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ENVIRONMENT Mandatory boat inspections resume Tuesday on I-5 Boat inspections keep invasive species from infiltrating local waters Comment By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Feb. 29, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Feb. 29, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News ASHLAND — The first line of defense against environmental invaders such as zebra and quagga mussels starts up Tuesday when the state's boat-inspection station reopens near Ashland. Any vehicle carrying a boat north on Interstate 5 at the port of entry station must stop for mandatory inspections for a variety of non-native plants and mussels known to damage ecosystems, out-compete native species and even clog water-intake systems in infested lakes elsewhere in the country. Each year, the number of aquatic invasive species found at the Ashland station and four other areas across Oregon increases, and "it's telling me they're moving in on boats from all over the place," says Rick Boatner, who manages the inspection program for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. There is no penalty or cost for a boat owner whose vessel is found to be contaminated while at the inspection station. However, those launching boats with any aquatic vegetation on them risk a $287 fine. It's a roughly $500,000 annual program meant to stave off infestation of Oregon waterways with aquatic invasive species that could overrun Oregon waterways and potentially cost the state tens of millions of dollars annually. One estimate puts a $25 million price tag on dealing with invasive mussels in the Columbia River alone in one year should they populate that river, Boatner says. "If we get them, we'll be paying mega-bucks each year," Boatner says. "For a half-million a year in our program, so far we're getting a good deal." The Oregon Legislature in 2009 created invasive species boat permits to fund a coordinated effort to ensure that environmental wrecking balls such as zebra and quagga mussels don't enter Oregon on boats coming from infected waterways, such as Arizona's Lake Havasu and Lake Mead, which also inundates portions of Nevada. Last year, the program inspected 12,953 vessels statewide and unearthed 33 cases of zebra or quagga mussels, freshwater species that have caused millions of dollars in damage in the Great Lakes and elsewhere in the country. That included two mussel discoveries on boats inspected at the Ashland station, Boatner says. One was quagga mussels discovered Oct. 17 on a boat pulled out of Lake Havasu in Nevada that was bound for Washington, while another was brown mussels discovered June 30 on a boat bound for Washington after it had been in the Gulf of Mexico, Boatner says. They were decontaminated with high-pressure hot water, as were another 207 boats cleansed of aquatic vegetation statewide, Boatner says. Of those, 106 boats found to be sporting aquatic vegetation were cleansed at the Ashland station, he says. Most of those contained Eurasian watermilfoil, a non-native plant that already has infected some coastal lakes, as well as Hyatt, Howard Prairie and Emigrant reservoirs east of Ashland, Boatner says. Any boat traveling past an open inspection station is required to stop for a short inspection. In past years, Oregon State Police troopers occasionally manned the station and issued $110 citations to some boat-haulers who bypassed the station. Many of the inspected boats at the Ashland station are owned by regulars heading back from Emigrant, Hyatt and Howard Prairie, says Sam Dodenhoff, who is entering his fifth season at the Ashland station. "The locals who know it's there and what the drill is get in and out pretty quickly," Dodenhoff says. "The out-of-staters often don't know if it applies to their watercraft." Dodenhoff says police presence has been "nonexistent" the past two years, but program officials are currently negotiating with OSP to fund a presence at inspection stations. The program will run through October, Boatner says. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Feb. 29, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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