Clean Boats, Clean Waters

The Lake Owen Homeowners association in conjunction with the Wisconsin DNR sponsored a Clean Boats, Clean Waters inspection program at the public boat landing at the north end of the lake during the summer of 2008. Three monitors were hired to staff the landing for 10-12 hours each day.

Monitors made over 1180 boat contacts between May and mid-August. The monitors did a visual inspection of boats and trailers as they entered and left the lake. Boaters were also asked a short series of questions about their boating habits. We found only a few boaters were not aware of the laws regarding invasive species. More than 95% of boaters reported that they inspected and removed plants from their boats and drained water from their boats after they left the lake.

Generally boaters were knowledgeable about Eurasian Water Milfoil. This summer we found that we were educating more boaters about Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS), and the dangers of transporting water from one lake to another. Fortunately almost all boaters were supportive of and thankful for our efforts. They value Lake Owen's pristine environment and were more than happy to do their part to keep the lake beautiful.