It’s that time of the year again! April 27th marks the start of the 2024 summer boating season for the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program. Aquatic Invasive Species Program staff will be conducting watercraft inspections and decontaminations at four sites in the Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish Watershed. Our season schedule is as follows:

Bloedel Donovan and Lake Samish (7 days a week) – April 27th through September 26th. 

Sudden Valley Boat Launch (Weekends/Holidays Only) – May 4th to September 22nd. 

South Bay Boat Launch (Weekend/Holidays Only) April 27th through September 22nd.

The final day for inspections and wire seals at Bloedel Donovan and Lake Samish is Thursday, September 28^th. The final day for inspections and wire seals at Sudden Valley is Sunday, September 24^th. Boat owners are encouraged to have their boats wire sealed, if they do not plan on using it throughout the winter months, to ensure a speedy and efficient start to the 2024 boating season. Please note that launch closure times will vary on available daylight.

If you happen to miss us at the boat launch, don’t worry! Our year round staff are available (starting October 2^nd) Monday – Friday 8:30 AM  – 4:30 PM to meet you at the launch when you retrieve your vessel. Just be sure to call with advance notice.

To find out the most current hours of operation, to schedule an appointment, or to have your vessel wire sealed, please call the AIS Boat Inspection Hotline at: (360) 778-7975.

Our permits for the upcoming 2024 season will arrive sometime in January and our team will be standing by to get boaters updated permits soon after the new year.

Thank you all again and see you in 2024!

*The Blodel Donovan and Sudden Valley boat launch have reopened as of 9/3/2023

The Bloedel Donovan Park boat launch will be closed and boating traffic not allowed until further notice to keep Lake Whatcom clear while fire crews fight wildfires on the lake’s southeast shoreline, likely caused by lightning Monday evening (August 28). Please respect the closures and advisories that are in place for public safety and protection. See Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office for more information. 

The South Bay boat launch will be closed from August 21 through September 30, 2023 for redevelopment. The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife will construct a new concrete boat launch, dock, vault toilet, pave the parking lot and create parking stalls. More information on the project and closure is available at the WDFW Lake Whatcom webpage.

The Lake Whatcom Boat Launch will be closed July 8th from 4am-2pm to accommodate the Lake Whatcom Triathlon. More information about the Lake Whatcom Triathlon can be found here: https://www.lakewhatcomtriathlon.com/.

It’s that time of the year again! April 22nd marks the start of the 2023 summer boating season for the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program. Aquatic Invasive Species Program staff will be conducting watercraft inspections and decontaminations at four sites in the Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish Watershed. Our season schedule is as follows:

Bloedel Donovan : (7 days a Week) April 22^nd – Sept 30^th 5:00 AM until 9:00 PM

Samish Boat Launch: (7 days a week) April 22^nd – Sept 30^th: 5:30 AM until 8:30 PM

South Bay Boat Launch:  (Weekends/Holidays Only) April 22^nd – Mid September: 9:00 AM until 6:30 PM

Sudden Valley:  (Weekends/ Holidays Only) May 6^th – Mid September: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Permits can be purchased with a Debit/Credit Card at all inspection sites. *For the safety of our staff, Cash is not accepted at any of the launches. All Cash and Check purchases will have to be made in advance at the City of Bellingham Finance Office at City Hall*

Click here for AIS Permit pricing and to be directed to our online prepayment system. Don’t forget to take our AIS Awareness Course to receive a coupon code for a $10 discount on each of your Annual Permits (3-day Passes and Visitors Passes are not subject to a discount)

Call the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program at (360) 778-7975 to confirm hours or to schedule an on-site appointment.

We are excited to kick off the 2023 Boating Season. Please remember to clean, drain, and dry your boats and gear to protect our local lakes!

During the pandemic, the City of Bellingham offered financial relief for the Whatcom Boat Inspection program by automatically applying a $10 discount to the price of annual Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) boating permits required to launch on Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish. With the end of the Washington State COVID-19 emergency orders, annual permit costs are reverting to the pre-pandemic price structure. But the AIS boating permit discount is still available. Take the AIS Awareness Course and complete the test to earn your “AIS Awareness Course Certificate” and a $10 online discount code for your 2023 permit purchase. Thank you for being a responsible steward of our local lakes and preventing the spread of invasive species! We look forward to seeing you on the water in 2023.

September 30^th marked the end of the 2022 summer boating season for the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program. Aquatic invasive species inspectors conducted over 14,000 inspections in 2022 in an effort to protect our local waterways.

Inspections will be available intermittently at Bloedel Donovan through the month of October, weather permitting. Call the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program at (360) 778-7975 to confirm hours or to schedule an on-site appointment.

Thank you to all our boaters for a great season! Please remember to clean, drain, and dry your boats and gear to protect our local lakes!

We’ve just released our annual report highlighting results from our tenth season of watercraft inspections to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species to Whatcom County waters.

In 2021, inspectors conducted a total of 14,415 watercraft inspections at Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish. The inspected watercraft came from a total of 318 different water bodies in 29 different states or provinces prior to launching at Lake Whatcom or Lake Samish in 2020, including 11 mussel infested waters. As watercraft continue to arrive from high-risk waters, the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program remains an important defense in the protection of our local lakes.

The 2021 inspection results can be viewed using an interactive online Story Map that shows the last water body visited by boats entering Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish. We decontaminated ten boats that had recently been in mussel-infested waters and found 136 boats with vegetation and 1,146 boats with standing water on board that required some additional attention. Our inspectors used these situations as an opportunity to educate boaters about the importance of cleaning, draining, and drying their boats between every use.

More detailed results from the 2021 boating season can be found in the Whatcom Boat Inspections 2021 Annual Report and by viewing our interactive Story Map.