New Law will be in effect for 2015 MN will require trailer decals for watercraft trailer

[ClownColor]

This is just a stepping stone they are using to go further "down the road". They get you used to having to go through a class that you pay for, so what are you going to say with the next restriction they come out with after we've all warmed up to this one..."it could be far worse"?

and the beat goes on...

You're right...it is a stepping stone. Would you rather have them close down all asscesses until they figure somehting out? Would you rather pay an annual fee (for fun lets say $200/boat) so the state can buy washing stations at all landing? "what if" every boater did what they are supposed too? I bet there would be a HUGE reduction in infested waters the following year. And that is what this campaign is aiming to do with very little cost and time to us boat/trailer users.

[PurpleFloyd]

Quote:

I'm just traveling through Minnesota from another state with my boat and trailer. Do I still need a decal?

Yes, Minnesota law states that anyone transporting watercraft or water-related equipment in Minnesota needs to complete training and display the decal on their trailer.

I just found out about this and can't take the class before I transport my boat. What can I do?

You can register for the class and get a temporary pass that gives you 7 days to complete the training.

That is some crazy stuff. Some Ave.Joe from out west is heading East to a fishing tourney and Roscoe P Coletrane pulls him over and gives him a ticket because Boss Hogg passed a law no other county has on the books.

As I have said before- If they want to keep boats from transferring things they need to pass a law that mandates 1 boat- one lake period. No lake jumping allowed. You license your boat for one body of water and it isn't allowed on any other body of water. make them display a prominent sticker or symbol that is specific to that body of water so other boats can easily identify a boat not licensed for that lake and be done with it.

If they are not willing to do tham then the problem is not worth worrying about.

[DTro]

Why are people convinced that “something has to be figured out”. Please provide facts to show that any of these AIS have ruined a single lake.

Bureaucracy at its finest. Task Force, Czars, Stickers, Wash Stations, Pamphlets, Fees, Roadside Checks

Cmon Guys….. You really believe we are saving anything?

[rundrave]

I also agree that ducks and turtles are not the root cause here guys and it's a pretty worthless argument.

Then how do you explain all the prairie potholes, sloughs and other small bodies of water that have invasives in them but don't have a boat launch?

Ive seen people dig out areas on their own property and never stock it with fish but yet somehow minnows and other species of fish end up in there? No one is saying birds and other species of wild life are the root cause but your blind if you don't think they play a role in transferring some of this stuff.

How are you going to stop them from spreading it?

[ClownColor]

Quote:

Then how do you explain all the prairie potholes, sloughs and other small bodies of water that have invasives in them but don't have a boat launch?

Ive seen people dig out areas on their own property and never stock it with fish but yet somehow minnows and other species of fish end up in there? No one is saying birds and other species of wild life are the root cause but your blind if you don't think they play a role in transferring some of this stuff.

How are you going to stop them from spreading

Floods? run offs?

[ClownColor]

Why are people convinced that “something has to be figured out”. Please provide facts to show that any of these AIS have ruined a single lake.

Bureaucracy at its finest. Task Force, Czars, Stickers, Wash Stations, Pamphlets, Fees, Roadside Checks

Cmon Guys….. You really believe we are saving anything?

There's plenty of good reads on Zebra's out there...all I can say is I hope your right...just don't be biatching 10 years from now when fishing and recreational activites have been ruined and start asking why nothing was done.

Also, I've seen quit a few lakes ruined by milfoil. It's not all about fishing. How would you like some of your smaller lakes unboatable from milfoil? Nothing like walking down a beach stepping all over zebras.

[PurpleFloyd]

Why are people convinced that “something has to be figured out”. Please provide facts to show that any of these AIS have ruined a single lake.

Bureaucracy at its finest. Task Force, Czars, Stickers, Wash Stations, Pamphlets, Fees, Roadside Checks

Cmon Guys….. You really believe we are saving anything?

I wish they would get some of these species in the prairie pothole lakes that turn blue and green in the summer. increased water clarity would be a welcome thing IMHO.

[fishingoverall]

This is just a stepping stone they are using to go further "down the road". They get you used to having to go through a class that you pay for, so what are you going to say with the next restriction they come out with after we've all warmed up to this one..."it could be far worse"?

and the beat goes on...

[mallardnwalleye]

People plz keeep in mind this has nothing to do with legislature except for creating and passing the law. This was all done at the bequest of the DNR. They claim their research proves 99.9% of new invasives found are at the boat launch and that spot only when a clean lake is newly infested. I personally talked to dnr at state fair and this is their claim and sticking by it 100%. Cant complain to elected ones on this, they r only doing what dnr asked them to.

