EAST LANSING, Mich. — Despite these extraordinary times, it is still possible to safely — with social distancing — enjoy paddle sports on Michigan’s many wonderful water trails and lakes.

Kayakers, paddleboarders and canoeists can also be key in the fight to protect the waters they love by identifying and reporting aquatic invasive species they encounter.

The MI Paddle Stewards new self-paced, online program from Michigan Sea Grant and Michigan State University Extension will help paddlers learn about important invasive species, how to properly clean a watercraft and how to report invasive species.

Paddlers will learn to use the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network, or MISIN, app, a reporting tool used by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and others to locate invasive species of concern. The MI Paddle Stewards program is funded by the Michigan Invasive Species Grant program at www.michigan.gov/invasives.

Registration is open for the online course, which features five short sessions and costs $20. Participants who complete the class will receive a certificate, bucket hat, towel, waterproof phone case, dry bag and more. The class is free if participants choose not to receive the items.

Participants must complete the five sessions of the course by Dec. 31. For registration and other information, go to https://bit.ly/paddlestewards.

For questions and more information about the MI Paddle Stewards online course, contact MSU Extension educator Mary Bohling at bohling@msu.edu.

Michigan Sea Grant helps to foster economic growth and protect Michigan’s coastal, Great Lakes resources through education, research and outreach.

A collaborative effort of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University and its MSU Extension, Michigan Sea Grant is part of the NOAA-National Sea Grant network of 34 university-based programs.

Additional invasive species resources:

— Midwest Invasive Species Information Network mobile app;

— Michigan Natural Features Inventory’s “Field Identification Guide to Invasive Plants in Michigan’s Natural Communities”;

— Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information System.