The seventh graders who changed Wisconsin’s lakes

In this episode, we uncover the story of how a popular watercraft inspection program evolved from a middle school science project in Northern Wisconsin. 

The Clean Boats, Clean Waters program trains volunteers to perform boat and trailer checks and educate lake users about preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS). Since 2004, inspectors have checked over two million boats across Wisconsin and connected with countless people about the importance of cleaning, draining, and drying their watercraft.  

The program is one of the most robust and successful in the country, but it had humble beginnings: a middle school science class in the early 2000s. Maree Stewart, one of the three Minocqua-area students behind the project, explains how the group wanted to fight the spread of Eurasian watermilfoil in Northwoods lakes.

“Living in Minocqua, there’s lakes everywhere, and so that was a cause that was important to all of us,” said Stewart.

With the help of dedicated teachers and mentors, the team submitted a proposal about AIS educational kits to a national competition for student-led STEM projects. It was a long shot for three kids from a small town, so imagine their surprise upon learning they were a top-ten finalist.

What unfolded next was an unforgettable experience — a trip to Disney World, a Shark Tank-style pitch, the euphoria of winning $25,000 — that forever changed AIS prevention and lakes across Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region.

This episode is dedicated to Luke Voellinger, one of the original student founders who passed away in 2019.