Station on I-5 on east side of Ashland is Oregon’s busiest
By Lee Juillerat for Ashland.news
Yes, there is a good reason the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has a watercraft inspection station on Interstate 5 in Ashland.
ODFW inspectors found quagga mussels, which can cause serious damage, on a pontoon boat that was being transported from Lake Mead, Nevada, into Oregon at the Ashland watercraft inspection station on Thursday, Jan. 4. Following the discovery, the watercraft was decontaminated.
“Quagga mussels can cause serious damage to Oregon’s lakes, streams, irrigation and water delivery systems,” said Rick Boatner, ODFW invasive species coordinator. “We want watercraft owners to be responsible and have their vessel inspected when entering Oregon.”
Boatner said the person transporting the boat, which he had purchased in Lake Mead, had it cleaned but, “They just didn’t do as good a job as they should have. The guy did try to do everything right.”
Even though the mussels were dead, Boatner said they potentially could have fallen off and into a lake or stream and caused severe damage. He said ODFW has not detected the presence of quagga mussels in Oregon’s waterways but in 2023 crews decontaminated nine watercraft for quagga or zebra mussels and 327 watercraft for other types of aquatic biofouling such as Eurasian Watermilfoil.
Boatner said the Ashland inspection station, which remains open year-round, is the state’s busiest station. It is open daily during daylight hours. Statewide, since the watercraft inspection station program began in 2010, he said ODFW has inspected 209,620 watercraft and intercepted and decontaminated 168 watercrafts with quagga or zebra mussels and 3,246 watercraft with other types of aquatic biofouling. When no type of biofouling is found, most inspections take three to five minutes. If invasive species like mussels are found, the free cleaning procedure generally takes about an hour.
All vehicles towing or carrying non-motorized boats — including canoes, kayaks and paddleboards — entering Oregon are required to be inspected at an aquatic inspection station. Failure to stop at an open station could result in a $110 fine. Along with Ashland, a station at Ontario is open year-round. Seasonal inspection stations are located in Klamath Falls, Lakeview, Brookings and Umatilla.
“People who stop at these stations are directly contributing to our success in keeping aquatic invasive zebra and quagga mussels, snails and aquatic plants out of Oregon,” Boatner said. He terms the inspections “the first line of defense in keeping aquatic invasive species such as zebra or quagga mussels, snails and aquatic plants out of Oregon. These invaders can cost millions in damage to water delivery systems and serious environmental damage to our rivers, lakes and native aquatic species.
“Everyone who boats,” he added, “needs to make sure they always practice ‘clean, drain and dry.’ All boaters and anglers should be vigilant about cleaning and drying all their gear after each use.”
According to ODFW, aquatic invasive species prevention permits or waterway access permits are required for most boaters in Oregon. Both resident and non-resident non-motorized boats (paddlecraft) 10-feet and longer require a waterway access permit. All non-resident motorized boats require an aquatic invasive species prevention permit. Resident motorized boat permits are included in the Oregon boater registration fee. Permit sales provide funding for the six boat inspection stations throughout Oregon.
Oregon’s inspection stations are well signed. Stations are open if large orange, “Boat Inspection Ahead,” signs are posted, followed by “Inspection Required for All Watercraft.”
For more information, visit MyODFW.com for more information about the Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Program. For waterway access permits, visit myodfw.com/articles/waterway-access-and-aquatic-invasive-species-permits. If boat owners find quagga mussels on a vessel, they are asked to contact the Oregon invasive species hotline by calling 1-866-INVADER or visiting oregoninvasiveshotline.org.
Email freelance writer Lee Juillerat at 337lee337@charter.net.
