LAKE COUNTY — Doug Codling, volunteer coordinator of the Lake County Invasive Species Council, recently commended the efforts of fellow volunteers assisting with the prevention of quagga and zebra in Lake County waters. He said more volunteers are always welcome and needed.
“I want to send a huge shout-out to the men and women who volunteer to monitor our ramps all around the lake,” Codling said recently before the Clearlake City Council. “These people are the hub of the wheel when it comes to prevention to keep quagga mussels out of our lake. If we don”t prevail, the issue will be catastrophic.”
Codling said there are currently about 50 volunteers, which he described as a well-organized group. He said volunteers have received specialized training and often carry with them a comprehensive binder that includes the history of the prevention effort in detail, protocol guidelines, informational hand-outs as well as the actual ordinance requiring proof of boat inspection prior to launching in Clear Lake and other Lake County waters. He said the volunteers also have official identification cards that they wear while monitoring launching ramps.
Codling said more volunteers are always needed, especially in light of the upcoming summer season.
For more information, contact Codling at 994-3305 or by e-mail at dlcodling@gmail.com.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call directly at 994-6444, ext. 14.
