{"id":12443,"date":"2017-04-27T10:00:01","date_gmt":"2017-04-27T17:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=12443"},"modified":"2017-10-26T10:49:31","modified_gmt":"2017-10-26T17:49:31","slug":"protecting-our-favorite-places","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2017\/04\/27\/protecting-our-favorite-places\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting our Favorite Places"},"content":{"rendered":"

Water. As humans, we flock to it. We play in it, we work in it. We read about it, we dream about it. We drink it on purpose, we drink it on accident. We use it, we abuse it, we celebrate it, we fight over it. And we all need it. Water connects us all, no matter the part it plays in our lives. As boaters we, in turn, are the connection between otherwise unlinked watersheds when we move our boats from one waterway to another.<\/p>\n

As a byproduct of globalization, wherever people have gone, aquatic invasive species (AIS) have followed. Once they\u2019re introduced into a new watershed, aquatic invasives begin the process of invasion, slowly changing the landscapes of our favorite places. They can affect our community water supplies, water treatment plants, hydro-electric dams, and the many municipal pipes that crisscross beneath our urban landscapes.<\/p>\n

What was once a side effect of globalization has graduated into a full-blown problem unto its own. One example is the quagga mussel, an AIS originally from Eastern Europe. Quagga mussels have spread from a single infestation in Lake Erie to hundreds of bodies of water in 30 states and counting. Invasives like the quagga now cost our federal government more than $137 billion per year annually, with states spending millions more on top of that.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The chances that boaters come into contact with, then spread, an invasive species is much higher today than it was even a few years ago. Between the sharp shells AIS leave behind, the biodiversity havoc they wreak and their associated economic impacts, we should all be concerned with containing their spread. So what\u2019s a boater to do?<\/p>\n

By following a few easy steps, you can minimize your part in the spread of invasives. By cleaning, draining and drying your equipment, and stopping at boat inspection stations, you\u2019ll help protect your favorite places while maintaining your gear. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

Clean:<\/strong> Make sure your gear is clean before you hit your next watershed. Just make sure your gear doesn\u2019t have mud, sand or river salad hanging from it before you pack up and leave the water. There are as many different ways to clean gear as there are boaters; buckets, sponges, towels and brushes can all be useful tools as you rinse your gear off near the take-out, at home, or at the car wash.<\/p>\n

Drain:<\/strong> Make sure you aren\u2019t unintentionally providing an oasis of moisture for invasives to survive in. Draining your gear simply means not leaving any standing water in your boat or other gear. Sop up any standing water you see in the nooks and crannies with a towel or a sponge.<\/p>\n

Dry:<\/strong> After you\u2019ve cleaned and drained your gear, let it dry however you\u2019d like. Leave your wet gear in the sun. Let the wind dry your boat off as you drive down the highway. Your chances of spreading invasive species are much lower if everything\u2019s dry to the touch, boat straps and all.<\/p>\n