[ClownColor]

Quote:

Your anchor rope should be washed in bleach after every time you leave the lake, along with the inside of your boat and your trailer. Because that's about the only way to stop AIS. Unless you park your boat and trailer for weeks at a time between outings.

Holy moly we have a winner! Exactly! Wash your boat and trailer, inside and out or let it sit for a week is the only way to stop AIS! wow...that's almost exactly what the DNR wants you to do to stop the spread! Good Work!

Now it's time for your head to go in your rear!

[Igor Drackenwolf]

I can't believe there are avid sportsmen who so vociferously defend the state government and the DNR bureaucracy when all evidence shows that invasives will migrate how and where they will regardless of their efforts.

They've been incrementally making life more miserable for fishermen for years and years, and failure is the only result we can point to.

And what of actual harm, should they allow nature to take its course? No one has convincingly made the case that these new species are harmful in the long term. They assume that because they are non native, and they make changes to the ecosystem, that they are therefore inherently bad.

Thus far, the fisheries with milfoil and zeebs in particular are not negatively affected for fishing purposes.

[LightningBG]

Floods? run offs?

Unfortunately not. Behind my last house their was a pothole in the middle of the prairie. Not another lake within a half mile. That prairie wasn't flooding or catching run off from any other body of water.

And another pond I'm very familiar with is basically a pot hole on top of a hill. No run off hitting that place. But there are plenty of animals who use it and even some magical fish in it. The pond even freezes down to the lake bed occasionally and in a few years.... more fish.

[ClownColor]

I can't believe there are avid sportsmen who so vociferously defend the state government and the DNR bureaucracy when all evidence shows that invasives will migrate how and where they will regardless of their efforts.

They've been incrementally making life more miserable for fishermen for years and years, and failure is the only result we can point to.

And what of actual harm, should they allow nature to take its course? No one has convincingly made the case that these new species are harmful in the long term. They assume that because they are non native, and they make changes to the ecosystem, that they are therefore inherently bad.

Thus far, the fisheries with milfoil and zeebs in particular are not negatively affected for fishing purposes.

Well you are wrong about the fisheries and zeebs. But again, you are blinded by your own personal enjoyment. What about people that enjoy boating or swimming that have had the lake over run with milfoil?

Okay...I done. To be brutily honest I'm not saying this is the answer but its a step. But you all just are throwing in the towel. There will be answer but we need to find it. No, a sticker won't fix it but it can slow it down with good PR and hopefully we have a fix before every lake is infected.

[Igor Drackenwolf]

What evidence do you have that a sticker will slow anything down? What evidence do you have that fisheries are negatively affected by invasives in the long term? What evidence do you have that the DNR efforts have accomplished anything positive thus far?

It's money down a rathole. Makework busybodies trying to control nature and failing miserably no matter what they do.

[harvey lee]

If I am honest, at the onset of this issue, I was all in with what the DNR wanted to do to try and stop AIS. Boy, was I wrong.

No proof this is bad for our fishery, just propaganda from the DNR.

They tried for all they were worth to protect Christmas Lake and in no time, infested.

if we take Waconia for an example, if you want to catch some nice fish, go to the milfoil beds and have at it, plenty of fish there, fish must not know this stuff is a killer.

Many said this would go on and on and boy, they were right again.

Whether it's Obama trying to run the country or the DNR trying to stop AIS, both are costing us big time and both have about zero chance for in what they are doing.

It's our elected officials and they are out of control.

I talked with my state rep and he believes the DNR is correct in their standing with AIS issues. Guess I get to tell him how wrong he is in a few weeks and hopefully many others will also come Nov 4th.

[Down Deep]

Whether it's Obama trying to run the country or the DNR trying to stop AIS, both are costing us big time and both have about zero chance for in what they are doing.

OK now I got it. AIS in Minnesota is Obama's fault.

[slammer]

There is no way they will stop this or even slow it down from spreading. Their boat washing stations are a joke and total waste of taxpayer money. They washed my boat this past summer and all I could do was shake my head. What happens to all these units when no longer needed? Sold at auction for a fraction of cost. Waste, waste,waste! You will never get all the invasives off a boat and trailer unless you start cutting it apart to get every nook and cranny. Can someone chime in on what zebes have done on Lake Erie? Isnt fishing as good or better now? Why is this state so backwards when it comes to government and outdoors? Hopefully some changes will be made at the voting booth in November.

