I got to thinking after fishing today and having to fill out a form called “Stop the mussels”!  in order to launch my boat.  I knew there was a course on the subject and if you finished the course you would only have to place your “certificate of course completion” on the dash of your vehicle and life would be good.  So, I went to the site and took the course.

https://dwrapps.utah.gov/wex/dbconnection.jsp?examnbr=505728

There is a bunch of short reading sequences and then a series of questions that follow and there are some additional reading that can be had after you answer the questions.

What I learned, was that I did not know very much about these terrible little critters called Quagga and Zebra mussels.  They are very nasty little critters and we should probably all be made to take this course.

Did you know that you HAVE to display a signed and dated form that says you have not boated on certain waters in Utah or other states around Utah BEFORE you can launch a boat, float tube, kids toy tube, raft or ANYTHING that can float?  Me either.

Their definition of a boat is:  If it floats it’s a boat!

Pretty straight forward and the rules that apply to boats also apply to your kids rubber ducky!  You might want to read up on the law or you might face up to a $5,000 fine.  These guys are serious and when you study the effects of the nasty little “mussel” guys, you will see why.

I’m glad I took the time to read and take the test.  By the way, you have to pass with 100%, no matter how long it takes or how many times you take it.

So, keep in mind, before you go off and put that float tube around your waste and head off into deeper water, make sure you have your signed and dated paper on the dash of your vehicle or you might just be facing 6 months in jail and a $5,000 fine.  That applies to any and all water in Utah, be it lake, stream, canal, pond, ditch, public or private.

The law has us tightly by our little Quagga’s and we ain’t gonna be able to Zebra out of it!

Bears Butt

June 2, 2012