Boat inspection stations at Bloedel Donovan, South Bay, and Lake Samish will be opening for the season starting on April 21, 2018. Inspectors will be checking both the interior and exterior of all watercraft to see that they are clean, drained, and dry and are not at risk for transporting aquatic invasive species to our local waters.

Aquatic Invasive Species Permits are required for all watercraft prior to launching or operating on Lake Whatcom or Lake Samish. For more information on permit fees visit Annual Permits and Fees. You may purchase your permits at the time of inspection by credit/debit card. If you re-take the online AIS Awareness Course in 2018, you may be eligible for a $10 discount to be applied to each annual permit you are purchasing.

Opening Day Hours of Operation (4/21/2018):

Bloedel Donovan: 5:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Lake Samish WDFW Launch: 5:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

South Bay WDFW Launch: 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

For more information on our seasonal hours of operation visit Inspection Locations or call (360) 778-7975.

From all of our 2018 inspectors, we wish you a very fun and safe boating season!

We are looking for all types of watercraft for our 2018 Watercraft Inspector Training on April 11 and 12. Volunteers will provide their boats for new and returning staff to get familiar with boat parts and inspection and decontamination procedures. We need a variety of boats including pleasure, fishing, PWCs, and ski or wakeboard boats. In exchange for volunteering your vessel, we will provide you with a $10 discount on your 2018 Annual Permit!

Please contact the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program at 778-7975 or email ais@cob.org if you are interested in volunteering your boat.

2018 aquatic invasive species (AIS) permits are now available. Call (360) 778-7975 to schedule an appointment to get your watercraft inspected.

Interested in hosting a group inspection in your neighborhood? Call (360) 778-7975 to schedule a group inspection with us.

AIS check stations at Bloedel Donovan, South Bay, and Lake Samish open for the season on April 21, 2018. Check this site for updates regarding our hours of operation.

2018 AIS Permits and Fees:

• Annual Motorized/Registered Permit: $50 (Get a $10 discount by taking the online course)
• 3-Day Pass (Motorized/Registered only): $20 (No discount available — Valid for 3 consecutive days only)
• Annual Non-Motorized Permit: $10 (Get a $10 discount by taking the online course)

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

In 2017, we conducted a total of 12,150 watercraft inspections at Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish. The inspected watercraft came from a total of 285 different water bodies in 26 different states or provinces prior to launching at Lake Whatcom or Lake Samish in 2017, including fourteen 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 waters.

The 2017 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 five boats that had recently been in mussel-infested waters and found 150 boats with vegetation and another 175 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 2017 boating season can be found in the Whatcom Boat Inspections 2017 Annual Report and by viewing our interactive Story Map.

Parking will be limited Feb. 15 – Feb. 28

The Bloedel Donovan boat launch at Lake Whatcom will be unavailable from Feb. 15 through Feb. 28 for construction. The City of Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department will be replacing the floating docks and piling. The existing facility is antiquated, damaged and beyond its intended design life. The new docks and piling will provide a level walking surface and greatly improve everyone’s boat launching experience for years to come. This project is partially funded by a Boating Facility Grant through the State of Washington Recreation and Conservation Office.

Pile driving is expected to occur the week of Feb. 15 through Feb. 28. There will be limited access to the lower boat trailer parking lot and launch area during this time.

Construction activity at the boat launch is expected to occur again during the first two weeks of May 2018 while the old floats are moved out and the new ones are brought in. There will be periods of time during the construction window when the boat ramp area is unavailable for launching boats.

For more information about this project and others, please visit the City’s website at www.cob.org or call 360-778-7000.

(Originally posted on the City of Bellingham website on February 6, 2018)

Media Contact:

Gina Gobo Austin, PE
Bellingham Parks and Recreation
(360) 778-7000
gaustin@cob.org

September 30^th marked the end of the 2017 summer boating season for the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program. Aquatic invasive species inspectors conducted over 12,000 inspections in 2017 in an effort to protect our local waterways.

Inspections will be available intermittently at Bloedel Donovan and Lake Samish 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!

Boat inspection stations at Bloedel Donovan, South Bay, and Lake Samish will be opening for the season starting on April 22, 2017. Inspectors will be checking both the interior and exterior of all watercraft to see that they are clean, drained, and dry and are not at risk for transporting aquatic invasive species to our local waters.

Aquatic Invasive Species Permits are required for all watercraft prior to launching or operating on Lake Whatcom or Lake Samish. For more information on permit fees visit Annual Permits and Fees. You may purchase your permits at the time of inspection by credit/debit card. If you re-take the online AIS Awareness Course in 2017, you may be eligible for a $10 discount to be applied to each annual permit you are purchasing.

Opening Day Hours of Operation (4/22/2017):

Bloedel Donovan: 4:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Lake Samish WDFW Launch: 5:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

South Bay WDFW Launch: 6:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

For more information on our seasonal hours of operation visit Inspection Locations or call (360) 778-7975.

From all of our 2017 inspectors, we wish you a very fun and safe boating season!

We are looking for all types of watercraft for our 2017 Watercraft Inspector Training on April 12 and 17. Volunteers will provide their boats for new and returning staff to get familiar with boat parts and inspection and decontamination procedures. We need a variety of boats including pleasure, fishing, PWCs, and ski or wakeboard boats. In exchange for volunteering your vessel, we will provide you with a $10 discount on your 2017 Annual Permit!

Please contact the Whatcom Boat Inspection Program at 778-7976 or email Matt Main, Aquatic Invasive Species Program Lead Inspector, at mjmain@cob.org if you are interested in volunteering your boat.

2017 aquatic invasive species (AIS) permits are now available. Call (360) 778-7975 to schedule an appointment to get your watercraft inspected.

Interested in hosting a group inspection in your neighborhood? Call (360) 778-7975 to schedule a group inspection with us.

AIS check stations at Bloedel Donovan, South Bay, and Lake Samish open for the season on April 22, 2017.

This year we’ll be operating pop-up check stations at Bloedel Donovan and Lake Samish starting in late March for anyone wanting to get their boats inspected early. Check this site for updates regarding our hours of operation.

2017 AIS Permits and Fees (as of 2/24/2017):

• Annual Motorized/Registered Permit: $50 (Get a $10 discount by taking the online course)
• 3-Day Pass (Motorized/Registered only): $20 (No discount available — Valid for 3 consecutive days only)
• Annual Non-Motorized Permit: $10 (Get a $10 discount by taking the online course)

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

In 2016, we conducted a total of 9,571 watercraft inspections at Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish. The inspected watercraft came from a total of 256 different water bodies in 19 different states or provinces prior to launching at Lake Whatcom or Lake Samish in 2016, including eight 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 waters.

The 2016 inspection results can now 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 three boats that had recently been in mussel-infested waters and found 140 boats with vegetation and another 201 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 2016 boating season can be found in the Whatcom Boat Inspections 2016 Annual Report and by viewing our interactive Story Map.