With as many lakes and rivers as we have here in Minnesota, you can imagine how many invasive species are in our waterways.
Professionals can only do so much, so volunteers are often needed to help deal with aquatic invasive species.
Today, at the Lake Superior Aquarium in Duluth, educators from University of Minnesota Extension hosted a workshop for invasive species detectors.
“Minnesota has a lot of water! We have over 11,000 lakes in the state and there are very few professionals that handle that very large amount of space,” said Megan Weber, an educator who focuses on aquatic invasive species at UM Extension. “So this is a really great way to get the public involved. They learn more about what they’re looking for.”
The workshop seeks to train volunteers on methods to identify and solve problems with aquatic invasive species in Minnesota.
Participants have already completed an online course and this all-day workshop allows them to have more hands on experience and group discussions.
“Lots of them live on lakes, so they’re very connected to them,” Weber said. “But we also have young people looking for more experience, we have general members of the public that just really enjoy water.”
If you’d like to learn more about how to become a detector of aquatic invasive species, their webpage has more info.