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BEMIDJI 鈥� As the snow starts to melt and Minnesota begins to show signs of a slowly approaching spring, it鈥檚 important to understand the dangers of aquatic invasive species before anglers and boaters get back out on the open water.

This year鈥檚 National Invasive Species Awareness Week is in full swing, running from Feb. 28 through March 4.

For Bruce Anspach, AIS lakes technician for Beltrami County Environmental Services, the week offers a perfect opportunity to educate people about the negative impacts some of the more common invasive species have on the area.

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer

An invasive species can be described as 鈥渁 non-native species that was brought into the area and is causing some type of harm,鈥� Anspach said. 鈥淭he harm can range from economic to environmental to human health hazards.鈥�

It鈥檚 especially important that Minnesotans are being conscious of aquatic invasive species, Bruce stressed. With more than 10,000 lakes in the state, it can be easy for invasive species like zebra mussels and faucet snails to make their way around.

Invasive species, Anspach explained, are typically spread when people take boats or other recreational equipment like tubes or kayaks from lake to lake without taking precautions to properly clean or dry them.

Another way that harmful aquatic invasive species can be introduced into a lake is by releasing fish from a different environment into a body of water, such as from an aquarium or releasing bait or goldfish into the natural environments.

"Goldfish are a big problem because when they get into a water body they actually stir up the water and destroy the plant life, and there鈥檚 nothing to stop them from reproducing," Anspach said.

If lake-goers aren鈥檛 careful, new types of invasive species can easily infest a body of water.

In Beltrami County, the aquatic invasive species starry stonewort has become an issue in recent years , with the species being found in seven water bodies throughout the county.

First discovered in Minnesota in 2015, starry stonewort is an algae that grows tall and dense, often forming mats on the water surface. Infestations, Anspach said, are typically found near boat accesses.

"When we find these new infestations, they鈥檙e always concentrated around the accesses, where boats go in and out all the time," he said.

Fortunately, Anspach said the spread of starry stonewort can be deterred by taking simple precautions.

鈥淲e鈥檙e pretty sure it鈥檚 being transported by humans, but it鈥檚 an easy thing to not transport just by taking the plants off and making sure that you don鈥檛 have any wrapped around your boat propeller,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f people look for that, half the battle is done already.鈥�

Beltrami County is also set to get two new boat cleaning stations to help prevent the spread of starry stonewort. According to a release, the stations are funded by the 2021 House and Senate Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, which is set to put these boat cleaning stations on accesses in every Minnesota lake that is infested with starry stonewort.

鈥淩esearch by the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center shows that lakes within a 50-mile radius of an infested waterbody are at much higher risk of infestation,鈥� Jeff Forester, executive director of Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates, said in the release. 鈥淏y containing starry stonewort in the few lakes where it already exists, we hope to protect all of the other lakes in Cass county, Crow Wing county and others.鈥�

Since most aquatic invasive species are spread by humans, Anspach said, it鈥檚 important that people take measures to ensure they鈥檙e not unknowingly introducing them into the area's many lakes.

鈥淪cientific studies have been done about the spread of invasive species,鈥� Anspach said. 鈥淶ebra mussels, starry stonewort and these faucet snails we鈥檙e dealing with aren鈥檛 spread by other animals 鈥� they鈥檙e spread by humans bringing water to other places.鈥�

He explained that one of the most important things people can do to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species is to make sure all watercraft are thoroughly decontaminated before traveling between bodies of water.

鈥淎 lot of people know now to make sure they鈥檙e removing vegetation,鈥� Anspach said. 鈥淭aking off mud and vegetation is your main priority, and dry any water recreation equipment for at least five days.鈥�

Those who plan on taking their equipment from lake to lake and don鈥檛 have time to let it dry for five days, Anspach explained, should wash the equipment off with hot water to kill any aquatic invasive species.

鈥淲hat I always tell people is that if you鈥檙e moving lake to lake and you鈥檙e not drying, flush your system out with water, preferably hot water,鈥� Anspach said.

Zebra mussel veligers, the larval form of the invasive species, start dying off at 89 degrees, Anspach said. This temperature is easily achievable by just using tap water, as most residential water systems reach temperatures of around 120 degrees.

Another option for washing a boat is to use a watercraft decontamination service when a boat is traveling from lake to lake. These services are available throughout the state and are free to use.

鈥淚鈥檝e been finding out that people don鈥檛 realize with all these decontamination stations throughout the state, they think they have to pay for them and they don鈥檛,鈥� Anspach said. "It鈥檚 nice to be able to move from lake to lake, you just have to take precautions."

Free watercraft decontamination is available in Beltrami County and is available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day during the summer. All people need to do, Anspach said, is call in and someone will be sent out to perform the decontamination.

鈥淚t鈥檚 free, and we鈥檙e happy to do it,鈥� he added. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been trying to get more people to use it.鈥�

When people take simple preventative measures like watercraft decontamination, Anspach said, it helps lakes stay clean, safe and usable.

鈥淚f I change a few ways that I prepare to use that resource, I can prevent the drastic change of it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I鈥檓 trying to teach people is to take a minute to do these things to help prevent the spread of invasive species.鈥�

Taking precautions to prevent the spread of invasive species will allow people are able to enjoy Minnesota鈥檚 lakes for years to come, Anspach added.

鈥淲e have a lot of very nice natural resources in Minnesota and we like to use them,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to see them radically changed.鈥�

To set up watercraft decontamination in Beltrami County during the summer months, call (218) 760-8519 . To locate free watercraft decontamination sites in Minnesota, visit .