Aquatic invasive species guidelines finalized

Hennepin County has finalized updates to aquatic invasive species (AIS) prevention aid guidelines for a five-year period beginning in 2026. The guidelines help direct how the county spends state funding to work on preventing the introduction or limiting the spread of AIS.

AIS prevention aid guidelines (PDF, 1MB)

Continuing great work in AIS prevention

The updated guidelines continue much of the great work Hennepin County and partners accomplished from 2020-2025, including passing most AIS Prevention Aid funding from the state directly to local partners to:

  • Supplement watercraft inspection programs
  • Early detection efforts
  • Redesign and enhance public water accesses to encourage people to take AIS prevention actions
  • Educate boaters, lakeshore homeowners, and residents about AIS prevention.

Partners can continue to expect support for rapidly responding to new AIS infestations, and technical assistance to identify and address AIS found in our local lakes.

Updates to guidelines

Updates to the 2026-2030 guidelines compared to previous county guidelines include:

  • New grant program for watercraft inspections. We’re launching a standalone grant to supplement existing inspection programs and help start new ones, with priority given to non-taxing authorities. The Request for Proposals will be posted in January.
  • More collaboration with AIS partners. Hennepin County will schedule a working group meeting in late winter to review recent program results and set priorities for AIS prevention in 2026-2027.
  • Stronger advocacy at the state level. Hennepin County will push to maintain AIS Prevention Aid funding for counties and encourage stronger statewide interventions.

AIS grant opportunities

AIS prevention grants and watercraft inspection/decontamination grants will open for applications in mid-January of 2026. Details about eligibility, funding, and project types will be available at Hennepin.us/aisprevention.

Stakeholder engagement in guideline development

To develop the new guidelines, the county asked stakeholders for input. As part of this effort, 161 people provided feedback through surveys and focus groups. Participants included youth, water users, subscribers of the county’s AIS early detection volunteer newsletter, and people actively working on or connected to AIS prevention efforts in Hennepin County. They represented cities, local government agencies, nonprofits, nearby counties, Hennepin County, private businesses, state agencies, universities, and lake associations. The following is a summary of what we heard during the engagement efforts.

Summary of key findings from engagement efforts

  • Broad support for Hennepin County’s current AIS prevention programming, recognizing its effectiveness, innovation, and strong partnerships.
  • Stakeholders encouraged continued collaboration with other counties, universities, and underrepresented communities.
  • Seek further advocacy and increased support for resources to improve AIS prevention efforts countywide.
  • Continued emphasis on maintaining a comprehensive funding approach, with flexibility to adapt if state funding is reduced.
    1. Prioritize watercraft inspections
    2. Support for grants to partners
  • Enhance transparency in how decisions are made and how funds are spent to maximize AIS prevention work

The county then shared a draft of the guidelines with 2,477 stakeholders and provided a survey and an online meeting to give feedback. The county received 13 survey responses, and five people attended the meeting to provide final comments. Detailed summary of feedback on the draft (PDF).