At the dawn of the beautiful summer season that is approaching, we believe it is important to remind you of the importance of properly cleaning your boats, boards, and floating objects each time you have visited another lake beforehand or when guests bring their own boats or floating objects.
The goal is to preserve the environmental quality of our aquatic environment and the integrity of our shorelines by preventing the introduction and spread of invasive alien species from one lake to another. An invasive alien species (IAS) is a plant, animal, or micro-organism (virus, bacterium, or fungus) that is introduced outside its natural range. Its establishment or spread can pose a threat to our lake, or the people who inhabit it and it sometimes becomes very difficult to get rid of these intruders. We regularly read news on this subject that concerns residents of the Laurentians and elsewhere, not to mention the impact on the value of their properties. Thorough cleaning of boats and electric motors of any soil, leaves, plants, or roots before they are launched minimizes the risk of contamination from one lake to another. The same applies to canoe, kayak, paddle board or other floating objects. It is everyone’s responsibility for our common good!