The state Department of Environmental Conservation is seeking bids to run boat washes and decontamination stations throughout the Adirondack Park to help prevent the spread and introduction of aquatic invasive species.

It’s called the the Adirondack Park Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Spread Prevention Program, funded by the Environmental Protection Fund. The DEC is seeking an administrator for three years, with two optional one-year extensions.

The Adirondack region is highly susceptible to the introduction of aquatic invasive species, with more than 30,000 miles of streams and brooks, 1,500 miles of rivers and 2,300 lakes and ponds. A DEC press release noted that with this program it places “a strong emphasis on AIS-infested waters such as Lake Champlain and Great Sacandaga Lake.”

“Aquatic invasive species pose a significant threat to the pristine waters of the Adirondacks, which are the backbone of the area’s world-class fishing, boating and paddling,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said in a press release.

The deadline to submit a proposal is Oct. 14. To learn more, email info@dec.ny.gov or call 518-402-9405.