Lake Champlain Boat Launch Stewards Sought

 

For Release: Immediate
Regarding: Lake Champlain Boat Launch Stewards Sought
Date: March 19, 2014
Contact: Meg Modley, LCBP Aquatic Invasive Species Management Coordinator, (802) 372-3213

Lake Champlain Boat Launch Stewards Sought
Grand Isle, VT – The Lake Champlain Basin Program is hiring several boat launch stewards for the summer season. Last year, ten stewards worked at NYSDEC and VTFWD boat launch sites around Lake Champlain between Memorial Day and Labor Day, visually surveying 12,814 boats and interacting with 27,078 visitors.

Boat launch steward programs are growing throughout the northeast region. The LCBP stewards found that about 75% of visitors had previous contact with stewards on Lake Champlain or different lakes in 2013.

The stewards greet users who are launching and retrieving recreational vessels from Lake Champlain, and collect survey information about the type of boat, state of registration, and other bodies of water recently visited. Stewards found that over 85% of Lake Champlain visitors surveyed had taken measures to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. Spread prevention measures include:

• draining the bilge water
• removing vegetation from the prop, trailer, or anchor
• washing the boat
• disinfecting the live well or
• disposing of bait properly

In 2013, a total of 826 samples containing 1338 species were removed from boats and trailers and identified and recorded. The program found that 7.4% of all boats coming and going from launches were transporting an aquatic organism and overall 2.5% of all boats launching and retrieving were transporting an aquatic INVASIVE species. Stewards conduct courtesy boat inspections and collect organisms hitchhiking on boats to prevent the spread of AIS in and out of Lake Champlain.

For further information on the 2014 LCBP Boat Launch Stewards positions, contact Meg Modley at the Lake Champlain Basin Program, 54 West Shore Road, Grand Isle, Vermont 05458 or call (802) 372-3213.