Nancy Sattler- Clean Boat Clean Water Volunteer Coordinator – 715/202-3344

Hello! My name is Nancy Sattler, and I will be your Clean Boat Clean Water Volunteer Coordinator in 2014. Some of you may recognize me from the time I worked with Oneida County Land & Water Conservation Department. During the time that I worked there, I conducted Invasive Species and CBCW training for lake associations. I also worked at many boat launches during the summer, conducting watercraft inspections.

I enjoyed being out on the water doing inspections for invasive species, and surveying lakes alongside the DNR. I have a great passion for protecting the waters we all enjoy. I live on Fourth Lake of the Moen Chain, which, like Crescent Lake is free of the ‘major’ invasive species we have worked so hard to protect our lakes from. We are very fortunate that our lakes do not yet have Eurasian Water Milfoil or Curly Leaf Pondweed. I have worked with lake groups in the past that have spent thousands of dollars trying to reduce or eradicate these invasives.

Every time I pass your boat launch in summer, I have been impressed to see how often you had volunteers at the boat launch conducting inspections. I am excited to be working with you this year to ensure this coverage continues, and also that we continue the worthwhile fight to educate boaters about the steps they can take to minimize the risk of transport.

The Wisconsin DNR has been looking at the CBCW form, and has revised it for 2014. Its new format will allow you, as CBCW volunteers, to have a more ‘conversational’ approach with the people you meet at the launch. We want to educate them, and help them to understand the importance of doing inspections and prevention techniques. Some of you have already taken this approach, and will find this new format to be similar to the approach you’ve used in the past.

Here is what Ted Ritter (Vilas County Invasive Species Coordinator and member of the CBCW revision team) has to say about the changes:

“Wisconsin’s CBCW program has been evolving since its inception about 10 – 12 years ago. The latest changes will prioritize CBCW inspectors engaging boaters in conversations about why AIS laws exist, rather than simply warning them that penalties for non-compliance can be substantial. For instance, the conservations will help boaters understand the reasons for not transporting water or live fish rather than being confused by a law they don’t understand. Conversational prompts will be provided for inspectors as an aid to using the new data collection form”.

The Oneida County Land & Water Conservation department will be holding a training session for the use of this form, on April 29th from 5:00 – 7:30 pm in the Rhinelander airport basement. If you are interested in attending, please call and let me know (715-202-3344) In addition, I will be conducting training sessions for volunteers at your lake’s public boat launch in May. (Dates will be posted as we get closer to that month.)

I am looking forward to getting to know you better this summer, and I can’t wait to see you at the launch!

-Nancy Sattler