The Affects of Mandatory Boat Inspections on Recreational Boating. Brad Wright. University Of Northern Colorado

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1 Running Head: THE AFFECTS OF MANDATORY BOAT INSPECTIONS ON RECREATIOAL BOATING 1 The Affects of Mandatory Boat Inspections on Recreational Boating Brad Wright University Of Northern Colorado

2 THE AFFECTS OF MANDATORY BOAT INSPECTIONS ON RECREATIOAL BOATING 2 Abstract In this investigation, the affects of the mandatory boat inspections on the recreational boating use of Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir in Larimer County, Colorado were studied. The mandatory boats inspections are designed to control the spread of invasive Qaugga and Zebra Mussels that can disrupt the aquatic lifecycle. Through an online survey posted on FishExplorer.com, 122 responses from an expert sample were collected over a two week period. The number of visits, length of visits and purchase of an annual park permit were compared between 2008 and The results of the study indicate there were no significant affects from the recreation boating use of Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir. Introduction In an attempt to control the spread of invasive species such as the quagga and zebra mussel, the Colorado Division of Wildlife has enacted mandatory boat inspections at all major Colorado reservoirs starting April 1 st, All floating watercraft must be inspected by a state trained boat inspector before and entering a major reservoir. If an invasive species is found, that boat will not be allowed to enter the water without going through a lengthy on-sight decontamination process. Refusal to allow a boat inspection or decontamination process will result in that boat being impounded and fines imposed on the owner (Colorado, 2009). In Larimer County, most boat inspections took place at Boyd Lake, Douglas Reservoir, Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir. Boat inspections generally take place from 5 am to 10 pm at all launching points. The three major questions driving my research are; have the mandatory boat inspections decreased the number of days a recreational boater has visited Carter Lake or Horsetooth Reservoir, has the mandatory boat inspection process increased or decreased the length of stay per visit to Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir and have the mandatory boat inspections affected the type of park permit that is purchased, season or daily. The research data is from an online survey that was posted on FishExplorer.com.

3 THE AFFECTS OF MANDATORY BOAT INSPECTIONS ON RECREATIOAL BOATING 3 Review of Literature Aquatic invasive species are a steadily growing problem throughout the world. Species such as common carp, zebra mussels, quagga mussels, rusty crawfish and gobies have been illegally introduced and have become part of aquatic management. In the following paragraphs, I will outline the spread, effects, control methods, related economics and recreation attitudes related to mussel inspections that were found in the five articles reviewed. Zebra mussels are native to the Aral, Caspian and Black Sea and were likely transported to the United States in the ballast tanks of transatlantic cargo ships and were discovered in the Great Lakes in They have quickly spread throughout the United States on ships, barges and recreational boats. (Damian Adams, 2007) By 1992, the mussels had spread to all five great lakes and made their to the Mississippi and Hudson River drainage with some mussels being found on boats are far west at California. (Mangin, 2001) The zebra and quagga mussel is able to attach itself to most hard surfaces like the inside of boat ballast tanks, inside of boat trailers and even directly on the hull of any boat. (Horvath, 2008) The effect of zebra and quagga mussels can be felt both ecologically and economically. They feed on phytoplankton and small forms of zooplankton by filtering water through their bodies ultimately interrupting the aquatic food chain. (Levente Timar, 2009) As mentioned earlier, the tendency of zebra and quagga mussels is to attach and colonize on hard surfaces, they have been known clog water inlet pipes that feed electric power generation stations, drinking water treatment plants, golf courses and any heavy industry that rely on large amounts of freshwater. Many navigation buoys in the great lakes have been sunk due to mussel infestation. (Levente Timar, 2009) This would pose a serious problem in Colorado as much of the state s water exits the state through pipelines and rivers; all of which provide an easy way for Zebra Mussels to spread. Carter and Horsetooth Reservoir are heavily monitored, as they provide power generation at a small hydroelectric plant south west of Loveland at Flat Iron Reservoir as

