNR asks lakeshore owners to report seeing endangered mudpuppy salamanders, die-offs

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is asking lakeshore owners and citizens to report any mudpuppy salamanders they see, especially die-offs on rivers and lakes. A die-off is defined as five or more dead salamanders in a lake at the same place at the same time.
“We have had several dead mudpuppy reports by lake residents these past few years on Big Cormorant and Melissa lakes in Becker County,” said Krista Larson, DNR nongame research biologist. “We have collected salamanders to try to determine what has been killing them, but so far, the results have been inconclusive.”

Any mudpuppies caught or found dead should be photographed and reported to krista.larson@state.mn.us, or by calling the report line at 651-259-5076.
 
In 2013, mudpuppies were added to the state’s list of endangered and threatened species as a species of special concern due to habitat loss, stream siltation and pollution, and overharvest for bait or by biological supply companies.

Many people mistakenly call tiger salamanders “mudpuppies” or “waterdogs.” In fact, mudpuppies are a separate species and the largest salamander in Minnesota. While tiger salamanders spend their early lives in water and adult lives on land, mudpuppies are Minnesota’s only fully aquatic salamander, meaning they spend their entire lives in water. 

Mudpuppies are about 13 to16 inches long, brown or grayish in color, have spots peppered along their back and sides, and a light gray or buff underside. They have small eyes, a paddle-like tail for swimming, and external gills that look like feathery projections near their head.

Tiger salamanders are 7 to 13 inches long and are black with yellow markings. They are easy to separate from mudpuppies if they are adults (lacking external gills), but the young (larval) resemble small mudpuppies.

Mudpuppies have four toes on their back feet and tiger salamanders have five toes. Additionally, mudpuppies have a back (dorsal) fin only on their tail, whereas larval tiger salamanders have a dorsal fin that goes from their tail and nearly reaches their head.

They’re found in large to medium rivers throughout Minnesota, and also in lakes around the Alexandria and Detroit Lakes area. They can be found in swift gravel-bottom streams or slow muddy rivers. They lay eggs on the undersides of rocks, sunken logs, or other underwater structures.
Research on mudpuppies and other nongame wildlife is funded by donations to the Nongame Wildlife Program and the Nongame Wildlife Checkoff on Minnesota income tax forms.

To donate to the DNR Nongame Wildlife Program or for more information about it, visit www.dnr.state.mn.us/nongame/donate.
To read more about mudpuppies in the DNR’s Conservation Volunteer magazine, visit http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/mcbs/publications/mcv_magazine_mudpuppy_necturus_maculosus.pdf

DNR offers free decontamination trainings for lake service provider businesses

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is offering two trainings in June for lake service provider businesses interested in learning hot-water/high-pressure decontamination methods to remove aquatic invasive species (AIS). Participants will receive hands-on practice cleaning boats using the specialized equipment.

“This is our third year offering free decontamination training to lake service providers,” said April Rust, DNR invasive species training coordinator. “The class helps businesses gain the skills they need – and learn the tricks of the trade – to provide AIS decontamination services to their customers.”

Businesses that complete the training will be included in the DNR’s online list of lake service providers trained to use hot-water/high-pressure decontamination equipment.

The two trainings have limited space and require pre-registration. They are scheduled on:

• June 16 (10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Northland Arboretum, Brainerd.
• June 25 (10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Tonka Bay Marine, Tonka Bay.

The registration deadline is one week prior to each training. Classes will be cancelled if the registration minimum is not reached.

To register, or get more information about decontamination training, contact April Rust, AIS training coordinator, april.rust@state.mn.us, or 651-259-5706 or 888-646-6367.

If a business does not have its lake service provider permit yet, they should visit the DNR’s registration page at www.dnr.state.mn.us/lsp/mandatory.html to sign up for training and a permit.

‘Cabin close-up’ a time to inspect boats and water equipment for invasive species

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources asks every cabin and lakeshore owner to watch for aquatic invasive species (AIS) when removing docks, boat lifts, swim rafts and other equipment from the water.

“Since those items have been in the water for several months, now is the ideal time to spot invasive species that may be attached to them,” said Heidi Wolf, DNR invasive species unit supervisor. “Carefully inspect everything you remove from the water to see if there are invasive species attached. Your observations will provide invaluable information to the DNR in tracking the distribution of AIS – and give us a chance to rapidly respond if new infestations are found.”

People should look on the posts, wheels and underwater support bars of docks and lifts, as well as any parts of boats, pontoons and rafts that may have been submerged in water for an extended period. In newly infested waters, adult zebra mussels may not be abundant and there may only be a few mussels on a piece of equipment. On a smooth surface, juvenile mussels feel gritty, like sandpaper.
If a new infestation of zebra mussels, faucet snails or other aquatic invasive species is suspected, the exact location should be noted, a photo taken and a specimen should be kept for positive identification.

