Van Vliet Lake Steward,

What if the purpose of this letter was to inform you that an aquatic invasive species had been discovered in Van Vliet Lake and that, left untreated, it would strangle out native vegetation, destroy the fishery , degrade water quality and make life miserable for all who try to enjoy our beautiful lake? What if you were told that it would take years and thousands of dollars, some of which YOU would be expected to pay, to make a dent in the problem?

An increasing number of lake property owners on our neighboring lakes are receiving this very news. It’s for real and these destructive species are spread from lake to lake via watercraft.

Which is why your Lake Association wants to establish a “Clean Boats-Clean Waters” volunteer program on our lake so that we won’t have to tackle the worst case scenario. Here’s what we hope to do:
 

* recruit a group of dedicated volunteers who are committed to the preservation of our lake quality and who are willing to spend ANY TIME THEY CAN SPARE at our landing

* hold brief training sessions to familiarize volunteers with common AIS (aquatic invasive species) , laws, and duties of boat inspectors and data recorders

* schedule volunteers for “shifts” at the boat landing at high use times (weekends, tournaments, holidays) when they will communicate with boaters about the importance of keeping their watercraft free of species that could be transported from lake to lake

* KEEP ADDITIONAL AIS OUT OF VAN VLIET LAKE !!!!!


If you are willing to be a part of the watercraft inspection team, there are four ways you can express your interest: Go to the website, www.vanvlietlake.com , and look for the instructions on how to submit your name; OR, Call Ronie Jacobsen, 608 544-4431; OR email her at rejmrc@gmail.com; OR send a note to Ronie at S9977 Exchange Rd., Prairie du Sac, WI, 53578.


If you would like to help out but do not want to spend time at the landing, we also need people to make phone calls and do data recording. Right now, all we need are names and phone numbers of potential volunteers. You will be contacted about specifics and given a chance to ask questions. If you have questions NOW, call Jill Wilm at 715 686 7396.

IMPORTANT POINTS:

Kids, age 12 or older, are encouraged to participate if they are with an adult.

Time spent on this project counts toward our “in kind “hours for the grant we have received.

A training session will be held after the business portion of the annual meeting July 3. Volunteers not attending that meeting will be trained at their convenience.

We sincerely hope that you HELP STOP THE SPREAD OF AIS BY PARTICIPATING IN THIS EFFORT.

          If we don’t, who will?