REGIONAL— Seven organizations were among those receiving funding from St. Louis County to help reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species. The county board voted unanimously to approve distribution of a total of $712,235 in state funds for seven projects located throughout the county.
 The approved projects and funding include:
• $478,500 to the North St. Louis Soil and Water Conservation District to manage watercraft inspections, decontaminations and public education on the following lakes: Bear Island, Birch, Burntside, Crane, Ely, Gilbert-Pit, Johnson, Kabetogama, One Pine, Pelican, Shagawa, Sturgeon and Vermilion.
• $141,000 to Wildlife Forever for marketing efforts for their Clean Drain Dry Initiative campaign aimed at public awareness and education, and behavioral change.
• $45,000 to Community Action Duluth for continued eradication, control, mapping, and monitoring of non-native phragmites in the St. Louis River Estuary.
• $30,000 to Canosia Township for watercraft inspections and public education on Pike Lake and Caribou Lake.
• $24,515 to Grand Lake Township for watercraft inspections on Caribou Lake.
• $23,500 to the Vermilion Lake Association for continued watercraft inspections and cleaning; public awareness and education; habitat evaluation and threat assessment; early detection, response efforts and population management; and partnership development.
• $19,796 to the Burntside Lake Association for enhanced training of boat inspectors, promote the use of decontamination stations, improve public awareness and education about AIS, build early detection capabilities, and partnership development.
Each year, through the AIS Prevention Aid Program, the state Legislature allocates funding to counties to be used to prevent the introduction or limit the spread of AIS. Through an application and proposal process, St. Louis County has sought out organizations to address AIS issues with multi-disciplinary, integrated solutions based on science, related to natural resources sustainability, and social and economic concerns. Since 2014, when the AIS Prevention Aid Program started, St. Louis County has distributed more than $5 million to fund projects that address one or more of the seven categories and associated actions outlined in the St. Louis County AIS Prevention Plan.