So many thing wrong with this story…..where do I start to melt down?
Hey photo cop…..any millfoil here?
Cameras May Start Looking For Milfoil On Boats
Mary Tan
Reporting
(WCCO) Thousands of Minnesotans are making plans to hit the water for boating and fishing the summer but on Lake Minnetonka, extra eyes may be watching your actions.
The Lake Minnetonka Conservation District wants to install cameras around the lake to help look for milfoil. The weed gets into the lake when people do not clean off their boats. When it gets into the lake, it grows fast and destroys plants.
Kevin Murphy enjoys the pleasant waters of Lake Minnetonka and he always makes sure his canoe is clean because he worries about weeds choking out native plants.
“Look at the lake when it gets full of the milfoil,” Murphy said. “It is just a terrible place to boat and it is dangerous to swim.”
Every year, boaters less concerned about the environment show up and the conservation district wants to do something about it. Next week, the group will consider a plan to install cameras at a boat launch.
Eric Lindberg’s company, Environmental Sentry Protection, invented the cameras.
“We’re using this as an experimental project, to take a look at how we can influence boater behaviors, in terms of practicing clean boat behaviors,” Lindberg said.
Lindberg said sensors in a device detect when a boater pulls up and triggers the camera to turn on. The cameras not only catch whether or not a person cleans their boat, but it also spots milfoil and records license plates.
The cameras would be placed around Gray’s Bay and would be the first time they are field-tested.
Murphy thinks Minnesota’s waters need to be protected, but wonders if cameras will ruin the appeal of a weekend on the lake.
“It’s just too intrusive,” he said. “You have got to have a little bit of privacy out on the lake. It’s where you go to have some fun and relax and get away from it all.”
The Department of Natural Resources could monitor the video via the Internet. The cameras could also eventually spot other problems, including drunken boaters.
If the conservation district approves the measure next Wednesday, the cameras could be running next month.
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