My idea is three-dimensional message boxes that lie flush with the walking surface of public docks and fishing piers, peering down into the water. With a transparent plexiglass cover, much like a glass-bottom boat, every lake user will notice the message below. It is constructed to accommodate foot traffic, but an apparent gap in the traditional dock boards will cause every user to stop in their tracks. The sealed box below will accommodate a variety of messages and 3-D dioramas. It has shock value and is placed at the one location visited by every lake user.

My first Dock-vertising message would stress the value of native aquatic plants. Far too many lake users and homeowners wage war against aquatic plants that are critical to lake ecology. I would use a split hole-in-the-dock message box like dry aquaria, showing a healthy lake bottom with aquatic plants and fish on one side and an algae choked murky water condition on the other. Brief written messages around the perimeter of each box would describe the role of aquatic plants in healthy lakes. The message would also clearly address the difference between native and invasive plant species.

Dock-vertising works for many other messages too. Boxes may address:
• Aquatic invasive species (replicas), their destructiveness, and how to prevent their spread,
• Phosphorus in lakes, and reduction strategies,
• Lake-friendly lakeshore landscaping,
• Septic system maintenance,
• Littering, and a peek at trash pulled from the bottom of this lake,
• and others.

Once designed, Dock-vertising message boxes are easily used statewide. The primary design considerations are safety, maintaining the structural integrity of the dock, and ensuring low maintenance and durability.

Our jurisdiction includes all of Anoka County, which is in the northern Twin Cities Metropolitan Area and has a population of over 300,000 residents. One big challenge in our community is the effect that intense lake usage and activity within the watershed has on lake health. Homes line our lakeshores. Many manicure their lawns to the water’s edge and strive to maintain a “weed”-free lake in front of their home. On summer weekends, public boat landings overflow. The well-populated watersheds generate nutrients and other pollutants that ultimately drain into lakes and rivers. But this is not unique to our community. This proposal is applicable in many places statewide. Wherever lakes are impacted by people’s choices, Dock-vertising would be a powerful tool. If we can manage these behaviors, we’ll make great strides toward better water quality and fishing.