Wednesday, July 06, 2011
(Wahpeton)– Efforts to try to keep aquatic invasive species out of the Iowa Great Lakes are once again underway this season.
Mike Hawkins, a fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says some college students are spending some of their weekends this summer at some of the heaviest used boat ramps in the Iowa Great Lakes.
Hawkins says several lake protective associations, the DNR and Lakeside Laboratory have helped come up with funds for six college student interns and one temporary DNR employee to be present at boat ramps during weekends to educate boaters on the danger of aquatic invasive species.
Hawkins requests boaters cooperate with the workers and listen to their message.
Zebra mussels are as close to the Iowa Great Lakes as Clear Lake; Eurasian watermilfoil can be found on numerous lakes in Minnesota and in some bodies of water in northwest Iowa, including a pond near Paullina.
Source: Exploreokoboji.com