Bullock encourages people to clean, drain, dry
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News from the Governor's office
MISSOULA — On Wednesday, July 3, Governor Steve Bullock visited the Ravalli watercraft inspection station. He heard updates from the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes and state agencies on Montana’s aquatic invasive monitoring, early detection efforts and rapid response preparedness after invasive mussel larvae was discovered on Tiber Reservoir and a suspect sample was found on Canyon Ferry Reservoir in 2016.
“Through partnerships between state agencies, tribes and other organizations, we’ve expanded Montana’s aquatic invasive species inspection, monitoring and outreach programs to protect the state’s natural resources, economy and access to outdoor recreation,” Bullock said. “This summer, Montanans and visitors can do their part by being sure to clean, drain, and dry their boats and gear.”
After inspecting a record number of watercraft in Montana last year, the 2019 program is focusing on expanding partner involvement as well as increasing program effectiveness and efficiency.
Goals for the aquatic invasive species program in 2019 include:
— Expand partner involvement with watercraft inspection stations to allow for local oversight and increased local participation in the AIS program. Partners, such as conservation districts can offer additional direct oversight at the stations, access a broad labor pool, and encourage local law enforcement support.
— Increase partner and public awareness of aquatic invasive species to improve chances of early detection and effective eradication or containment.
— Expand partner participation in outreach to help deliver the clean, drain, dry message in local communities. Partners provide a direct conduit for getting outreach information to key audiences, including boaters, irrigators and the agricultural community.
— To highlight the partnerships and aquatic invasive species prevention efforts underway to protect Montana’s waters.
