Idaho Boater Inspection Stations set-up to block invasive species

Any watercraft transported into Idaho is required to stop at an invasive species inspection station. Even kayaks and canoes must be inspected and have a special invasive species sticker. For the Lake Coeur d’Alene/Spokane River area, the closest inspection station is off Interstate 90 at Post Falls.

Click here to see a list of all inspection stations. The watercraft inspection stations in Idaho are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.

Zebra Mussel

So why is Idaho, a state typically adverse to regulation and mandatory requirements, taking a hard line? They have seen the extraordinary damage and expense wrought by zebra and quagga mussels in other parts of the country. These are invasive species that have fouled lakes and streams, clogged intake pipes and otherwise wreaked havoc on just about any type of standing structure. They are European in origin, generally don’t get much larger than the size of a fingernail, and attach themselves to just about any type of hard and soft surfaces.

Once introduced, they breed rapidly with no particularly effective way of eliminating them. Widespread in the Great Lakes, they came across the Continental Divide about three years ago. Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam, for instance, is now infested. Besides fouling the area, millions of dollars are required to treat.

The objective is to prevent this infestation from entering the Pacific Northwest states. This year, 18 fouled boats have been found. Said Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin, “If you wonder why we worry, the proof is what they’re finding at the stations. These species are getting closer every month, now it’s not “if,” but “when.”