Funding has been secured to continue the invasive species and boat inspection programs at Lake Tahoe.

The federal Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force recently approved a five-year revision to the Lake Tahoe Region Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plan. The management plan guides collaborative efforts to prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species at Lake Tahoe. Chief among those efforts are boat inspections that were facing a major funding shortfall as soon as next year.

The Bureau of Land Management is providing $750,000 for the  boat inspection program through at least 2015.

Approximately half of the funding for the boat inspection program comes from inspection fees paid by boaters.

Since 2009, Lake Tahoe’s Aquatic Invasive Species Program has completed more than 37,000 watercraft inspections and more than 18,000 decontaminations.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency overseas the programs.