Tahoe Regional Planning Agency

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Draft AIS Management Plan

	Boat Ramp Information	<

Zebra Mussel Photo USGS PROTECT YOUR BOAT

PROTECT LAKE TAHOE

Welcome to the Lake Tahoe aquatic invasive species information page. To prevent the introduction of destructive aquatic invaders such as the quagga and zebra mussels to Lake Tahoe, boat inspections are being conducted at all launch facilities.

An inspection fee also will be collected.

Here you will find information on the effort to protect your boat and Lake Tahoe from these aquatic invaders. You will also find links to web resources where you can learn more about aquatic invasive species.

(click here) to learn more about clean boating at Tahoe.

(click here) to download the Tahoe Boat Inspection Flyer.

Why an inspection?


INSPECTION FEES
Fee	Vessel Category
No Fee	Non-Motorized
No Fee	With Inspection Seal
$10*	Up to 16'
$30*	Over 16' to 25'
$40*	Over 25' to 39'
$60*	Over 39'
Additional $10 for vessels containing ballast tanks/bladders/live wells. * A 25% discount card will be available this summer for frequent launches.

To prevent an infestation at Lake Tahoe, every motorized vessel launching at the Lake must be examined by trained inspectors. Quagga and zebra mussels are carried from place to place on boat trailers and boats. They are highly successful in part because they attach to any hard surface and can live out of water for weeks at a time. Those who have recently launched at infested waterways such as Lake Mead and other waters of the Colorado River Drainage risk spreading the mussels to anyplace they launch next.

The mussels reproduce rapidly, causing irreversible environmental damage. Additionally, they can seriously damage boat engines by clogging cooling system water intakes, causing motors to overheat.

Why a fee?

Grant funding that had been used to pay for the inspection program is running out. As is the case at other water bodies, it has become necessary to charge a fee at Tahoe to keep the inspections going. Fees are based on the size of your boat and range from $10 to $60. The average fee is $30.

A 10-inspection discount card is available for boats that frequently launch at other lakes. The 25% discount cards will be available at the TRPA office in Stateline, NV.

The funds will be used ONLY for the inspection program, which is needed in order to prevent serious damage to your vessel and immeasurable environmental damage to Lake Tahoe.

Do I have to pay every time I launch?

Maybe not. When you remove your boat from Lake Tahoe, you will be given an inspection seal attaching the vessel to your trailer. If the seal is still intact the next time you launch, no inspection will be needed and no fee will be collected. By boating only at Lake Tahoe, one inspection and fee can last all summer or from year to year.


	RAMP HOURS

CAVE ROCK

6AM-4PM DAILY

SAND HARBOR

CLOSED FOR WINTER

SKI BEACH

BY RESERVATION

LAKE FOREST

6AM-4PM DAILY

How to prepare/What to expect

Come to the launch facility prepared to answer questions about your recent boating trips. The inspectors need to know where your boat has been and how recently. If your boat has been in storage all winter, bring the storage facility receipt with you. If your boat has been in an infested waterway, decontamination may be necessary. Also be prepared to pay inspection and launch fees.

Contact private launches directly for current hours.

ALWAYS CLEAN, DRAIN AND DRY

YOUR EQUIPMENT EVERY TIME YOU LAUNCH

How to help

The best way to help is the spread the word. Enlist your friends in the fight to protect Tahoe.

1-888-TAHO-ANS

http://twitter.com/tahoeaquatic
Or text "follow tahoeaquatic" to 40404 from your phone.

Thank you, boaters! You are the key to keeping Tahoe mussel free. We cannot afford to lose this fight.

	Aquatic Invasive Species Management	<

While the TRPA and agency partners are working to prevent the introduction of quagga/zebra mussels and other aquatic invasives, new information has come to light about a previous invader. The Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) has been known to be present in Lake Tahoe for at least 6 years in small numbers. On April 25, 2008 researchers from the U.C. Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) located large beds of these clams at two locations near the southern end of Lake Tahoe (Ski Run Marina Beach and Regan Beach).

(click here) for more information on this discovery.

This large increase in the number of clams in the lake means that these clams will be washing up on Tahoe beaches and may be confused with quagga/zebra mussels. While these clams may have a negative effect on native species, their impact pales to that of quagga/zebra mussels. Find out more at the 100th Meridian Initiative website.

