Ramp Monkeys: Watching out for invasives

Young people search boats coming off Cayuga Lake to help stop the spread of invasive species.

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Meet…The Ramp Monkeys…or at least some of them…the Ramp Monkeys are a group of young kids who go around to boat ramps and clean the ramps of debris, dead aquatic plants, and anything else laying around. The group was founded and named by...
Meet…The Ramp Monkeys…or at least some of them…the Ramp Monkeys are a group of young kids who go around to boat ramps and clean the ramps of debris, dead aquatic plants, and anything else laying around. The group was founded and named by…
…this lady, Barb Elliott the New York State B.A.S.S. Nation Conservation Director:
…this lady, Barb Elliott the New York State B.A.S.S. Nation Conservation Director: “Ramp Monkeys is an outreach program to involve the next generation become aware of invasive species and how those species can hurt their fishing in the future.”
So, yesterday at the Governor's Challenge, which I apparently slept through the launch of, a bunch of the Elite guys took the Gov and others out fishing on Lake Owasco in Auburn, NY but...
So, yesterday at the Governor’s Challenge, which I apparently slept through the launch of, a bunch of the Elite guys took the Gov and others out fishing on Lake Owasco in Auburn, NY but…
…if I didn't make the launch I made the landing…here Elite angler Pete Ponds is coming in and basically right at me but...
…if I didn’t make the launch I made the landing…here Elite angler Pete Ponds is coming in and basically right at me but…
…as soon as he de-launched and brought his boat ashore...
…as soon as he de-launched and brought his boat ashore…
…swarmed. The whole thing took about 45-seconds with up to 8 people looking at all sides, even under the boat and trailer, but Pete's boat cleared the inspection without any problem because no one found any of...
…swarmed. The whole thing took about 45-seconds with up to 8 people looking at all sides, even under the boat and trailer, but Pete’s boat cleared the inspection without any problem because no one found any of…
…these. Barb:
…these. Barb: “This is a very tiny baby Zebra Mussel, it’s an invasive species we look for but I tell our kids, the Ramp Monkeys, that we always have to be vigilant, always on guard because Bass fishing could be done if a virus, or something else destructive to the species, comes in to the eco system. Everything the Ramp Monkeys are doing is for the anglers of tomorrow.” Hats off Barb and Ramp Monkeys, great job.