Call 888-646-6367 or contact a local DNR AIS specialist or a fisheries office. Responding quickly to new AIS infestations is critical to help curb the spread into other water bodies.

There are also specific legal requirements for cabin owners and boaters when removing and storing watercraft and equipment for the winter – or hiring someone to handle it:

Transporting and storing watercraft

• When hauling boats or other watercraft to a storage facility away from the shoreline property, make sure there are no invasive species attached. It is illegal to transport watercraft with invasive species attached.
• A list of permitted lake services providers is on the DNR website at www.mndnr.gov/lakeserviceproviders.
• The form should be downloaded, completed, signed and kept in possession during transport. Zebra mussels and other invasive plants and animals must be removed before transporting the watercraft back to a lake or other water body.

Transporting and storing docks, lifts and equipment

• It is legal to remove a dock, boat lift, dock, weed roller, swim raft, or irrigation equipment from infested waters and place it on the adjacent shoreline property – even if there are zebra mussels or other prohibited invasive species attached. A permit is not required to place equipment on the shoreline. Contact a DNR AIS specialist if an invasive plant or animal is found that has not been sighted on the lake before. 
• However, if someone wants to transport equipment from infested waters to another location for storage, cleaning or repair, they must have an authorization form to transport equipment to legally move it to another location.
• If equipment is to be installed in another water body, all aquatic plants and animals such as zebra mussels and Eurasian watermilfoil, must be removed – and equipment must be dried for 21 days before placing in other waters.

Hiring a business or individual to remove boats and equipment from any water body

• Any business or individual in Minnesota paid to decontaminate, install, or remove boats, docks or water-related equipment is legally required to complete AIS training and obtain a permit before working in state waters.
• Anyone hired to remove a boat or dock must have a current DNR permitted service provider sticker on their windshield. If they work for a lake service provider business, ask to see an employee certificate.
• A list of permitted lake services providers is on the DNR website at www.mndnr.gov/lakeserviceproviders.

Learn more about Minnesota’s aquatic invasive species rules and regulations, and the DNR’s lake service provider program at www.mndnr.gov/AIS.

Public invited to meetings on walleye regulation for some Otter Tail County lakes

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will hold two public meetings to provide updated information on the existing walleye regulation on North and South Lida, Venestrom and Mud lakes in Otter Tail County.

The first meeting will be from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 17, at Lake Region Electric Cooperative, 1401 South Broadway in Pelican Rapids.

The second meeting will be from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 23, at the Fergus Falls DNR headquarters, 1509 First Ave. N. in Fergus Falls.

The lakes are located 5 miles east of Pelican Rapids. At the meetings, the DNR will present updated information collected since the regulation was implemented in 2005.

The existing walleye regulation is: All walleye from 17- to 26-inches must be immediately released. One fish over 26 inches is allowed in possession.

Those unable to attend the meetings may submit written comments any time to: DNR Fergus Falls area fisheries, 1509 First Ave. N., Fergus Falls, MN 56537, or via email to james.wolters@state.mn.us or fergusfalls.fisheries@state.mn.us. To provide comments by phone, call 218-739-7576.

Public invited to comment on bass regulations on 4 Otter Tail County lakes

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will hold two public meetings to provide information about the existing bass regulations and ask for public comments on whether the regulations should be continued, modified or rescinded on Jewett, Pickerel, Clitherall and Sewell lakes in Otter Tail County.

The first meeting will be 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 17, at the Fergus Falls DNR Headquarters, 1509 First Ave. N. in Fergus Falls.

The second meeting will be 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Lakes Area Community Center, 112 West Main St. in Battle Lake.

Jewett Lake is 8 miles north of Fergus Falls. Pickerel Lake is 12 miles north of Underwood. Clitherall Lake is 5 miles south of Battle Lake. Sewell Lake is 7 miles southeast of Dalton.

Currently, there is a 12- to 20-inch protected slot length limit for bass on Jewett, Pickerel and Sewell lakes. Clitherall Lake currently has a catch-and-release regulation for smallmouth bass.

Prior to the meeting, notices will be published in local newspapers.

Those unable to attend the meetings may submit written comments any time to: DNR Fergus Falls area fisheries, 1509 First Ave. N., Fergus Falls, MN 56537, or via email to james.wolters@state.mn.us or fergusfalls.fisheries@state.mn.us. To provide comments by phone, call 218-739-7576. All comments must be received by 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 30.

Public comments will also be accepted during an open house 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24 at the DNR Central Office, 500 Lafayette Road in St. Paul.