4 THE AFFECTS OF MANDATORY BOAT INSPECTIONS ON RECREATIOAL BOATING 4 zebra and quagga mussels could potential clog the inlet tubes to the hydroelectric plant. Another heavily monitored reservoir is Twin Lakes near Leadville. The Twin Lakes Hydroelectric plant is a pump back type plant that does not rely on a damn or the constant water flow from a river but continuously pumps water through the generator turbines out of one reservoir that is at higher elevation. A zebra mussel infestation at Twin Lakes could cost the Federal Government millions of dollars to repair not mention almost wipe out the trophy lake trout fishery that Twin Lakes is known for. Zebra and quagga mussels have already cost several states and the Federal Government millions of dollars. It was estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey that economic losses from zebra and quagga mussels will cost the Great Lakes area 5 billion dollars from (Levente Timar, 2009) It has been recommended by the study An ounce of prevention or a pound of cure: bioeconomic risk analysis of invasive species that it would be beneficial to spend up to $325,000 on single lake with a small hydroelectric plant. In 2001, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sent a combined amount of $825,000 to all states for prevention and control efforts of all invasive species. (Brian Leung, 2002) There are 20 hydroelectric plants in Colorado alone which according to the previously mentioned article, prevention cost could come to a total of $6.5 million. In the case of Lake Otsego which is a 1710 square acre reservoir in upstate New York partly surrounded by residential neighborhoods that sees boat launches a year, costs $23,000 annually in heavy boat inspection and preventative measures against Zebra Mussels. (Horvath, 2008) For a size comparison, Horsetooth Reservoir is 2000 square acres full and Carter is 1170 acres full. As a whole, invasive species cost the United States an estimate $137 billion per year. To control the spread of Zebra Mussels many reservoir management agencies have employed mandatory boat inspections. The most notable has been the 100 th Meridian Initiative enforced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service that inspected watercraft being towed on the U.S.

5 THE AFFECTS OF MANDATORY BOAT INSPECTIONS ON RECREATIOAL BOATING 5 interstate system entering the west side of the U.S. at the 100 th Meridian. The inspection process was done on the side of 8 major interstates. It was the goal of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to not let Zebra Mussels get past the 100 th Meridian. (Mangin, 2001) Unfortunately, the inspections only lasted five years and Zebra Mussels have now been spotted and found in several reservoirs in throughout the Western half of the United States including Colorado. The goal of boat inspections is to decrease the risk of mussel infestation through monitoring boat traffic. Similar to the program at Otsego Lake in New York, boat inspections typically start in late April to mid May and end in October which is the time of the year that zebra quagga mussels reproduce and boat traffic is the highest. Boat inspections are conducted by state and federally trained inspectors who use a long checklist to ensure a quality process. (Horvath, 2008) Zebra Mussel control methods also include education materials. In 2003, the Army Core of Engineers distributed education materials to registered boat owners, posted signs along public roads and highways informing the public how to detect zebra and quagga mussels so they may help protect the Lake Okeechobee Waterway in southern Florida. The Army Core of Engineers also conducted frequent underwater inspections of water lock gates and manatee screens. (Damian Adams, 2007) Some reservoirs require pressure washing with a 10% bleach solution provided by the management of the reservoir both entering and exiting the reservoir. (Horvath, 2008) Purpose The purpose of this research is to study how or if the mandatory boat inspections have changed the number of visits and length of each stay of each visit as well as how the boat inspections have affected the sales of park passes. My first research question determined if recreational boaters have visited Carter Lake or Horsetooth Reservoir less this year over last year due the mandatory boat inspections. My second question is related to the length of stay per visit. It is important to know if people are spending less time on the water due to increased time waiting at the boat ramp or are they staying longer to make the most of each visit. My third

6 THE AFFECTS OF MANDATORY BOAT INSPECTIONS ON RECREATIOAL BOATING 6 question is how the boat inspections have affected the sales of seasonal and daily park passes. When someone brings a boat to a Larimer County operated reservoir, they must purchase a separate permit for tow vehicles and watercraft. It is important to know if boaters are still interested in purchasing a seasonal permit that requires 10 visits to make a seasonal pass worthwhile or will boaters stay with daily passes since they may not visit as much this year due to the inspections. Related variables that were also measured are; time of arrival at either location, typical wait time to enter the water, amount of time devoted to boating each week, travel distance to either location, typical length of boat inspection, travel expenses, number of people per visit, choice of alternate body of water, influence to seek an alternate body of water, activities related to boating, level of boating experience and over- crowding of one activity. Methods Sampling Convenience sampling through FishExplorer.com with an 18 question survey built through surveymonkey.com, allowed the opportunity to target an expert sample that consisted of boat owners and operators that visit Carter Lake or Horsetooth Reservoir and use the Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir blog on FishExplorer.com. FishExplorer.com is a blog based website that allows visitors to share Colorado lake conditions and angling techniques. A link was placed on the main page of the website that directed visitors to the survey through a separate web browser window. Once the survey was completed, visitors were taken back to FishExplorer.com. Results from individual surveys were stored at SuryeyMonkey.com then downloaded into Microsoft Excel when the survey was closed. Measures A series of categorical questions were used to gather information on number of visits in 2008 and 2009, length of visits in hours in 2008 and 2009, length of wait to enter the water, travel distance, time available for boating, number of people per visit, amount in dollars spent on

