Invasive Investigator Training Program

BECOME AN INVASIVE INVESTIGATOR

Under the supervision and sponsorship of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, become a trained volunteer to potentially reduce the spread of aquatic invasives in our East Haddam lakes.  It is a free course lasting 2 ½ hours and you will receive a free official tee shirt from the DEP.

SATURDAY, JUY 16, 2011     9:00 – 11:30 AM

TOWN OFFICE ANNEX (Near Goodspeed Opera House)

To register, please email your name, telephone number, and tee-shirt size to Bruce Fletcher<bfletcherdmd@snet.net.>

General Description:  The Volunteer Invasive Investigator Program is designed specifically to help educate people of ways to keep our waters clean and prevent the spread of aquatic hitchhikers into the lakes and rivers of Connecticut.  The Invasive Investigators will interact with boaters launching at community ramps, check for invasive species as well as collect information about where boats have been, if any invasive species were found, and what if any cleaning steps were done prior to launch.

Skills:  Good communication skills; willingness to work weekend and holiday hours; ability to meet new people; sincere interest in lake protection. 

Training:  Volunteers are required to attend an initial training of 2.5 hours and visit local boat launches.  DEP Boating staff will familiarize you with local invasive species, teach you how to conduct a voluntary inspection and provide instructions regarding data collection.  Annual refresher training will be approximately 1 hour.

Monitoring:  At the boat launch, we ask that you interact with boaters, familiarize them with invasive species present at the waterbody, distribute invasive species educational materials, conduct a voluntary inspection to see if there are any visible plant fragments or zebra mussels, and show boaters the steps needed to ensure they are not spreading unwanted plants and animals.  Invasive Investigators will also conduct a voluntary survey to determine what, if any cleaning precautions were taken prior to launching, and return surveys and other information gathered to the DEP-Boating Division on a bi-weekly basis via fax or email.

Flexible Hours:  Scheduling will be done according to times you are available.  While volunteers may schedule boat launch monitoring times to their convenience, we encourage participation particularly on weekends, since that is when most people go boating.

For More Information: Please contact Gwendolynn Flynn of the CTDEP at 860-447-4339 or gwendlynn.flynn@ct.gov. 

*Organized by:

The East Haddam Lakes Association & The Moodus Reservoir Preservation Group