Meeting outlines invasive species battle plans
SANDPOINT — Bonner County officials are hosting a meeting Wednesday to familiarize the public with measures aimed at protecting Idaho waterways from aquatic invasive species and plans to combat existing infestations locally.
The county Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force event starts with an informal social hour at 5 p.m. at the Sandpoint Community Hall, located at 204 South First Avenue. The comprehensive collection of presentations starts at 5:30 p.m.
The state’s new rules requiring boaters to obtain Idaho Invasive Species Fund stickers and submit to mandatory roadside inspections for aquatic invaders will be covered. There will also be updates on a project to nail down the effectiveness of using weevils in controlling milfoil and the county’s plans to use herbicides, diver dredging and bottom barriers to erode infestations.
Featured speakers include Rep. Eric Anderson (R-Priest Lake) and officials from the the county, Idaho State Department of Agriculture, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Tri-State Water Quality Council.
The state implemented a rule this spring requiring all boaters using Idaho waters to obtain Idaho Invasive Species Fund stickers. The decals are $10 for motorized watercraft registered in Idaho and $20 for out-of-state vessels. The sticker fee is $5 for non-motorized boats.
Local boat inspection sites have been established on U.S. Highway 2 east of Oldtown, the public launch on Lake Cocolalla and at Farragut State Park in Bayview. Road signs will advise inbound boaters that they are nearing an inspection site and that they are required to pull over and be checked, said task force Chairwoman Kate Wilson.
Other sites in the Panhandle have been set up at Cabela’s near Post Falls and at the Heutter rest area on Interstate 90.
“I’m impressed at how quickly it’s come together,” Wilson said of the inspection stations.
Boats deemed to free of dreaded quagga and zebra mussels, which have yet to gain a toehold in Idaho, will have a breakaway tag affixed them which snaps off when vessel is launched. Boats which don’t pass inspection will be decontaminated on the spot with pressurized hot water.
“People are going to have questions about this program and also about the boat sticker program,” said Susan Drumheller of the Idaho Conservation League. “We’ve heard a lot of questions, so this is a great opportunity to have those questions answered and learn about why this is an important program.”
Wilson said Idaho officials are working with their counterparts in other western states to adopt similar inspection programs with color-coded seals for each state, which would speed and coordinate the inspection process.
Washington, for instance, does not require mandatory inspections for recreational watercraft.
“Idaho has emerged as a leader in preventing this invasive mussel,” Wilson said.