7 THE AFFECTS OF MANDATORY BOAT INSPECTIONS ON RECREATIOAL BOATING 7 travel, amount spent in dollars on supplies per trip, level of boating experience and the purchase of annual passes in 2008 and A series of multiple choice questions that allowed multiple answers were used to gather information on choice of alternate body of water and preferred activities. Procedures Statistical operations were conducted through SPSS. To answer the first research question; the mean number of visits per year for each reservoir was established through paired samples T tests for 2008 and 2009, then using a crosstab table to establish a pattern within the length of boat inspections in 2009 and the number of visits to Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir in To discover any correlation between the time of arrival and the length of the boat inspections, a bivariate correlation function was used. The second research question was answered through comparing the mean length of visit per reservoir for 2008 and 2009 with a paired samples T test. A bivariate correlation function was used to establish any connection between the length of stay and the purchase of an annual permit for 2008 and 2009; crosstab tables were used to support the same data. Paired sample T tests were used to compare the purchase of annual permits between 2008 and Bivariate correlations were used to establish a connection if any, between the length of travel and purchase of annual permit as well as the length of boat inspection and the purchase of annual permit. All other results were generated through frequency tables. Results The number of visits to Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir fell slightly between 2008 and The mean number of visits to Carter Lake was 1.64 (SD=1.163) in 2008 and 1.57 (SD=1.135) in The mean number of visits to Horsetooth Reservoir was 2.25 (SD=1.413) in 2008 and 2.15 (SD=1.484). When connected with the survey questions used, the Carter Lake

8 THE AFFECTS OF MANDATORY BOAT INSPECTIONS ON RECREATIOAL BOATING 8 mean number of visits stayed between 1-5 visits and 6-10 visits but moved slightly closer to the 1-5 visits category and the Horsetooth Reservoir mean stayed between the 6-10 visits and visits but moved closer the 6-10 visits category. Horsetooth Reservoir was more frequently visited than Carter Lake. Visitors to Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir experienced very few boat inspections that lasted more the 10 minutes in 2009; see tables 1 and 2. The time of arrival shows no correlation with the length of boat inspections at Carter Lake (r =.017, p =.880) or Horsetooth Reservoir (r =.034, p =.764) The length of visit to Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir stayed virtually the same between 2008 and The mean length of visit was 1.64 (SD=.620) for 2008 and 1.60 (SD=.596) for When connected to the survey question used, the mean length of visit stayed between 1-5 hours and 6-10 hours. There is no correlation between the length of visits and the purchase of an annual permit in 2008 (r =.127, p =.163) and no correlation between the length of visit and purchase of an annual pass for 2009 (r =.084, p =.392). These results are also represented in tables 3 and 4. In 2008, 50% of those whose average length of stay was 1-5 hours purchased an annual permit compared to 41% for For 2008, 36% of those whose average stay was 6-10 hours, 35% purchased daily passes compared to 32% for The type of park permit purchased in 2008 and 2009 remained almost unchanged. The mean type of pass purchased in 2008 was 1.59 (SD=.493) and 1.63 (SD=.485) for When connected the survey question used, a little over half of the responses purchases a daily park pass for 2008 and There is a significant positive correlation in the purchasing an annual permit in 2009 and the distance traveled to Carter Lake (r =.293, p =.008) and Horsetooth Reservoir (r =.369, p =.000) which means those who live nearby Carter Lake and Horsetooth reservoir generally purchased an annual permit. There is no correlation between the length of boat inspections in 2009 and the purchase of an annual pass in 2009 at Carter Lake (r =.145, p =.198) or Horsetooth Reservoir (r =.109, p =.353)

9 THE AFFECTS OF MANDATORY BOAT INSPECTIONS ON RECREATIOAL BOATING 9 The most popular alternative body of water to Cater Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir was Boyd Lake; see figure 1. When asked if the mandatory boat inspections influenced their decision to seek an alternate reservoir; 65.7% of responses were no. Fishing was the most popular activity which received 98.1% of all response for that question; please see figure 2. When asked of their level of boating experience, 48.6% responded at expert boaters; please see figure 3. Conclusion Discussion The three major questions driving my research are; have the mandatory boat inspections decreased the number of days a recreational boater has visited Carter Lake or Horsetooth Reservoir, has the mandatory boat inspection process increased or decreased the length of stay per visit to Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir and have the mandatory boat inspections affected the type of park permit that is purchased, season or daily. Based on the evidence from the survey, I conclude the mandatory boat inspections did not decrease the number of days recreational boaters visited Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir, the boat inspections did not increase or decrease the length of stay per visit to Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir and the boat inspections did not affect the type of park pass that was purchased. The number of days visited showed no significant change between 2008 and The length of stay in hours per visit showed no significant change as well between 2008 and The type of park pass purchased remained mostly daily passes. The majority of responders stated they are expert boaters, fishing was the most popular activity and the top choice of alternate reservoir was Boyd Lake. Among those surveyed, Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir did not experience a decrease in the number visits. Implications Since this was the first year of the inspections, boaters may not have completely known what to expect. The fishing conditions and water levels were above average in the summer of 2009 as well. Many of the boaters surveyed experienced short wait times to enter the water; this

