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In: Clean Boats, Clean Waters, Introduced, Maree Stewart, podcast, Scott McComb, Tim Campbell

Maree Stewart was a middle schooler from Minocqua, Wisconsin, when she and two classmates had an idea that would shape Wisconsin’s lakes for the next 20 years and beyond.

“It doesn’t feel now like I’ve done this big, momentous thing, but it really has made such a difference,” Stewart said. “And it’s just really amazing how many people have been impacted by a science project that I did when I was 12 years old.”

Students Maree, Janelle, and Luke, in the original Clean Boats, Clean Waters shirts, pose at their educational booth.

Students Maree, Janelle, and Luke, in the original Clean Boats, Clean Waters shirts, pose at their educational booth. Credit: Clean Boats, Clean Waters program

In 2001, Stewart, Luke Voellinger, and Janelle Zajicek kick-started what would become Clean Boats, Clean Waters (CBCW), one of the most successful watercraft inspection and aquatic invasive species (AIS) education programs in the country. With the help of a $25,000 grand prize, dedicated mentors, and some fateful wordsmithing from a local t-shirt printer, the trio transformed a middle school science project into a statewide initiative that’s connected with over two million boaters.

The improbable story — told for the first time in its entirety — is the subject of the newest episode of “Introduced,” Wisconsin Sea Grant’s podcast about Great Lakes stories and invasive species science.

“We wanted to showcase how community efforts like these can make a difference and inspire others to take action,” said executive producer Bonnie Willison. “It’s also a fun, timely story now that it’s summer and more people are getting out on the water. Chances are you’ll see a Clean Boats, Clean Waters inspector if you head to a boat launch.” 

Wisconsin Sea Grant has supported the program since its official start in 2004, hiring and training interns to work as inspectors along Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. According to Tim Campbell, Wisconsin Sea Grant’s aquatic invasive species outreach specialist, coverage along the coast is crucial: the Great Lakes are a source of invasive species in inland lakes and vice versa. 

Even with much to gain through a coastal watercraft inspection program, people feel less inclined to volunteer along the Great Lakes, Campbell noted — perhaps because they’re so big and it’s hard to believe that individual actions can make a difference. 

“The Great Lakes are everyone’s lakes and no one’s lakes,” said Campbell. “People are invested in the lake they have a cabin on, but it’s more difficult to get volunteers to stand at a Lake Michigan boat launch. It’s not the same level of ownership. Yet, one of the best ways to protect all lakes in Wisconsin, including the Great Lakes, is to have CBCW volunteers present on the coast.” 

The students worked in close collaboration with Laura Marquardt, Sandy Wickman, and Lisa Ahlers.

The students worked in close collaboration with Laura Marquardt, Sandy Wickman, and Lisa Ahlers. Credit: Clean Boats, Clean Waters program.

That’s where Scott McComb, Sea Grant’s aquatic invasive species outreach specialist in southeastern Wisconsin, comes in. McComb organizes Clean Boats, Clean Waters training in Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha counties and works to build a sense of stewardship around Lake Michigan. His efforts ensure there isn’t a Great Lakes-sized hole in AIS prevention across the state.

For Campbell, the educational and neighborly spirit of the program is what sets the Clean Boats, Clean Waters program apart from other AIS prevention initiatives.“[Staff] don’t have any legal or inspection authority, but I think for our program, that might work out better because they’re a more friendly inspector,” he said. “Our inspectors are truly there to help.”

Even as seventh graders, Stewart and her peers recognized the importance of a friendly conversation.

“We just realized the power of [AIS education] is going to come from behavior changes of people. And how do you do that? By interacting with other people and word of mouth,” said Stewart. “It’s gone so far beyond what any of us ever thought it would, which is really great.”

 

The post Podcast tells story of seventh graders who launched Clean Boats, Clean Waters first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/podcast-tells-story-of-seventh-graders-who-launched-clean-boats-clean-waters/

Jenna Mertz

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In: AIS, ais educators, aquatic invasive species, Butte des Morts, CBCW, Clean Boats, Clean Boats Clean Waters, clean drain dry, drain, Fond du Lac, Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, FWWA, inspect, invasive, Lake Butte des Morts, Lake Poygan, Lake Winnebago, Lake Winneconne, never move, Outreach, Outreach and Education, prevention, remove, seasonal, Winnebago, Winnebago Lakes, Winnebago Waterways, Winneconne

Education Team Welcomes You to the Boat Launches

Every summer, the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance and partner organizations across the state welcome new hires to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.  These new staff members help with the Clean Boats, Clean Waters Program and talk with water users at local boat launches. Thanks to a contract from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance was able to grow our aquatic invasive species program in the Winnebago Waterways by hiring five educators for Summer 2023! Take a minute to learn more about the seasonal team that is working directly to protect your local waters!

Tim – CBCW Coordinator

Tim joins the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance doing the Clean Boats, Clean Waters project as the project Coordinator. He is a junior at UW-Oshkosh majoring in Environmental Studies, with a minor in Geography. He loves to be in his garden and outside; plants are kind of his thing! In addition to being at the boat launches this summer, Tim will be coordinating the CBCW Program including making schedules, checking in on with the Educators, and getting our data uploaded correctly!

Leah – AIS Educator

Leah is joining the CBCW crew as an AIS educator for her first year. She is a senior at the University of Wisconsin and is studying to finish a degree in Environmental Studies with a Geology minor. She has always loved being outside in nature. Growing up, she went camping and hiking a lot with her my mom and she would always pick up garbage. She is now dedicating her life to advocating for the needs of the Earth and for all other beings. She is thrilled to start her position with the Clean Boats, Clean Waters Program to help conserve our local waters.

