SCLV Boat Inspection May 11

[MarkB]

I finally received my e-mail for the upcoming Friday boat inspection that I have participated in for the past few years. I wasn't surprised to find that even the Sportman's Club volunteers that organize the inspection personnel and assign locations and times are still unclear on the decal status. The following is a portion of the e-mail I received:

"Hello Everyone,

I had just sent out my boat check message to many of you and found that changes had been made in the law. It will no longer be necessary to have to have a DNR Decal on your boat as previously stated. A new on-line information course program on AIS will be taking it's place in 2015. See attachment leading to the DNR website announcement.

For our boat inspectors on Friday, May 11th, the decals will still be in your box of supplies for boaters who may want them or possibly refuse to believe the decal program has been discontinued. To add to some confusion, the law is effective on July 1st. You could ask yourself, how about between now & then? I don't think the DNR will be asking for the sticker.

However, It would actually be beneficial for boaters to have them as they serve as a good reminder to keep a clean boat and of the AIS laws. Tell the boaters what has happened. I have heard that the demand was so overwhelming that they had run out of decals and were thinking of another printing. Maybe that's what did it.

The announcement also says that fines for AIS violations will be doubled on July 1st. That means that essentially the penalties I show on page 14 of our May SCLV newsletter will double."

I think the most important thing is to draw attention to the fact that the AIS penalties REMAIN in tact and are wholely enforceable! The penalties that were referred to above are as follows:

Civil Citation Penalties as of January 1,2012:

**Fail to drain water( this means PULL your PLUG when leaving a body of water) $50 **Transport Aquatic Plants on Public Roads $50 **Launch with Plants Attached $100 **Transport Infested Water w/o Permit $200 **Transport or Possess Prohibited Species $250 *Launch into Non-infested Waters with AIS Attached $500 *Subsequent Offenses $1000 *Refuse Inspection...Loss of Boat License for up to 1 year

.

Just be aware of the above penalties and both residents and non-residents will be ok this year.

Good Fishing,

MarkB

[bturck]

Just great, another prime example of government not having a clue. I fully support AIS it just seems terribly irresponsible that they get all up in arms and have people jumping through hoops and then advise the program is no longer going to function as originally stated. I have my sticker on the boat, so life is good, but the confusion could have beeb avoided with some proper rational.......