During the summer months, boaters arrive at Pennsylvania’s lakes, streams, and rivers to enjoy some relaxing time on the water. Many locations, like Lake Wallenpaupack (NE PA) and Pymatuning Reservoir (NW PA), are known for their boating activity and treasured by those who enjoy this beloved pastime. To help keep these and other waterbodies pristine and enjoyable for years to come, boaters are encouraged to clean their boats to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species—unwanted plants and animals such as hydrilla, Eurasian water-milfoil, and zebra mussels that can hitch a ride from place to place on boats and other aquatic gear.
To help raise awareness of this important topic, we invite you to join the Pennsylvania iMapInvasives Program on Wednesday, September 17 as we host a special guest webinar presentation featuring Kate Harms of the Pennsylvania Lake Management Society (PALMS) and Mark Morrison of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC). Together, they will discuss PFBC’s Boating Facility Grant Program and new initiatives that PALMS is taking to increase awareness and empower boaters to take action to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species throughout the Commonwealth.
A focus of the presentation will be on two new mobile boat cleaning stations recently acquired by PALMS with funding from PFBC. Beginning in 2021 and 2025, these stations were placed at several public lakes throughout Pennsylvania, and after multiple years of data collection, can now provide a look into their overall usage and popularity by boaters. During the webinar, information will also be provided on other boat cleaning stations, methods used to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, and new PFBC regulations for cleaning boats.
Note: If you are interested in attending this event, but cannot make the scheduled time, please register in order to receive a link to the webinar recording.
Presenters:
Kate Harms, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Lake Management Society (PALMS)
Kate serves on the Pennsylvania Governor’s Invasive Species Council representing lakes and their stakeholders in connection to aquatic invasive species in Pennsylvania and beyond.
Mark Morrison, Statewide Public Access Program Manager, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC)
Mark manages the PFBC’s yearly Boating Facility Grant Program which helped fund the two aquatic invasive species machines that PALMS currently has deployed. The program helps municipal and county governments, land trusts, conservancies, and qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations to develop fishing and boat access facilities that are open and available for public use. The prevention of aquatic invasive species is a new component of the program, and the PFBC is continually looking for ways to expand it.