Mikayla – AIS Educator

Mikayla returns for her second year with the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance as an Aquatic Invasive Species Educator. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a Biology Degree. She is excited to be back this summer and meet some new boaters! Mikayla also works at a local YMCA as the Building Supervisor!

Lisa – AIS Educator

Lisa joins the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance and the Clean Boats Clean Waters Program team as a first year Educator! Originally from New York City, Lisa has called Wisconsin home for over 30 years! For the past two years, she’s been located on a canal on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh. Lisa ran her own Chiropractic office for 27 years. She is looking forward to working to protect her favorite place; the great outdoors!

Steve – AIS Educator

Steve Berholtz is working on his fifth year (!!) as a summer AIS employee with the main job of informing and educating boaters at various boat landings. Steve graduated in 1974 from UW-Oshkosh with a BS in Mathematics and a minor in Economics. He worked for 40 years for Canteen Vending and also put in 34 years in the Army Reserves. He loves to hunt pheasants in South Dakota and Wisconsin with his hunting dog, Skye. Steve wants to help improve and protect the Winnebago System for future generations!

If you’re a boater or angler, make sure to say hello if you see our team at your favorite boat launch!

Photo Credit: Tim Burns, Leah Fleury, Mikayla Wing, Steve Berholtz, Lisa Roth, Alyssa Reinke (Fox-Wolf), Chris Acy (Fox-Wolf)

Questions? Comments? Contact Chris Acy, the AIS Coordinator covering Brown, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties at (920) 460-3674 or chris@fwwa.org!

Follow the Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance’s Winnebago Waterways Program on our Winnebago Waterways Facebook page or @WinnWaterways on Twitter! You can also sign-up for email updates at WinnebagoWaterways.org.

Winnebago Waterways is a Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance program. The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is an independent nonprofit organization that identifies and advocates effective policies and actions that protect, restore, and sustain water resources in the Fox-Wolf River Basin.

Check out the Keepers of the Fox Program at https://fwwa.org/watershed-recovery/lower-fox-recovery/

Reporting invasive species is a first step in containing their spread. Maintaining and restoring our waters and landscapes can reduce the impacts even when we don’t have other management options to an invasive species.

The post Meet Your 2023 Aquatic Invasive Species Education Team! appeared first on Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.

Original Article

Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance

Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance

https://fwwa.org/2023/05/24/meet-your-2023-aquatic-invasive-species-education-team-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=meet-your-2023-aquatic-invasive-species-education-team-2

Chris Acy

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In: AIS, AIS outreach, aquatic invasive species, Clean Boats, Kenosha, lake monitoring, Milwaukee, purple loosestrife, Racine, Scott McComb, Tim Campbell

Wisconsin Sea Grant has a new team member in the effort to protect our waters from aquatic invasive species. Scott McComb began May 3 as the southeast Wisconsin aquatic invasive species (AIS) outreach specialist.

Scott McComb has joined the staff of Wisconsin Sea Grant. (Submitted photo)

McComb’s position focuses on Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee counties, where he will coordinate education, monitoring and outreach programs for communities, stakeholders and volunteers to prevent the spread of AIS. His office is located at the Kenosha County Center in Bristol, though he anticipates spending a significant amount of time in the field in the three counties.

The three main programs McComb will focus on are the “Clean Boats, Clean Waters” campaign, a purple loosestrife biocontrol program and a citizen lake monitoring program. When possible, he’ll also have a presence at local and regional events (like Racine’s Salmon-A-Rama in July) to help spread the word about AIS prevention and answer the public’s questions.

McComb is eager to engage with a wide range of people. “Honestly, I feel like everyone under the sun is my stakeholder!” he laughed. He will partner with lake or homeowners’ associations that monitor bodies of water, government entities like parks departments, volunteer groups, conservation corps and individuals with an interest in maintaining healthy ecosystems for future generations.

He’s also keen to work with people of different ages. “I’d really like to engage youth and the diversity of cultures and backgrounds in this region. There are so many great groups and people to connect to,” said McComb.

As the summer recreation season gets underway and people head out for boating, fishing and other outdoor pastimes, McComb stressed the basics of protecting our waters, such as the “Inspect—remove—drain—never move—dispose” motto. People should inspect their boats, kayaks or other watercraft for aquatic plants and animals; remove any that are found; drain water from live wells and other areas; never move water, plants or animals between waterbodies; and dispose of unused bait in the trash.

Additionally, he said, “Just be curious and keep your eyes open with what’s going on in the different lakes that you use. You don’t need to be an expert on aquatic vegetation to see a species start to take over, and there’s a whole bunch of people—including myself and DNR folks—who are here to help you identify something if you think it’s an invasive.”

McComb during a hike in Zebra Canyon, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah. (Submitted photo)

McComb grew up in the Madison area and earned a bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He then spent several years in Utah, where he completed a master’s degree in bioregional planning and worked in planning and conservation.

Said Tim Campbell, Wisconsin Sea Grant’s aquatic invasive species outreach specialist, “Scott has a lot of experience helping communities plan and implement projects that help them improve their communities. I look forward to seeing how that experience helps him build upon existing local partnerships in southeast Wisconsin to improve aquatic invasive species prevention and management.”

A desire to be closer to family brought McComb and his wife back to Wisconsin. In their free time, they enjoy canoeing, kayaking and simply being out in nature.

As McComb settles into his new role, he encourages people seeking AIS information to get in touch. He can be reached at 608-890-0977 or McComb@aqua.wisc.edu.

The post Scott McComb ready to take on aquatic invasive species role in southeast Wisconsin first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/scott-mccomb-ready-to-take-on-aquatic-invasive-species-role-in-southeast-wisconsin/

Jennifer Smith