GLENDO – Residents and visitors to all Wyoming bodies of water are required to follow guidelines to safeguard against introducing invasive species that hitchhike on boats and other watercrafts. A Clean, Drain, Dry protocol has been in effect in Wyoming for several years and includes several watercraft Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) check stations at key points in the region.

According to Wyoming Game and Fish Department regulations, “All watercraft must stop at any open watercraft check station on their route of travel, regardless of previous destination and intention to launch in Wyoming.” Janet Milek, Casper region public information specialist for WGFD. “So, if you are going to Glendo and you drive past the check station, you must stop for a three- to five-minute inspection. Inspectors are looking for any invasive aquatic species, but if boaters follow the clean, drain, dry protocol, the inspection will go fast.”

Invasive species of zebra and quagga mussels have proven detrimental to native species and a rapid change in habitat of waterways in which they are introduced. As a result, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is increasingly vigilant to prevent their introductions in Wyoming’s waterways. People planning to be on the water with any type of watercraft are required to CLEAN all equipment and gear of plants, mud and debris and never to move an animal or plant from one location to another. DRAIN all water from gear and equipment (including all watercraft, waders, boots, clothing, buckets, or anything coming into contact with the water.) Additionally, Bilge, ballast, and livewell plugs must be pulled when leaving the water and remain out during transport, and all vegetation must be removed from the watercraft upon leaving the water. Then, DRY everything thoroughly – five days in the summer or 18 days in the spring or fall, or three days at freezing temperatures.

Checkpoints are set up throughout the state for AIS, and there will be several game wardens on reservoirs throughout the state to help with safety throughout the season. One item they may check for is for paperwork showing the watercraft was cleared to be on the water by a certified AIS inspector. They will also make sure watercraft have proper safety equipment on board, including flotation devices, fire extinguishers, lights, and a sound-producing device. See the Wyoming Game and Fish Website at https://wgfd.wyo.gov/fishing-boating for more information on required safety equipment and regulations, as well as AIS rules.

There is a WGFD AIS inspection station in Glendo, off I-25. When it is busy or closed, people can contact Doc Hill, a certified inspector, at the Glendo Trading Post, 24/7, to have their boat checked (the number to call is posted by the check station, across the street from the Glendo Trading Post). Hill says he inspects the boats to make sure they have their registrations, plate numbers and no water is in the ballast, that they pumped the ballast tank, and for watercraft that have been on high-risk bodies of water or meet certain criteria or risk categories of harboring zebra or quagga mussels, he conducts further inspections. 

Most times people have followed the guidelines, but “if I find something, I contact the WGFD and they send someone to come inspect it further,” Hill said. 

If the boat has been in waters known to be high-risk for hosting invasive species, or if the boat shows signs of not having been cleaned, drained and dried, it is required to be decontaminated. “The WGFD has a hot water pressure washer they use to de-contaminate the live well, motor and hull, then they re-inspect to make sure there isn’t anything that could spread to our bodies of water,” Hill said. “It has to be a really high temperature to work, and they have the equipment for that.”

In 2023, the Glendo AIS check station inspected 8,611 watercrafts. Of those there were 137 high-risk inspections and 17 decontaminations; Manville had 491 watercraft inspections with 178 high-risk and 55 decontaminations; and there were 1,720 watercrafts inspected at Torrington, with 135 high-risk and 16 decontaminations.

The risk of endangering Wyoming’s aquatic habitats is real, and to get the word out to people on its importance, WGFD’s Wyoming Wildlife magazine has produced an activity booklet for kids informing them on the subject of AIS. For more information or to download the activity book, go to wgfd.wyo.gov/education-camps/conservation-education/inspire-kid.