It’s that time of year again when everyone is hitting the water for recreation. The NYS DEC wants to remind everyone to “Clean.Drain.Dry” all boats, trailers, and gear before launching into New York waters.

As of May 23, everyone will notice watercraft inspection stewards wearing blue vests at more than 220 boat launches throughout the state. Also called boat stewards, these blue-clad folks are mostly volunteers that help with decontamination of vessels and gear.

There are many different forms of Aquatic Invasive Species. In 2024, boat stewards inspected over 219,000 watercraft, and intercepted more than 11,000 invasive species statewide.

The DEC’s Watercraft Inspection Steward Program (WISP) works in collaboration with the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation on minimizing invasive species through operations on 30 State Park ramps. This year WISP is also working with the State Canal Corporation and is going to establish a new decontamination site at the Cove Road Boat Launch on Oneida Lake.

Please follow these simple steps to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. Clean mud, plants and animals from all boats and gear and dispose of them in the trash. Drain all water holding compartments. Dry everything fully. If you cannot dry everything, spray with water that is at least 140 degrees F. Use only certified bait. Don’t dump aquariums into water bodies.

It’s very important that we follow these steps at all times, especially locally when there aren’t any decontamination sites present. There are plenty of local water bodies, here in Sullivan County, that are full of invasive plants like water chestnut because folks didn’t take the time to clean and dry their boats.

Information and instructional videos on how to properly decontaminate a boat and prepare it for launch can be found on the DEC website. Anyone heading up to the Adirondack Park needs to be aware that any boat launched in the Park, or even within 10 miles of the “Blue Line” border, must have a certificate before launch stating that the craft has been cleaned to “Clean.Drain.Dry” standards. The certificates are available at all decontamination sites and can also be downloaded from the DEC website for those folks doing the work themselves.

Let’s all decontaminate our boats and gear this summer to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species while we enjoy the outdoors!

John S. Van Etten is the current president of the Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs of Sullivan County, Inc.