Mpls to Require Inspections, Closing Accesses

Just In, Breaking NEWS:

I had not seen nor heard of this one coming, but beware ALL Boaters, More Restrictions and closures are coming.

Star Tribune article link: Mpls. requires Boat Inspections

In the most stringent measure by a Minnesota city to prevent boats from introducing invasive species, Minneapolis will soon require all watercraft entering its lakes to be inspected and will close boat launches when inspectors aren’t there.

An emergency resolution was unanimously approved Wednesday by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, following ramped up inspections statewide by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and cities like Shorewood, which has a new ordinance taking effect Thursday that also requires all inspections of boats at Christmas Lake.

In Minneapolis, staring July 13 through Sept. 30, any water-related equipment must be inspected before launching at the public boat access points at Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet and Lake Nokomis. Inspectors will be on duty at each lake from 6 to 10 a.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday as well as 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Outside those hours, the boat launch will be chained off and closed to boaters; park police can cite boaters if they enter during those times.

The board also closed Theodore Wirth Lake’s public boat launch.

Kelly Smith • 612-673-4141; Twitter: @kellystrib
Copyright, Star Tribune 6/21/2012

You can all help do something about this, show up at the Special Carver County Board meeting tonight, 6pm, Carver County Government Center in Chaska.

Special Meeting Agenda, Carver County Board 6/21/12 6pm

Considering a proposal to Gate off Lake Bavaria and require ALL Boats to be inspected at Lake Minnewashta Regional Park in Chanhassen. Lake Bavaria is on the Chaska/Victoria border with the access owned by the County. This would be a 15-20 minute 7-mile drive to get inspected and then back to the lake hoping the gate code works and there is available parking.

This will likely “Privatize” Lake Bavaria for the msot part, since if you go through all the trouble to go back to get inspected, why not then stay and go out on Minnewashta.

Email the County with your concerns and Comments:
County Board Contact Information:

Gayle O. Degler, District 1
Chanhassen, MN
(763) 381-1879
[email protected]

Tom Workman, District 2
Chanhassen, MN
(952) 303-9460
[email protected]

Randy Maluchnik, District 3
Chaska, MN 55318
(612) 964-5382
[email protected]

Tim Lynch, District 4
Mayer, MN 55360
(952) 303-9458
[email protected]

James M. Ische, District 5
Norwood, MN 55368
(952) 212-7453
[email protected]

Parks Director:
Marty Walsh , Parks Director,
[email protected]
11360 Hwy. 212 W, Suite 2
Cologne, MN 55322
(952) 466-5250
[email protected]

Please come, call or email and let these commissioners know you are against this proposal.

Let’s STOP this NOW.

Carroll
Chaska, MN

PS: I’ll be there with infor from a certain BUZZ (IDO member) documenting how the supposely “Friends of Lake Bavaria” have got DNR Permits to DESTROY and REMOVE Aquatic Vegetation by harvesting and Chemicals.

PHOTO is the Board: Randy, James, Gayle, Tim and Tom

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An emergency resolution was unanimously approved Wednesday by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, following ramped up inspections statewide by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and cities like Shorewood, which has a new ordinance taking effect Thursday that also requires all inspections of boats at Christmas Lake.

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I don’t fish any of these lakes so i realy don’t have a specific interest in this but I have a few questions.

What are the details of the “emergency”?
Why do these lakes require more attention than other lakes?
Who do these people represent?
Who’s interests are affected and how?
Have these lakes been recently tested for AIS? When? What was found?

Just noticed this moments ago as well. I fish these lakes quite often..Highly doubt they can even pull this off legally. Time to do a little research.

How will they monitor private launches, canoes, PWCs, paddle boats, ect.

How will they moniter Wake Boat ballast tanks?

How come they don’t make Minnetonka boaters wash their boats upon departing the lake?

to little to late.

……….they know not what they do.

Park Board, AIS ACTION
POSTED: Thursday, June 21, 2012

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Acts to Prevent Aquatic Invasive Species from Entering City Lakes
Actions Include Controlled Boat Launch Hours and Increased Inspections

At its June 20, 2012 meeting, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) adopted an emergency resolution aimed at preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) from entering Minneapolis lakes.
The recommended actions in the resolution include requiring an inspection for AIS before a person launches any water-related equipment at the public boat launches on Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet and Lake Nokomis. Inspectors will be on duty at each boat launch during the times of the day and days of the week that people are most likely to launch boats. These hours are:

Monday – Thursday: 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Friday – Sunday: 6 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Inspection hours begin July 13 and will run through Sept. 30, 2012.

Additionally, the action taken by the Board immediately closes the public boat launch at Wirth Lake. The removal of the current boat launch and construction of a new emergency and maintenance-only launch on the west side of the lake was part of the Theodore Wirth Regional Park Community Advisory Committee’s recommendations put forward to the Board on Wednesday evening.

An Aquatic Invasive Species Inspection FAQ has been assembled for answers to potential questions regarding the Board’s resolution.

