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In This Issue
December 19, 2008Happy Holidays! What a year 2008 has been. We have witnessed a global economic crisis, the continuation of two wars and a historic presidential election. We have seen gas prices swing in an unimaginable fashion and we have all had our lives impacted by factors beyond our control. It has indeed been an interesting and challenging year and I expect that we can expect more change in 2009. One change within our control is a change for the positive, something that will benefit all of us. Let's work together to change the behavior of everyone who boats fishes or plays on our waters. Lets all resolve to Inspect, Clean and Dry our gear after every use. This is simple stuff that we all need to do as an automatic part of every trip. We need to be clean and we need to teach others that cleaning is the responsibility of every angler. It is very important that we do everything in our power to prevent spreading these damaging invaders and I invite you all to join me in my personal New Year's Resolution that I will Inspect, Clean And Dry after every trip in 2009! Signs of Success? - Maybe A new report from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources highlights the great success they achieved in 2008 in limiting the spread of aquatic invasive species. Crediting their cooperative partnerships, the Department reports that there were no new discoveries of VHS, Hydrilla or Spiny Water Fleas in 2008. “We think that reflects the efforts of growing partnerships among counties, tribes, local communities, citizen volunteers and the state to keep Wisconsin lakes and streams healthy and free of invasive species.” said Department of Natural Resources Secretary Matt Frank. This Wisconsin experience shows that we can make a difference. An educated public is key to stopping the spread and we all have a role in the process. There is more information in the Wisconsin Report which further describes the reduction in the rate of new discovery of several other species as well. Also from Wisconsin comes a survey that demonstrates that anglers and boaters Are becoming increasingly aware of the invasive species problem. The Oct. 21-28 University of Wisconsin-Madison Poll found that 86.3 percent of residents consider preventing the spread of invasives "extremely" or "quite" important. This is an impressive level of understanding. However, although the awareness level of respondents was very high their commitment to taking action to preventing spread can still be improved. As an example, only 58 percent said they followed a 2008 statewide rule that prohibits, with a few exceptions, moving live fish away from a water. This survey is really very encouraging. It shows that we can have a big impact on shaping peoples thoughts and actions. It will help to guide future efforts and is a very positive sign that our message is taking hold. Read more about this important survey. Fishing Companies Seek Solutions In the September 2008 Clean Angling News we reported that Simms would be eliminating felt soles from their products in 2009. In addition to Simms, other boot makers are working on innovative new technologies that reduce the possibility of invasive species attaching to their boots. 2009 will see companies beginning to introduce new designs that may prove to be very helpful. In their annual review of new fly fishing equipment, MidCurrent has identified a number of new boots that help to fight invasives. Check their New Products review for more information. Beware of crocodiles! Talk about a serious invasive, police in Natick, MA were surprised to get a recent call from a citizen reporting the presence of a crocodile in Fiscke Pond which is right in the center of town. The caller reported spotting an 8 ft croc and was unshakable in his description. "The caller was very emphatic about what he saw," said Natick Police spokesman Lt. Brian Grassey. "He gave a very detailed description." At this time, I am not too worried that crocodiles will be a significant problem but if you ever find one when you do your gear inspection be sure to leave it behind! Read more about the crocodile Videos There are lots of different videos available that stress the message of avoiding spread. While this is a very serious issue, sometimes having a little fun is the best way to get the message out. This month we are bringing you three short videos from Oregon that make great use of whimsical cartoon characters to tell the ANS story. Each of these minute long videos builds off the others so be sure to watch them in order. Oregon Video 1 Oregon Video 2 Oregon Video 3 Writers, Photographers, Designers - We need your help! We want to improve this newsletter by adding new stories, pictures and information. If you are able to help with this we would love to hear from you. Send us stories (or even story ideas), photos, videos or any other materials you would be willing to let us publish. We also want to develop new Clean Angling products that tell the story. We need people with design talent to send us ideas for T shirts, and other products. Our merchandising partner is very flexible and we can add new designs easily. Put on your creative cap and send us your ideas, slogans, computer graphic or whatever. Send your stories, ideas, comments or art to Newsletter@stopans.org. Promote the Clean Angling Pledge Most of you have already joined the legion of anglers that are working to protect our waters by making sure to carefully clean your gear after every use. The simple actions of Inspect - Clean - Dry can be done easily at the end of every trip and make a huge difference in reducing the spread of invasive species. The Clean Angling Pledge is a personal statement of action to help protect our waters and we need your help to make sure that every angler is aware of this important program. You can help promote the pledge in a variety of ways and we have been working on providing some direct support to those who want to promote the pledge. Please help us grow the number of people working to protect our waters Promote the Clean Angling Pledge Support Our Efforts The Clean Angling News and the Clean Angling Pledge are programs of the Center for Aquatic Nuisance Species, a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the human caused spread of invasive species. We receive no dedicated funding and depend on donations and grants to support our work. If you are able to help us in our important mission please visit www.stopans.org/Donate.php or contact us for more information. The
Clean Angling News is regularly produced by the Center for Aquatic
Nuisance Species. If you have questions,
suggestions or would like to learn
more about ANS please contact us:
Center
for Aquatic Nuisance
Species
P.O. Box 1429 Livingston, MT 59047 406-220-2059 info@stopans.org |
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