10 THE AFFECTS OF MANDATORY BOAT INSPECTIONS ON RECREATIOAL BOATING 10 is more than likely due to fisherman arriving before 8am. Since they did not experience longer than normal wait times to enter the water; making the most out of their trip did not seem to be a priority. The purchase of annual permits compared to daily passes was unchanged between 2008 and This may be due to the above average fishing conditions and water level that were present this year. It only takes 10 visits for an annual pass to pay for itself and most of those surveyed visited both Carter and Horsetooth 6-10 times. Boyd Lake was picked as the most popular alternate body of water. This result makes sense since most people that completed the survey seemed to live in Northern Colorado and Boyd Lake offers the same recreational boating opportunities that Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir do. The second most popular alternate body of water besides private lakes and reservoirs was Glendo State Park in Wyoming. Glendo State Park offers the same recreational boating activities as Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir but does not utilized boat inspections. A trend among Carter Lake, Horsetooth Reservoir, Boyd Lake and Glendo State park is they all feature above average to excellent walleye fishing. Limitations It is important to note that most of the responses were collected through an online survey at FishExplorer.com which is a blog based website for fisherman in Colorado to share water conditions and general fishing knowledge. Since the website attracts fisherman only, the responses to several of the survey questions will be influenced by a mutual interesting in recreational fishing among website visitors. Recommendations Based upon my findings that very little change occurred in the recreational boating habits related to the mandatory boating inspections between 2008 and 2009, recommendations to the policy of Larimer County Department of Natural Resources concerning the boat inspections at Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir would be inappropriate. When the survey was made

11 THE AFFECTS OF MANDATORY BOAT INSPECTIONS ON RECREATIOAL BOATING 11 available on FishExplorer.com, Larimer County changed days and hours of boat inspections. Several comments were made by FishExplorer.com members concerning whether or not they could get inspected and on the water during non-regular inspection days. The inspections are still very new to Colorado and I would recommend as much signage and public information as possible when policy or guideline changes are made. To provide more accurate information on the affects of the mandatory boats inspections, a longitudinal study of all types of recreational boaters over 5 five years would be more appropriate. Using FishExplorer.com drew an expert sample of fisherman but not many waterskiers, wake boarders or those who like cruise open water. Other outlets to administer the survey would be boat repair shops and dealerships, sporting goods retailers, onsite surveys and trade shows. References Brian Leung, D. L. (2002). An ounce of prevention or a pound of cure: bioeconomic risk analysis of invasive species. The Royel Society, Colorado, B. o. (2009, Aopril 1). Aquatice Nuisance Species General Provisions Article 1. Denver, Colorado, United States of America. Retrieved September 10, 2009 Damian Adams, D. L. (2007). Optimal investment i prevention and control of a potential invader: the case of the zebra mussels in Florida water ways. Gainesville: College of Agriculture and Lift Sciences, University of Florida. Horvath, T. (2008). Economically viable strategy for prevention of invasive species: Case study of Otsego Lake, New York. Aquatic Invasions, 3-8. Levente Timar, D. P. (2009). Modeling the human induced spread of an aqautic invasive: The case of the Zebra Mussel. Elsevier, Mangin, S. (2001). The 100th Meridian Initiative: A Strategic Approach to Prevent the Westward Spread of Zebra Mussels and Other Aquatic Nuisance Species. Washington D.C.: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

12 THE AFFECTS OF MANDATORY BOAT INSPECTIONS ON RECREATIOAL BOATING 12 Table 1 Average length of boat inspection at Carter Lake Total 1-5 Visits Visits Number of visits to Carter Lake in Visits Visits Visits Total Table 2 Average length of boat inspection at Horsetooth Reservoir Total 1-5 Visits Visits Number of visits to Horsetooth Reservoir in Visits Visits Visits Total Table 3 Purchase of an annual permit in 2008 Yes No Total Average length of visit to Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir in Hours Hours Hours Total

13 THE AFFECTS OF MANDATORY BOAT INSPECTIONS ON RECREATIOAL BOATING 13 Table 4 Purchase of an annual permit in 2009 Yes No Total Average length of visit to Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir in Hours 6-10 Hours Hours Total

14 THE AFFECTS OF MANDATORY BOAT INSPECTIONS ON RECREATIOAL BOATING 14

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