“The lakes are the crown jewels of our park system, so protecting them from aquatic invasive species is a very high priority for our Board,” said John Erwin, MPRB president. “We all can see the detrimental impact of milfoil on our lakes, and the Park Board is committed to ensuring that our lakes can be enjoyed for years to come by protecting them from new invasive species.”

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has increased AIS inspections and enforcement throughout the state.

Under Minnesota law, it is illegal to transport invasive aquatic plants and animals, as well as water, from water bodies infested with aquatic invasives. Violators could face fines up to $500. Some penalty amounts will double beginning July 1.

To help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, anglers and boaters are required by law to:

Drain bait buckets, bilges and live wells before leaving any water access.
Remove aquatic plants from boats and trailers to prevent the spread of invasive species.
Pull the plug on their boat and drain all water when leaving all waters of the state.
Keep the drain plug out while transporting water-related equipment on roadways.
“Once an aquatic invasive species gets established, it’s very difficult – if not impossible – to eliminate it,” said Debra Pilger, Director, Environmental, Equipment and Volunteer Services. “That’s why it’s important to do everything we can to prevent aquatic invasives from entering in the first place.”

Pilger added that the preventative measures approved by the Board are for 2012 only.

“We’ll be looking at a full range of long-term options for AIS prevention over the fall and winter,” notes Pilger. “We’ll talk with recreational users of the lakes, the DNR, and others to determine what we’ll do in the future to provide access to the lakes while we protect them from aquatic invasives.”

CONTACT: Robin Smothers
Communications Specialist
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
612-230-6410, [email protected]

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Just noticed this moments ago as well. I fish these lakes quite often..Highly doubt they can even pull this off legally. Time to do a little research.

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You are correct Jeremy! I know this is an old law but it certainly pertains to this situation.

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97C.201 STATE FISH STOCKING PROHIBITED WITHOUT PUBLIC ACCESS.
The commissioner and state agencies may only stock fish in waters where there is public access. The commissioner may stock fish in any stream within privately owned lands where the public is granted free access to and use of the stream for fishing purposes

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Public water, just no public access… Crazy…

Soooo.. implement this… Why not stop there.. implement on all waters in MN… Then, next time there is a friendly disagreement between the dems and the GOB about budget, ALL waterways get shut down just like the “public” parks last summer due to lack of funds to “keep the lakes open”… Its just not in the budget to allow fishermen to fish and the public to use public water….

Silly, silly.

Wow, this is getting more and more ridiculous. Too hard to keep up with all the changes, I am going to us my own personal judgement and common sense to prevent AIS and go on with my day. If I get a ticket I get a ticket, I am not going to let it ruin my fun on the water. So sick of this nonsense.

Aaron

Hope the ticket is not to expensive because I will be getting them!

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Hope the ticket is not to expensive because I will be getting them!

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Yup no sense stressing out anymore.

Tickets in most cases are $500 to $1,000.

City of Shorewood’s ord. for refusing Inspection and launching anyway, $1,000 Fine.

What about river ramps in Minneapolis, er, I’ll keep my mouth shut now..

Seriously, this is ridiculous.

This is terrible news. What are they thinking….

I really hope the state stops stocking these lakes! Why should we spend money on a lake with now private only access? I fish the crap out of these in October and November and now they will not be open for me to launch that time of year?

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What about river ramps in Minneapolis, er, I’ll keep my mouth shut now..

Seriously, this is ridiculous.

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Come on Doug, like they give a rip about the river.

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97C.201 STATE FISH STOCKING PROHIBITED WITHOUT PUBLIC ACCESS.
The commissioner and state agencies may only stock fish in waters where there is public access. The commissioner may stock fish in any stream within privately owned lands where the public is granted free access to and use of the stream for fishing purposes

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They aren’t shutting down access completely, just restricting it. That’s their legal stand, I am sure.

Are there any Minneapolis lakes with accesses that have private owned shorelines? I don’t think so?

This is a serious concern to come about for governing our waters. In today’s StarTribune article it cites that the DNR was not consulted on this decision and the Park Board is identifying inspections as a “stop gap” which to me, makes little sense. Rediculous.

Source: http://www.startribune.com/local/west/159885555.html

Also it states:

“In Minneapolis, Lake Hiawatha and Minnehaha Creek already have zebra mussels, Pilger said — three of the more than 40 lakes and rivers in Minnesota with the fingernail-sized nuisance.”

Sadly the Mpls lakes WILL get zebra mussels, that’s a fact.

Let’s ask the Mpls Park Board this question: “How many boats are entering into Lake Hiawatha with their ballasts full with the mussel or the canoes that have been sitting for days in waters invested and now launching into Hiawatha. Heavy on the sarcasm there. The transportation occurs naturally.

Preventing boats, locking gates, or fining people for being on a lake is NOT the solution.

This situation is getting dangerously close to a privatized lake environment that is unacceptable in our Minnesota waters.

Let’s stop looking for the smoking gun and more effectivly address this issue by dedicating resources to eradication research and education. Contact your representatives and the park board as indicated in posts above.

or should we just accidently add zebras to these lakes and the restrictions would end….