https://www.co.wright.mn.us/DocumentCenter/Home/View/12512
SO did they go around the DNR and made it an ordinance? IF so, lets get Lee Kelly and Charlie Borrell who signed this ordinance out of office because this is absulutly BS! All of those lakes are already infected yet they dont require them going off the lake? MAKES ZERO SENSE!!!!
Are the Police enforcing this? OR is the DNR?
Local law enforcement will be taxed with the burden of patrolling the access. DNR wants no part of this and pretty much warned the board the county was on their own for enforcement.
Have already noticed 'inspections' on northern mn lakes the last two years, such as Vermilion and Leech, prior
to launching by 'non-enforcement' type folks. Have also noticed a voluntary 'cleaning' station by Lake Vermilion.
A question re: the cleaning station/permit approach -
what is to prevent a boater from launching on another lake first before heading to one of these lakes?
AIS is a huge problem - seems to me a researched/comprehensive/inclusive approach is preferable to a knee-jerk/narrow/self-serving one.
Do not take your half in the middle ....
A facebook group was started addressing the issue, hopefully to reach more people. 200 people joined in the first day. Take a look, join if want.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1501474759942534/
I fished Clearwater Lake a few weeks ago, and a kid wearing a hi-viz vest got out of an unmarked car and inspected my boat when I launched. Was he doing it for the DNR, or does Clearwater Lake have something like this too?
I have a neighbor who works at the DNR in the water use division. The DNR wants nothing to do with this, and has told the folks pushing for this regulation as much. In fact, they wanted to do all they could to stop it from happening. The issue is that there aren't any legal grounds for them to do anything about it - and several employees there spent a lot of time trying to find one.
More than likely that was a Wright County boat inspection. Several counties do them...Carver county at Lake Waconia being one of them. The DNR also sets up boat inspections at several more popular lakes, so that could've been what was going on as well. This is very different than what's going on with these other lakes where you have to have the boat inspected and decontaminated at an OFF-SITE location and aren't allowed to launch unless you've obtained the tag from that process. Well, I suppose you could launch...you'd just get heavily fined.
I don't think many have an issue with inspections taking place at the ramp. It's the idea of having to drive out of the way, sometimes many miles out of the way, during some time when the decontamination station is open to get it done that's the big problem.
2011 Skeeter ZX225
225 Yamaha HPDI Series 2
Minn Kota Ultrex 112 52"
Console: HDS 16 Carbon
Bow: HDS 12 Carbon, Solix 12 G2, Mega 360, Garmin 106 SV, LVS 34
Drewflu summed it up pretty good. The inspection you had has been happening for many years now around here. I think since at least 2010, since I have a sticker on my trailer yet from one back then. Probably before that too. This new mess is a whole different ball game.
As a note, the offsite station closed on Oct 31, you can now launch without going to the offsite inspection station. I guess AIS can't be spread after Nov 1!
Thanks for the info. I don't mind the extra set of eyes checking it out, but what you guys are describing sounds like a major pain in the ass. I only get back up home a couple times a year to go fishing and spending better part of a morning driving around for a station sounds like no fun.
Just for clarification none of the public accesses for Clearwater are in Wright County. The private one on the East side is Hebberlings and the Bay Club and Black Pool are both thankfully in Stearns County. So the inspector you encountered wasn't funded by Wright County but more than likely the state or the lake association.
When you come back up if you want to avoid the hassle of getting inspected use the private accesses. Clearwater has the obvious one on the highway,one at the resort and several other yard ramps. The word on the street is the camp on Sylvia is opening theirs back up to pay users. Should be a great fundraiser for them with all the regulations over at the Twin lake ramp.
Last edited by C_W; 11-04-2017 at 11:09 AM.
That was my mistake on attributing Clearwater access to Wright County.Originally Posted by C_W
Regardless, as far as I know, Clearwater isn't included in the off-site inspection mandate. Only East and West Sylvia, John, and Pleasant are included in that....for right now anyhow. I think I've been inspected by a DNR inspector or inspector of some kind every time I've put my boat into Clearwater, but none of the off-site stuff.
2011 Skeeter ZX225
225 Yamaha HPDI Series 2
Minn Kota Ultrex 112 52"
Console: HDS 16 Carbon
Bow: HDS 12 Carbon, Solix 12 G2, Mega 360, Garmin 106 SV, LVS 34
I cant wait to go get my boat "decontaminated" at this off sight station then get checked again by the dnr once I get their.....THIS IS A JOKE
In the Detroit lakes area there is a low paid volenteer inspecting all boats 8am-5-6pm most days. But there biggest goal is to edjucate all boaters in what the law is and how it is benificial for the environment to try to prevent the spread of ans. I only heard 2 stories in 3 years of this where the volunteer told someone they can not launch and called dnr, who came promptly to resolve the issue. I have enjoyed the inspectors as there is litterally a lot supervisor most of the day and as long as you have there system figured out and answer the questions without them asking it's so painless and fast resulting in mostly laughs and smiles.
Mercury 250 proxs 2B115089
Just wanted to let you know this is completely different from whats going on in wright county. These are Greedy lake associations trying to privatize there already AIS infested waters. I have no problems with guys/gals at accesses educating and checking boats. going in and out of waters. Sh!t, I was even an inspector for the summer a few years back and a big supporter of clean, drain, dry. This program does not care what you do once you leave the lake which is how AIS is mainly spread. There are already stories coming from people who work on these decontamination sites that boat traffic is down about 2/3 from there normal. Which means people are avoiding these lakes. Unfortunately this is exactly what the makers of this program wants.
There are many other problems:
-This program is already a net drain on the economies of Annandale, South Haven, and other surrounding towns. This will continue.
-For those who DO choose to use the station on heavy traffic holiday weekends, the wait times will be prohibitive.
-Public landings at surrounding lakes like Clearwater, Maple, Cedar, Sugar, etc, are overflowing with traffic on weekends, and receiving pressure like never before.
-The operating hours of the station outright infringe on the right to use the public waterways. If a person wants to go night fishing on Lake Sylvia for instance, and they cannot arrive at the lake before the station closes, they must either fish in violation of the ordinance, or they must drive to Annandale the day before they intend to fish, no matter how far away from Annandale they happen to live. This is prohibitive. It is tantamount to a ban - - for some people - on night-fishing Lake Sylvia, Pleasant, or John. This is in direct violation of our right to use the public waterway.
I dont know about you FishySam but if the program was in Detroit Lakes area and lets say you lived 5 min for Lake Lizzie for example, would you be happy driving the extra 20-30 min one way back to the city of Detroit lakes every time you wanted to fish the lake? I KNOW I WOULDN'T!
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