(www.100thmeridian.org)

Lake Tahoe’s pristine waters can be damaged by the introduction of invasive species of aquatic plants, fish, shellfish and other organisms, or taxa. Over the years, non-native aquatic taxa have been introduced to Lake Tahoe and have changed the natural ecosystem. Eurasian Milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) is a weed that has inundated shallow harbors. This and other weeds are spreading to other parts of the lake and threaten Tahoe’s famed clarity in part by helping algae grow. Invasive weeds are being controlled through an intensive management program including mechanical harvest techniques, boater education and pursuing installation of boat wash stations at boat ramps. The Tahoe Resource Conservation District (TRCD) was recently awarded a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to further address removal efforts.

Today, Lake Tahoe and other western lakes face a new threat from the quagga mussel and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and its partner agencies are taking action. Quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) are a small freshwater shellfish with a triangular, rounded shell. A close relative of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), they can attach themselves to boats and boat trailers and travel for days out of the water. Once introduced to a new body of water with the right conditions, they can reproduce with astonishing efficiency. TRPA has partnered with other agencies to take action before mussels and other species can invade Lake Tahoe.

What Can Boaters Do to Stop the Spread of Invasive Species?

Since their initial discovery in Lake Mead, infestations of quagga mussel have been confirmed at other lakes to the south of Lake Tahoe. At this time, quagga mussels can potentially spread to Tahoe by clinging to the hulls of recreational boats, to trailers, and to commercial boat haulers traveling from infested waters such as:

Lake Mead, NV
Lake Mohave, NV
Lake Havasu, CA & AZ
Waters along the Colorado River drainage.
San Justo Reservoir in San Benito County, CA

When leaving the water, boaters should:

Wash watercraft and trailers with high pressure hose at 140 degrees.
Learn how to inspect watercraft for aquatic hitchhikers (young quagga mussels will feel like sandpaper to the touch, while adults usually have dark concentric rings on their shell. They can grow to 1.6 inches (4 cm) but are usually smaller than a quarter).
Let your boat dry out for 28 days prior to transporting to other waters.
Wash fishing equipment, water toys, wetsuits and flotation devices in a diluted bleach solution prior to use in another waters.

What Can Everyone Do to Stop the Spread of Invasive Species?

Report sightings to 1-888-TAHO-ANS.

Volunteer with the TRCD to help educate other boaters.

Print out the flyer from the link below and distribute to boat owners you know and/or contact points for boaters.

Educate yourselves and others about invasive species.

To find out more or share information, contact the
Tahoe Aquatic Nuisance hotline at 1-888-TAHO-ANS.

(click here) to download the Tahoe Boat Inspection Flyer

Invasive Mussel Action Plan

In January, 2007 quagga mussels were discovered in Lake Mead, NV. Like its infamous cousin, the zebra mussel, quagga mussels can have serious impacts on native wildlife, fisheries and our precious ecosystem. Their presence can also obstruct pipes in municipal water systems, costing millions of dollars to repair.

What is TRPA Doing About Quagga Mussels?

Water quality and fisheries managers at TRPA are linked to the Quagga Mussel Incident Command Center spearheaded by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG). Reports are provided to the TRPA from a network of protection agencies several times a week so the agency knows when and how best to act.

The TRPA Governing Board adopted an emergency resolution in May, 2007 spurring agencies and the public into action. This provided the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with a declaration of emergency allowing funding to be available.

The Governing Board has added new ordinances requiring boat inspection and decontamination if required by an inspector. All boat ramps must have a TRPA-certified inspector on duty during operating hours.

Many public and private partners are collaborating in the effort and private marinas have proactively trained their own staff to assist in the effort.

Retrofitted a boat in coordination with the Tahoe Resource Conservation District (TRCD) to respond to localized milfoil (weed) and Asian Clam infestations.

Monitoring several launch sites with mussel traps to identify any potential introduction of quagga or zebra mussels.

TRPA and the Lake Tahoe Invasive Species Working have released a Draft Lake Tahoe AIS Management Plan for long-range protection.

Conducted an inspection with the TRCD of a recently-removed water intake pipe that had been in the Lake for more than 15 years to determine if quagga or other invasive species were present. The inspection was negative for invasive species.

TRPA worked to secure more than $1 million in funding offered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and local grantors to start up the inspection and decontamination program. All funding is awarded to TRCD as managers of the program.

The Agency is taking the lead on immediately locating boat washing facilities within the Basin. TRCD staff is working with marina owners to install permanent boat washing facilities as well.

(click here) to go to the 2008 AIS Annual Report.

Protecting Lake Tahoe since 1969 • phone: (775) 588-4547 • email - trpa@trpa.org
mailing address: PO Box 5310, Stateline, NV 89449 • physical address: 128 Market Street, Stateline, NV 89449
Website information subject to change without notice