Chelan Parks Director Paul Horne worked with Lisa Dowling, Natural Resource Specialist with the Chelan County Natural Resource Department to secure this generous donation. The two have been trying to secure a unit for several years. Dowling's persistence and heavy lifting and Horne's enthusiasm paid off this year with a grant from Wildlife Forever, a conservation group based in Minnesota. Their mission is to "conserve America's wildlife heritage through conservation education, preservation of habitat and management of fish and wildlife."
Invasive species such as Eurasian water milfoil can grow into dense mats which block sunlight and harms or kills native aquatic plants and fish. Milfoil can collect on boats and be spread from water body to water body. Cleaning watercraft thoroughly after use breaks this cycle. The donated Watercraft Cleaning Station is called a CD3. The title references Clean, Drain, Dry, & Dispose, a proven effective series of steps for combatting the spread of invasive species. The unit contains compressed air, a wet/dry vacuum and other assorted tools for removing these noxious weeds from boats.
The unit will be placed at Chelan's Lakeshore Marina and will free for users.
Learn more about the donated cleaning system in this short video.
Learn more about Eurasian water milfoil here.
https://youtu.be/IV3Y4AV4zzA