[maxpower17]

Quote:

If I am honest, at the onset of this issue, I was all in with what the DNR wanted to do to try and stop AIS. Boy, was I wrong.

No proof this is bad for our fishery, just propaganda from the DNR.

They tried for all they were worth to protect Christmas Lake and in no time, infested.

Why are you blaming the DNR? They didn't ask for this but they are FORCED to enforce it. The DNR had absolutely nothing to do with inspections. That's your lake associations and city council.

[Igor Drackenwolf]

I think it's quite possible that hindsight will show that zeebs are beneficial. Thus far, all they do is clean up the water and turn the littoral area of a lake into a more fertile and healthier ecosystem for all kinds of life that flourishes in those areas regardless. The only negative effect seems to be that they stick to stuff and you can't walk on them.

But guess what? Any species that invades an ecosystem and gobbles up its food supply will eventually temper its prolification by attrition until it levels off to a sustainable population.

Why is it not possible - no, not possible, but LIKEY - why is it not likely that zeebs are actually no big deal?

The evidence we have currently, with many lakes infested with both zeebs and milfoil, is that neither of those two invasives harm a lake, and in fact, either enhance it or are at the very least, neutral influencers that change the lake, but are neither good nor bad.

Life is not static fellas. This earth is always changing. Moving forward with inconvenient and expensive taxpayer funded programs that try to stop Mother Nature from doing her thing is futile and unnecessary.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I wish they would get some of these species in the prairie pothole lakes that turn blue and green in the summer. increased water clarity would be a welcome thing IMHO.

What he said.

[chris63]

Igor,do some more looking.Try NOAA research site and read about zebras in the great lakes.It takes awhile for the evidence to see the dangers/negative effects they can have on an ecosystem.They(zebra mussles)do upset the food chain by filtering(eating) organisms that native species rely on.The water clarity can be increased but at a point this too can be negative do to increased(unwanted) harmful algae blooms.Time will tell what the final effects are going to be.I think each ecosystem will be effected by these nonnative invations but it's too early to tell on most Minnesota lakes and rivers.(about zebras and quagga mussles,anyway)Explain to me how you think these mussles will be beneficial to our lakes and/or rivers?c63

[chris63]

Check out some data from these:National invasive species information center,NISBase an international nonindienious species database network,U.s. geological survey nonindigenious aquatic species.There are many opinions that invasive species will and do harm to new invironments they enter to what extent is yet to be seen.c63

[alumacraft3]

I have a question that I haven't seen asked. Maybe it has in another thread and I've missed it? I have read the dnr web page regarding all the information to this new sticker. My question is does a fish house fall under this category? I know it says watercraft or water-related equipment but would they consider a fish house water-related equipment? When you set up out on the ice and drill holes with your auger and you finally break through the ice and get to the water and it all boils up and splashes on the underside of your fish house when you pull the auger up is it at that point "contaminated" according to the dnr? I hope I'm not giving them any ideas with this post but I was curious if fish houses need a sticker?

[Igor Drackenwolf]

Igor,do some more looking.Try NOAA research site and read about zebras in the great lakes.It takes awhile for the evidence to see the dangers/negative effects they can have on an ecosystem.They(zebra mussles)do upset the food chain by filtering(eating) organisms that native species rely on.The water clarity can be increased but at a point this too can be negative do to increased(unwanted) harmful algae blooms.Time will tell what the final effects are going to be.I think each ecosystem will be effected by these nonnative invations but it's too early to tell on most Minnesota lakes and rivers.(about zebras and quagga mussles,anyway)Explain to me how you think these mussles will be beneficial to our lakes and/or rivers?c63

Chris, with respect, I've looked into it. And I no longer buy the line we're being fed.

Yeah, I know all about the food-chain effects. But nobody can point anyone in the direction of any lake that has been devastated by this. They support the theory with some evidence; they can point to the change and claim it is negative, but where the rubber hits the road - that is, at the end of your fishing line - there seems to be no negative impact. Walleyes seem to become even more oriented to low-light due to the increased water clarity. But they are a low-light oriented fish to begin with. Other than that, the increased littoral area of a lake infested with Zeebs increases the habitat for all species.

If you can guide me to some lake that has supposedly been destroyed by Zeebs, please, I'm eager to learn of it. I'm just looking at years of warnings, years and millions of taxpayer dollars, years of continual infestation and failure to curb the infestation, and comparing that to the fact that the dire warnings don't seem to be playing out ANYWHERE.

[pushbutton]

I hope I'm not giving them any ideas with this post but....

That's what I was thinking while reading your post....thanks....lol.