for a link to Long Lake Living website and blog.

1. 2011 AIS/Watercraft Inspection Update Successful in obtaining 500 Hrs of DNR inspection time. 50% funded by DNR 25% funded by Hubbard Township 25% funded by Henrietta Township 50% of inspection hours to be Friday – Sunday Long and Potato lakes the only Hubbard county lakes to receive DNR hours due to new high risk ranking system The spread of AIS continues with Zebra Mussel infestations being the most serious threat to MN lakes Long lake is a popular destination and therefore at high risk 2012 support from Hubbard township was reduced substantially. $2000 in 2011 down to $600 in 2012 Henrietta is an unknown at this time OUR 2012 Program is in Serious jeopardy SIGNIFICANT FUNDING SHORTFALL

2. Our Choices going forward Give up and take our chances with no prevention efforts Fund our program with donations to our 501c3 from those who are willing to contribute Work to change the attitude within the township leadership for support of this program Work with the county to establish a county wide effort and add a tax assessment to all lake properties to fund. IDEAS???? Current Board direction is to work to fund 2012 program Local Government funding is not likely

3. ZEBRA MUSSELIMPACTS by Dick Sternberg Modified for Hubbard County by Ken Grob and Jeff Bjorkman

5. Native to Black and Caspian sea drainages in Eurasia

6. Brought to North America in the ballast waters of trans-Atlantic freighters in the late 1980s

7. Attach to underwater objects with their byssal threads

8. Filter the water to remove plankton that would otherwise provide food for fish and other aquatic lifeThey will change the lake habitat over time

10. They spread extremely rapidly; within 2 years of the first Great Lakes sighting, they found their way into all of the Great Lakes.

11. As more and more waters become infested, the rate of spread will increase, as appears to be happening in Minnesota

12. Once zebra mussels invade a body of water, there is no known method of control or containment

13. The Only SOLUTIONKEEP THEM OUT!!!

15. The larval form, called veligers, are microscopic in size and enable the species to spread quickly by drifting downstream with the current or being transported overland by trailered watercraft.

16. Veligers float freely for several weeks before settling onto underwater objects where they can grow and anchor themselves with their byssal threads.

17. They may anchor themselves to adult zebra mussels, leading to the rapid formation of dense colonies.Juvenile zebra mussels attached to adults

18. Impacts Byssal threads secrete a powerful glue, enabling the mussels to form dense colonies on rocks, metal, plastic, concrete, pipes, ropes, boats, motors and practically any other submerged object. Before zms After zms

19. On boats and motors

20. On dock wheel, Pelican Lake (Ottertail Co.) Nov. 2010

21. On inside of pipe

22. On lake bottom following a drawdown The Lake is changed forever!

25. Zebra mussels also attach themselves to aquatic plants... NATIVE PLANTS ARE ALSO AFFECTED

27. The decaying mussels emit a foul odor and the razor-sharp edges of their shells make footwear a must when walking the beach.Presque Isle State Park – Lake Erie BEACHES ARE RUINED!

28. Zebra mussels scraped from Lock & Dam #7 near LaCrescent, Minnesota, 2001 ZMs encrusting navigational buoy on Lake Le Homme Dieu, MN. Infestation found in 2009!

30. The water becomes clearer, but not cleaner.

31. Because plankton are at the bottom of the food chain, overall fish productivity is reduced.

32. Dim-light feeders like walleyes generally go deeper and do more of their feeding at night.

33. Lake Erie “Walleye Capital of the World”– Walleye population has declined from 100 million to 18 million in 20 years. Harder to fish with clear water.A blanket of zebra mussels on the bottom means clearer water but less food for fish Walleyes have better dim-light vision than their prey, so they often feed after dark in clear waters 82% reduction in Walleye population in 20 years

35. Possible Sources of ZM Contamination Boats/motors/trailers, including canoes, kayaks, jet skis, sailboats and all other types of watercraft Anchors, anchor ropes, life jackets, dock lines Water skis, inflatable rafts and tubes and tow ropes Sandals and other footwear used when wading or walking a beach Bait containers, lake water in bait containers Fishing/hunting equipment like waders, landing nets, decoys Dock moving/installation equipment Weed-harvesting equipment Nets, traps and other aquaculture equipment (state/federal/private) Float planes Pets that have been in the water Wetsuits, tanks, regulators and other scuba equipment ANYTHING THAT HITS THE WATER

37. Boats that are used often and on many different waters.Not only is the risk of exposure higher, the drying period between uses may not be long enough to kill veligers.

41. What You Can Do Be vigilant – if you see a boat with vegetation or any AIS attached, call TIP (800) 652-9093, or a Deputy Sheriff. Bepatient with boat inspectors; they’re trying to protect our lakes. Become a volunteer watercraft inspector by attending a DNR training session. Help monitor your lake, become a AIS monitoring volunteer. Spread the word on zebra mussels – everyone should understand the threat we are facing. Don’t buy a used boat, dock, boat-lift or any other equipment that has been in infested water unless you are sure it has been decontaminated. Contact your legislators to express your concern and ask them to find methods of funding an aggressive ZM prevention/containment program before it’s too late.

43. CANNOT TRANSPORT WATER FROM ANY BODY OF WATER INCLUDING BAIT CONTAINERS

44. INCREASE AWARENESS/PUBLIC EDUCATION ; DECALS

45. IMPROVE WATERCRAFT INSPECTION PROCESS; INTERN AUTHORITY TO INSPECT & PREVENT ENTRY (CERTIFIED)

46. REQUIRE LAKE SERVICE PROVIDER LICENSING/TRAINING

47. FOCUS ON HIGH-USE INFESTED WATERS, CHECKS/DECON.

48. INCREASED FUNDING FOR AIS EFFORTSALL LAKES ARE TREATED AS INFESTED FOR PREVENTION PURPOSES

50. SPONSORING RADIO SPOTS (92.5 P.R. & 101.5 BEMIDJI)

51. PROVIDING AWARENESS /EDUCATION INFO TO RESORTS

52. PROVIDING AIS ID CARDS AND Z-FOLDS TO PUBLIC

53. SPONSORING WATERCRAFT INSPECTIONS (DNR & PRIVATE)

54. SPONSORING AIS MONITORING TRAINING

55. SPONSORING LAKE SERVICE PROVIDER TRAINING

56. SPONSORING LAKE VOLUNTEER TRAINING TO INDIVIDUAL LAKES

57. WORKING WITH DNR AND LOCAL SHERIFF DEPT. HUBBARD COLA IS A LEADER IN MN

59. TRAINED 12 OWNERS AS VOLUNTEER INSPECTORS

60. STARTING A LAKE MONITORING PROGRAM IN 2011.

61. ESTABLISHED A 501C3 FOR POTENTIAL FUNDING

63. VOLUNTEERS TO DO WATERCRAFT INSPECTIONS

64. EDUCATE/TALK TO NEIGHBORS & EDUCATE VISITORSWE NEED YOUR HELP

65. Some will argue that zebra mussels cannot be stopped, so there is no point in spending millions of dollars on prevention and containment… Others say that zebra mussels aren’t so bad – after all they clear up the water… But unless we want our lake bottoms to look like this, we have to stop the spread right now, and that means investing millions to save billions. We do not want to find ourselves asking that familiar question: NOT HERE! If you can help CONTACT Jeff Bjorkman 732-8734 jeffbjorkman1@gmail.com Why didn’t someone do something to prevent this when we had a chance?