AIS—Working Together Makes a Difference (Part 2)
By Cec Reidman, AIS Coordinator
In the most recent AIS Newsletter you received, we told you we’ve reached the point where effective AIS prevention can’t progress without some money being invested. We told you about a $2000 commitment the TLA Board had made to pay for additional paid watercraft inspection hours. Volunteers will also continue to volunteer significant inspection hours. We’ll be communicating ways we hope you’ll volunteer, too.
In addition to strong prevention programs, lakes with the most effective AIS programs monitor the lake for infestations that may have gone undetected. The earlier we find an existing infestation, the better the chance to treat it successfully at the lowest possible cost. Turtle Lake volunteers use the same monitoring technique used on North Star Lake, which missed the zebra mussel infestation for years before being discovered by a property owner in 2017. Realistically, this is the best method available to non-professionals, and it’s not thorough enough to find small infestations. Volunteers will continue to monitor small areas at high risk for infestation when they can find the time to complete intense, thorough sampling. But to monitor the entire lake in a way that will give us all more peace of mind, we need to turn to professionals who have better monitoring technology and skill.
The TLA Board has committed to hiring a professional to complete a comprehensive, scientific review of the entire shore area of Turtle Lake, looking for AIS plants. This comprehensive review will occur in 2020 and possibly periodically in the future, at intervals to be determined. This kind of review should give us peace of mind that we have no hidden infestations. The estimated one-time cost for this is $4000. We can each help generate that money by adding a contribution to the AIS Fund when we pay our annual TLA dues. While the AIS fund received several generous donations in 2019, the current fund total of $1070 won’t come close to paying for these commitments. Without additional contributions, nearly $5000 will need to be taken from the association’s general fund. This is just not sustainable.
Volunteers will continue to carry the responsibility for the bulk of the AIS work on the lake. Up to this point, volunteers have paid all costs associated with AIS prevention on Turtle Lake. The AIS Newsletter is paid for by volunteers, as are all materials for volunteer inspectors, the materials for the PVC “lake monitors” many of you hang from your docks, training costs, and other expenses. In the past two years, volunteers have also logged more than 2000 hours focused on AIS prevention on Turtle Lake. Those volunteers will continue with contributions of time and money.
But now the lake needs your additional financial support. As you send in your membership renewals please consider a generous contribution directed toward the AIS fund. When we work together we can really make a difference.