Courtesy Boat Inspections
Related page: For information on starting your own Courtesy Boat Inspection as well as guidance on training and financial aid, contact Lakes Environmental Association. (off-site)
Background
Recognizing the threat of spreading invasive aquatic plants via boats, trailers and equipment, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) began a boat inspection program in 2001. Maine 's Courtesy Boat Inspection (CBI) Program completed its 7 th year in 2007. The purpose of voluntary inspections is to reduce the spread of invasive aquatic plants (IAP) to Maine waters. Trained Courtesy Boat Inspectors show boaters how to inspect and remove vegetation from boating and fishing equipment, provide information to boaters, and answer questions regarding invasive aquatic plants.
Maine DEP contracted with Lakes Environmental Association in Bridgton to train volunteers and organize the inspections; Maine Congress of Lake Associations trained volunteers in northern and eastern Maine . A total of 21 courtesy boat inspection trainings were conducted in 2007 by these two organizations. Additional training was done by previously-trained inspectors in regional groups.
Boat inspections are voluntary, not mandatory, in Maine . Before launching and after removal, a Courtesy Boat Inspector approaches the boater for consent to inspect the boat/trailer/equipment for plant fragments and asks the boater to accompany the inspector to look for hitchhiking plants. This serves dual duty: first it shows the boater where to look while inspecting their equipment and second it allows the inspector to rate the boater's familiarity with the inspection process, which inspectors were asked to do on the 2007 survey form.
2007 Courtesy Boat Inspection Results
The number of inspections continues to increase annually. For the 2007 season inspections increased by over 9,000 to a total of 49,783 – a 23% increase from 2006. Maintaining this high level of prevention effort is a tremendous achievement for local and regional groups running the inspection programs. Boats were inspected both entering and leaving a lake with the majority of inspections (65%) conducted on boats entering. Inspectors logged a total of 26,534 inspection hours in 2007, roughly equivalent to 13 full-time employees.
Maine law states that all motorized boats operated on inland, non-tidal waters must display the current year's Lake and River Protection Sticker. Compliance remained excellent in 2007 with 93% of all boats having the sticker. Sticker compliance for Maine registered boats was high at 97% while non-Maine registered boats remained relatively stable at 77%. Sixteen percent of all motorized boats inspected were from out-of-state. While both motorized and non-motorized boats are inspected, sticker compliance results are calculated using just the motorized boats since these are required by Maine law to have a Lake and River Protection Sticker.
The question “do you think the sticker fee is reasonable?” was removed from the survey form for the 2007 season. This change was made because of consistent, positive responses since the question has been asked beginning in 2002. The percentage of positive responses increased every year, for five years , from 78% to 94%. In place of the sticker fee question, inspectors were asked to evaluate the boater's familiarity with the inspection process. This was asked of the inspectors in two previous years: 2002 and 2003. A full 85% of the boaters in 2007 were believed to be very or somewhat familiar with inspecting their boat. These results are very similar to the 2002 and 2003 responses. Given that determining whether a boater is familiar with inspections is subjective, and there was no change in the response from previous years, the usefulness of this evaluation is questionable and will be removed from the 2008 survey form.
The following table compares 2007 CBI results to previous years:
Table 1: Courtesy Boat Inspection Program Basic Statistics, 2003 - 2007
|
|
2007 |
2006 |
2005 |
2004 |
2003 |
Total number of inspections |
49,783 |
40,435 |
40,091 |
30,229 |
>10,000 |
Boat has Lake & River Protection Sticker |
93% |
94% |
94% |
91% |
86% |
Boater felt sticker fee was reasonable |
NA |
94% |
92% |
91% |
83% |
Boater's familiarity with inspection process: |
|
|
|
|
|
High |
51% |
NA |
NA |
NA |
51% |
Medium |
34% |
NA |
NA |
NA |
37% |
Low |
11% |
NA |
NA |
NA |
7% |
No Answer |
4% |
NA |
NA |
NA |
5% |
Total number of waterbodies with inspections |
76 |
75 |
67 |
65 |
51 |
Total number of launch sites |
96 |
95 |
a |
a |
a |
Total number of infested lakes with inspections |
14 |
14 |
11 |
11 |
9 |
Total number of plants found |
1069 (2.1%) |
1114 (2.8%) |
1153 (2.9%) |
709 (2.4%) |
266 (2.6%) |
Total number of invasive plants found |
170 |
426 |
446 |
260 |
54 |
Invasive plants found on “entering” boats |
11 |
17 |
83 |
15 |
0 |
Invasive plants found on “leaving” boats |
159 |
409 |
363 |
245 |
54 |
Number of inspectors |
421 |
405 |
~350 |
~300 |
a |
Total number of inspection hours |
26,534 |
22,664 |
23,197 |
20,873 |
a |
Number of participating organizations |
44 |
51 |
a |
a |
a |
a Data not available or not compiled
Inspections were conducted at boat ramps on both infested and non-infested waterbodies. The inspections took place at 96 launch sites on a total of 75 lakes (1 more lake than in 2006) and 1 river. Thirteen of these waterbodies are infested with variable water-milfoil ( Myriophyllum heterophyllum ) and one with hydrilla ( Hydrilla verticillata ). Three border lakes on the Maine/New Hampshire line - Balch Pond, Great East Lake , and Northeast Pond - participated in the Maine CBI Program; two of these also participated in the New Hampshire Lake Host Program.
A total of 2.1% of all inspections yielded plant fragments (1069 inspections), little change from past years. This figure includes all plant fragments, whether invasive or native, on both entering and exiting boats. The majority of fragments (72%) were found on boats exiting a lake.
