Aquatic Invasive Species: Check in, Check Out Program

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

To help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS), the Soil & Water Conservation Division of the Ramsey County Parks & Recreation Department developed an innovative, web-based phone app–Check In, Check Out found at ramseycounty.us/AIS. This app guides users through a quick and complete AIS watercraft self-inspection when launching and landing. Users simply pick their location, choose their type of watercraft, and follow the watercraft-specific inspection instructions. This program also nudges the user to take responsibility and make an ongoing commitment to keep thoroughly inspecting their watercraft. Research shows that these personal commitments are key to making behaviors stick long-term. The objective of the program was to use emerging technology to supplement our in-person boat inspection program. The self-check in app will serve the tens of thousands watercraft operators that use Ramsey County lakes each year, it fills in critical inspector gaps, and is scalable for other entities to adopt for very little cost. AIS pose serious risks to recreation and lake ecosystems, so stopping the spread of AIS is critical to maintaining our excellent water resources. We met this program objective and went beyond state statute compliance by developing a web application-based approach to meeting those requirements.