The Pelican Lake Property Owners Association recently presented the Town of Enterprise and the Town of Schoepke with awards recognizing their continued support of the Clean Boats/Clean Waters Boat Inspection Program carried out May through September at Pelican Lake landings.

The towns have supported the program in cost sharing with the property owners association since 2005. The program inspects boats and educates boaters coming and going from the lake about problems associated with Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS). The State of Wisconsin has supported the main part of the program through the AIS Control Grant program. The state has devoted $4 million to the fight against AIS each year.

Boat landing monitoring helps both to educate people using the waters of Oneida County and Wisconsin, and slows the spread of invasives. At the two landings monitors on Pelican Lake in 2011, 3,018 boats were inspected, and 6,750 people educated regarding AIS. With continued local partnerships, this ongoing program will continue to limit the damaging effects of invasive species.