Megan Harris is a boat steward. Her job is to educate boaters and make sure they know the proper way to clean, dry and drain their boats.

She is one of 250 across the state that help manage invasive species.

“So we’re just looking for invasive species, anything that might hitching a ride on the boat coming out of the water,” said Harris. “You just want to make sure you check pretty much anything you can see from the hitch of the truck all the way to the engine.”

Water Chestnuts, Zebra Muscles and Hydrilla are all things that can latch on to boats, trailers, and gear in the Finger Lakes. These species can wreak havoc on water ecosystems. They can cause harm to native species, algal blooms, and even affect our water supply.

“Remove any plant material you see on the boat," said Harris. "Make sure you're bending down and checking in between the boat and the trailer and in between the trailer and the tires."

Many people spread invasive species and are unaware of the damage they can cause. Boat stewards in the Finger Lakes region inspected nearly 50,000 boats last year, which was up by almost 20,000 boats from the year prior. They helped intercept the spread of 5,000 invasive species.

Across the state, boat stewards counted more than 390,000 at launches. In total, they helped intercept more than 19,000 aquatic invasive species.

This season you can find boat stewards at launches at Otisco, Skaneateles, Cayuga, Seneca, Honeoye, Canadice, Canandaigua and Hemlock, and Keuka Lakes.