Of the 1069 inspections that yielded plant fragments, 170 (16%) of these were invasive plants, primarily variable water-milfoil. The majority of the invasive plant fragments (159) were found on boats and equipment leaving infested lakes while 11 invasive plants were recorded entering a lake.
The transmission rate of plants on exiting boats at infested lakes ranged from 0% at six of the fourteen infested waterbodies with inspections to 53% at Lake Arrowhead . The next highest transmission rate was 15% at Pleasant Pond in Richmond . The high rates are likely due to the fact that these lakes have thick plant colonies growing at or near the ramps whereas many of the other infested lakes don't have plants growing nearby. The Route 27 launch on Messalonskee Lake , historically having the highest transmission rate, was permanently closed to motorized boats on July 2, 2007. The closing of this launch contributed significantly to the 60% drop in invasive plant fragments found in 2007 versus 2006.
For the fourth consecutive year the Courtesy Boat Inspection Program has confirmed instances of invasive plants being intercepted prior to launching by inspectors. Of particular note is the “catch” of Eurasian water-milfoil ( Myriophyllum spicatum ) discovered on a boat from Connecticut entering Damariscotta Lake . The boater reported previously being on Lake Housatonic , an infested lake in Connecticut . The remaining 10 invasive plants were all variable water-milfoil found on boats entering the following waterbodies: Lake Arrowhead (8); Pleasant Pond (1); and Messalonskee Lake , Route 27 (1). All of these lakes are infested and the boats had previously motored on the same lake. Other reported invasive plant interceptions could not be confirmed by the state program's experts either because definitive identification was not possible or because the suspicious plant was not sent in for identification. These catches are not recorded.
Eurasian water-milfoil and variable water-milfoil are prohibited by Maine law and as such are considered a threat to Maine waters. Eurasian water-milfoil is in one very small pond in Maine . This infestation is currently being managed for eradication. Eurasian water-milfoil is also confirmed in every other New England state. Variable water-milfoil is known to be in 25 lakes, ponds and streams in Maine .
Table 2: Confirmed “Catches”
|
LAKE NAME
|
Launch Site Name
|
Number of “catches”
|
Boat Direction
|
Invasive Plant
|
Damariscotta Lake |
Public Launch |
1 |
Entering |
Eurasian Milfoil |
Messalonskee Lake |
Route 27 |
1 |
Entering |
Variable-leaf Milfoil |
Pleasant Pond |
Thoroughfare Rd |
1 |
Entering |
Variable-leaf Milfoil |
Lake Arrowhead |
Ledgemere Dam |
8 |
Entering |
Variable-leaf Milfoil |
Sebago Lake |
Raymond Beach |
4 |
Leaving |
Variable-leaf Milfoil |
Sebago Lake |
Standish Launch |
2 |
Leaving |
Variable-leaf Milfoil |
Lake Arrowhead |
Ledgemere Dam |
130 |
Leaving |
Variable-leaf Milfoil |
Pleasant Pond |
Thoroughfare Rd |
16 |
Leaving |
Variable-leaf Milfoil |
Messalonskee Lake |
Route 27 |
7 * |
Leaving |
Variable-leaf Milfoil |
* The ramp on Messalonskee Lake , Route 27 was permanently closed to motorized watercraft on July 2, 2007.
Changes in 2007
The question “do you support the sticker fee” to help pay for the Courtesy Boat Inspection program was not on the 2007 survey form. This question had been asked for five previous years and each year the affirmative responses increased, demonstrating that the boating public supports the CBI program. It is important to point out that many supporting the sticker fee did so with the stipulation that the money be used to address the invasive aquatic species threat - not for other state programs and government costs.
The ramp that consistently had the highest transmission rate of plant fragments found on exiting boats was permanently closed to motorized boats in 2007. This ramp, Route 27 Messalonskee Lake, was closed by Maine Department of Conservation (DOC) due to the severe infestation in a very large area surrounding the ramp. DOC built and opened a new ramp on Messalonskee Lake in Sidney on July 3, 2007 in an area of the lake where DEP plant surveys have documented no invasive plants.
Conclusions
Courtesy Boat Inspections are an effective method for preventing new invasive plant introductions as evidenced by the confirmed “catches” by inspectors in 2007. The percentage of fragments found on boats and trailers remained essentially the same as pervious years at 2.1%.
The inspections are also an effective method to educate the public about the threat of invasive plants to our lakes. Inspections provide one-on-one interaction with the public and inspectors provide immediate responses to the public's questions. In all cases the volunteer and paid inspectors have a vested interest in protecting the lake they live on and therefore are strong advocates for inspecting boats.
Thanks to the dedicated volunteer inspectors and to those who coordinate their organization's boat inspection efforts, the CBI Program is successful. The near invasion aborted by observant inspectors display this as does the annual increase in inspections since the Program's inception; 2,848 inspections in 2001; over 6,500 in 2002; over 10,000 in 2003, 30,229 in 2004, 40,091 in 2005, 40,435 in 2006, and now 49,783 in 2007.
DEP will continue to support courtesy boat inspections in 2008 using a portion of the funds generated by the annual Lake and River Protection Sticker. In addition, DEP will continue to arrange for inspections at public ramps on infested lakes to reduce the risk of spread between Maine waters. But the long term success of invasive aquatic plant spread prevention efforts will require self-inspection by boaters since the state-supported CBI Program can not maintain the current level of support in perpetuity. Therefore, courtesy boat inspectors are encouraging boaters to self-inspect every time they launch and remove their boat.
For more information concerning Maine 's Courtesy Boat Inspection Program, visit the Maine Department of Environmental Protection's web site at www.state.me.us/dep/blwq/topic/invasives/index.htm or the Lakes Environmental Association web site at www.mainelakes.org/ . To see a CBI training video visit www.mciap.org /.
