Survey results indicate Minnesota boaters are more knowledgeable about exotic species issues and have already changed their behavior to a greater extent (to prevent the spread of exotics) than boaters in the other two states (figure 1). FIGURE 1.This suggests that educational programs are effective.n order to determine if boaters perceived exotic species as a threat to their lakes and streams, they were asked to rank a variety of possible threats. Only in Minnesota did exotic species rank among the top three concerns.