The draft Aquatic invasive species prevention aid guidelines 2026-2030 (PDF) is now available for the public to review. Provide comments by completing a survey or attending an online meeting. Provide comments by Friday, October 31. See more information below.

Take the survey

The survey provides opportunities to offer specific feedback.

Take the survey

Review slides from the online meeting

Held Tuesday, October 28

At the meeting, county staff gave a brief presentation on the guidelines. After the presentation, participants were given an opportunity to:

• Share feedback
• Ask questions
• Provide verbal or written comments

Review the slides that were shared in the meeting (PDF).

About the public involvement process

As part of this effort, 161 stakeholders provided feedback through surveys and focus groups. Participants included youth, general water users and subscribers of the county’s AIS early detection volunteer newsletter as well as stakeholders actively working on or connected to AIS prevention efforts in Hennepin County. These stakeholders represent cities, local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, nearby counties, Hennepin County, private businesses, state agencies, universities, and lake associations.

Key findings

• Broad support 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.

Changes to AIS Guidelines

The following is a summary of the changes made to the AIS guidelines based on the feedback received in the public involvement process.

Addressing pathways

As with previous county AIS prevention aid guidelines, the county will take a comprehensive approach to address all major pathways using AIS prevention funds. The pathways will now be grouped into two categories to make it easier to understand how AIS is spread by activities.

Funding mechanisms

The county will use three mechanisms to distribute AIS funds –

1. Supplement watercraft inspections- increased, up to 50% of AIS Prevention Aid allocation, managed through an annual request to identify inspection needs and allocate resources
2. Grants for partners - Approximately 30% of the total allocation awarded as grants to support partner projects. Annual RFP process, criteria aligned with updated guidelines
3. County-directed work - Remaining (~20%) allocation for rapid response and treatment, enforcement, programmatic and technical assistance, trainings, research, equipment maintenance, education/outreach, and other services.

Funding priorities

To guide funding decisions, the categories are now organized into tiers based on stakeholder feedback about their importance and priority. These tiers will help inform the allocation of AIS prevention funds to specific projects.

Program approach

Stakeholders offered suggestions for how the county could improve its approach in managing the program to advance AIS prevention work overall. The guidelines now provide additional detail on how the county will:

• Foster partnership
• Increase advocacy
• Increase transparency

Next steps

We welcome your thoughts on the draft guidelines. Comments submitted by October 31 will be considered by the team as the guidelines are finalized. The final version of the guidelines are expected in early December.