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Welcome
The Pelican River Watershed District was established in 1966 by community leaders to restore and maintain the health of waters located in the watershed. The watershed in located in Becker and Ottertail Counties and covers roughly 160 square miles.
Governor Dayton signed the Environment Omnibus Bill HF 2164 - see published article and highlights click HERE
Just In: Aquatic Invasive Species Decal Now 'Optional,' Higher Penalties Begin July 1
State will not require boaters to attach an aquatic invasive species decal to their trailers—not yet at least.
May 4, 2012 - 11:54 am
OPTIONAL DECAL:
A slate of new laws designed to curb the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) was approved in a recent bill passed by the Minnesota Legislature and signed by Gov. Mark Dayton May 3, 2012.
A program requiring watercraft owners to place an AIS rules sticker on their boats is being discontinued and replaced with an online education program. Watercraft owners will no longer be required to place on their boats the rectangular, silver and black decals, which include a summary of the state’s AIS laws.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) began distributing the decals earlier this year and will continue to give them to interested boat owners for informational purposes only.
A new law, which goes into effect 2015, will require anyone who transports watercraft or water-related equipment with a trailer to complete an online education course. After completing the course, the person will receive a decal that must be placed on their trailer, certifying they have taken the course. People taking the course can receive extra stickers if they own or use multiple trailers for watercraft or water-related equipment.
“The black and silver decal is no longer mandatory for boaters, but it is still a good informational tool to help boaters know the AIS laws,” said Luke Skinner, aquatic invasive species program supervisor. Boaters who have decals can still place them on their boats or trailers as a reminder.
He said the DNR will begin developing the online AIS course soon to implement the new decal requirement for 2015. The penalty for not displaying the decal will be a warning, not a citation.
Other new AIS laws will be instituted July 1, 2012, as a result of the new legislation:
- Civil penalties for violating the state’s AIS laws will double. Fines that currently range from $50 to $250 will increase to $100 to $500, depending on the type of violation. For example, failure to remove a drain plug while transporting a watercraft will mean a $100 fine, instead of a $50 penalty. The fine for unlawfully possessing and transporting prohibited aquatic invasive species will increase from $250 to $500.
- Boat lifts, docks, swim rafts and other water-related equipment (except boats and other watercraft) that are removed from any water body may not be placed in another water body for at least 21 days. The drying out period is designed to kill any AIS that might be attached to the equipment that are high risk and difficult to clean. Two zebra mussel introductions occurred last year as a result of water equipment being sold and moved from one water body to another.
- Boat clubs, yacht clubs, marinas and other similar organizations are now considered lake-service providers, requiring permits for the clubs and staff working there to take AIS certification training.
- Portable bait containers used while fishing through the ice do not need to be drained before leaving a water body, unless the water body has been declared to have viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), a virus that is deadly to fish.
The DNR was given additional authority to require mandatory inspections of water-related equipment before a person places or removes equipment into or out of a water body and to set up inspection stations at a centralized location to cover multiple lakes. The new legislation also allows the DNR to delegate this authority to local governments that have an approved inspection plan
Here are some educational videos:
Carp: Click HERE
Zebra/Quagga Mussels: Click HERE
2012 Aquatic Invasive Species Legeslative Summit
"For the second year, the Aquatic Invasive Species summit brought several legislators and hundreds of people under one roof to hear about the progress and discuss what’s be done about the invasives taking over Minnesota lakes."
Click here for the full article from the DL Tribune.
Official Ice On Date for Big Detroit Lake is...... November 20th
This is quite close to the long-term average, but over a week earlier than the average of the previous ten years. Because of the relatively late (April 26) ice-out last spring, 2011 had a relatively short ice-free season, 209 days, more than two weeks (17 days) shorter than the average of the last 10 years.
Dick Hecock - KDLM Watercraft Inspector Audio
Zebra Mussels are drawing near!!
To watch the spread of Zebra Mussels in the State of Minnesota
Detroit Lake Levels
Many have noted that the water in Detroit Lake is very low. As of October 27, 2011 the lake's surface is at 1333.52 feet above mean sea level. That means the lake is about 1.5 feet lower than last year at this time (or in late June of this year). The lowered lake has exposed an unusual expanse of beach around much of the lake.
But is "the lake lower than it ever has been", as some have asked?
Check out our new Shoreline Restoration Site!
Located at the City Beach Park
The Pelican River Watershed District is working with Prairie Restoration and the City of Detroit Lakes to restore a portion of the shoreline at the City Beach Park. The project includes the planting of shrubs, native flowers and grasses, and creating walking trails through the site with educational signage.
- The first step in our restoration project at the City Beach Park was to spray all the existing turf grass to stop its growth.
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- Next, the dead grass and vegetation was burned off in a controlled burning by Prairie Restoration. The soil was loosened and seeded with native plants, grasses and shrubs as well as a cover crop to help control weed growth.
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- Fencing was placed at the entrances to the future trails to set the boundaries of the native growth. The flowers are expected to grow fully within three years of annual burning, mowing and maintenance.
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Audit Reports for the Pelican River Watershed District
2008 2009
2010
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