As Labor Day weekend kicks off, boaters need to remember to make a common practice of removing all plant material from boats and trailers. This practice will reduce the spread of invasive aquatic plant species, nuisance native plants, and zebra mussels.

Draining all water from the bilge, live well, and bait buckets will reduce the chance of spreading larval zebra mussels. Spraying equipment with high pressure water or allowing equipment to dry for five days is important to kill hidden hitchhikers.

This is the typical message of the “Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers” campaign. These simple practices should be used at all bodies of water, even if no known aquatic invasive species are present.

The most important places to look for plant fragments are boat trailer bunks, rollers, axles, and fenders. The boat floor, bilge area, and propeller should also be cleared of plant material.

Boaters need to be particularly vigilant at Lake Manitou in Rochester. The exotic species hydrilla has just been identified by the DNR as being in that lake. While on that lake, boaters should avoid weedy areas since fragments of hydrilla and another common invasive species in the lake, Eurasian watermilfoil, can float to another part of the lake and take root.

Boaters using Manitou should watch for hitchhiking plants and dispose of them in the trash before leaving the launch area after a day on the lake. This will reduce the likelihood of spreading the plant to other waters.

Lake Manitou is the only known location of hydrilla in Indiana and the Midwest. Plans are being developed to deal with this plant and will be presented to the public in the near future. Hydrilla is classified as a federal noxious aquatic weed.