The Okanagan Basin Water Board officially launched its newest invasive milfoil harvester, unveiling the winning entry from a regionwide naming contest: Millie Manatee.
The OBWB said the name was inspired by the harvester’s role in removing invasive milfoil and its paddlewheel design.
“Manatees are famous for being gentle, large, herbivorous aquatic mammals with paddle-shaped tails, which is a perfect description of our new paddlewheel-driven harvester,” OBWB chair Blair Ireland said. “Plus, we hear they love eating invasive plants like milfoil. It’s a match made in heaven for our Okanagan lakes!”
The naming contest attracted 340 submissions.
Officials said crowd favourites included Milli-go-Nilli, Sir Rips-a-Lot, Lightning McWeed, Choppy Gilmore, Milfoilinator, Mill-Dread, Chopzilla and Garfield.
“After years of operating equipment with names like Orange Roto and Blue Roto, we thought it was time to raise the bar,” OBWB chief operating officer James Littley joked. “Millie Manatee is fun, memorable, and perfectly captures what this machine is here to do, eat weeds.”
Littley added that the team hopes to build a fleet identity around herbivorous aquatic animals, with beavers and turtles possibly joining the crew soon.
The OBWB said Millie is hitting the water just in time for the peak growing season, which begins in July. The harvester will operate full time on the lake this summer with an appetite a bit bigger than its namesake’s, as it can haul nearly 2.5 tonnes of milfoil in a single load.
Contest winners Dorothy Sela and Eduardo Sanchez were invited to attend the launch and take a ride aboard Millie Manatee. They also received a gift basket of locally curated goods and OBWB items, including the new Millie Manatee logo.
