NMMA advocacy staff with Governor Tim Walz and boat hosts Wayne and Kandy Kampman at Governors Fishing Opener shore lunch on Saturday May 11th. (L to R: Wayne Kampman, Governor Tim Walz, Kandy Kampman, and Jill Sims).

Earlier this month, NMMA sponsored and participated in Minnesota’s 2019 Governor’s Fishing Opener hosted in Albert Lea, Minnesota. For the past 72 years, the Governor of Minnesota has hosted a fishing opener event to kick off the start of walleye fishing and the summer tourism season. The event is organized by a local host committee and attended by Governor Walz, public officials, media, and the outdoor recreation industry.

NMMA advocacy staff attended the opener and participated in a Fountain Lake dredging site visit, Albert Lea Lake Cruise, and fishing. The Governor’s Fishing Opener provides the industry with the opportunity to interact directly with public officials about marine and recreation issues, while they experience our industry firsthand. This year, Tracker Boating Center of Shakopee, MN provided boats for the Governor and Lt Governor.

During the Opener, Governor Walz proclaimed that May 11th, 2019 was Clean, Drain, Dry Day. The Clean, Drain, Dry program is one that NMMA and the boating industry has supported for years. Clean, Drain, Dry Program is a national education initiative targeting recreational boaters and anglers on ways that they can decrease their direct impact from spreading aquatic invasive species (AIS).

The Clean, Drain, Dry program conveys three simple steps for boaters to stop the spread of AIS: clean off any visible AIS, drain all bilges, live wells, or other water containing areas, and dry the boat in accordance to local laws and protocols. NMMA has promoted Clean, Drain, Dry in the “You and Your Trailer” manual, the trailer owner checklist, Discover Boating webpages and informational brochures.

For more information, please contact NMMA vice president of state government relations, David Dickerson at ddickerson@nmma.org, NMMA director of state government relations, Libby Yranski at lyranski@nmma.org or NMMA Great Lakes policy and engagement manager, Jill Sims at jsims@nmma.org.