Pelican Lake locked
Zebra mussel threat forces changes
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As the boating season approaches at Pelican Lake, the RM of Prairie Lakes has implemented a new policy to regulate access to the lake.
The program introduced a $40 inspection fee for visitors to have their boat checked for invasive aquatic species like zebra mussels, and the program also closed down all-but-one boat launch to the public. The boat launch in Ninette remains open, where inspections will take place. Visitors can pay $5 when they leave, and will get a tag that allows them to return to the lake free next time.
Locals need to purchase a $100 decal and declare that they will only use their boat on Pelican Lake for the season.
The Sun visited Ninette earlier this month to speak with residents to learn how they view the program. A group has organized to protest the plan, with some saying it will impact their businesses by reducing tourism, others saying it will impact them financially, and others saying they protest the concept of locking down a lake.
One business owner, who asked not to be named, said the program is not a big concern. The business owner said that a $100 purchase was not a major expense for a season of boating, and didn’t believe tourism would fall because of the policy.
RM of Prairie Lakes Reeve Darren Seymour told the Sun that the protesters are a small group compared a large amount of support. Seymour said about 300 decals had been sold about halfway through May, compared to about 60 people who showed up to protest the policy at the same time.
The concern about reducing tourism comes down to weather and fishing, Seymour said, rather than the $40 inspection fee. He said that tourism will still flow through Ninette where the business are because it is the only boat launch open to the public, whereas other boat launches are open only to locals who bought the decal.
Discussing the concept of locking down the lake, Seymour said the long-term health of the lake is the priority. The locked launches around the lake were necessary in the plan to ensure that all incoming visitor boats were first inspected before being launched into the lake. Keeping zebra mussels out is the main focus, he said.
» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com
