PAUL SMITHS, NY (06/13/2013)(readMedia)-- The Watershed Stewardship Program at Paul Smith's College is in full swing this boating season, battling invasive species in a body of water near you.
As of Memorial Day weekend, 22 monitors returned to boat launches and docks throughout the Adirondacks to look for invasive plants and animals. The stewards, who are mostly college students from institutions around the country, will remain on duty through Labor Day.
This summer, the program will protect three major recreational areas: Saratoga Lake; the Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake region; and the Fulton Chain of Lakes in the Old Forge area. A $299,976 grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will pay for the work at 16 sites, while lake associations and the Saratoga Lake Tax District will support others.
Stewards inspect boats, canoes, kayaks and other craft entering and exiting the water to ensure that invasive species such as Eurasian watermilfoil or spiny waterflea are not clinging to the vessels. The inspections are voluntary but highly encouraged.
In 2012, the Watershed Stewardship Program's 26 stewards inspected more than 24,000 boats and taught nearly 50,000 people across 24 sites about invasives. The stewards removed 2,965 organisms, both invasive and non-invasive, from boats entering or leaving boat ramps.
Aquatic invasive species are a growing threat in the Adirondacks and beyond, making such inspections increasingly important. When invasives take hold in a body of water, they can displace native species and rapidly multiply, making waterways impassible and hurting tourism and other industries.
"Aquatic invasive species are often impossible to eradicate once they become established in a waterway," said Eric Holmlund, director of the Watershed Stewardship Program. "This is why we emphasize spread prevention techniques that all boat operators must adopt in order to stay ahead of the problem. Everybody can and should inspect their boats and remove both visible organisms and standing water in bilges and motors. These are simple, easy steps that save tremendous amounts of money and aggravation, as well as preserve the native organisms and biodiverse conditions that we have come to cherish."
Where will stewards be stationed?
Upper St. Regis Lake
Lake Placid
Lake Flower
Rainbow Lake
Osgood Pond
Saratoga Lake
White Lake
Hollywood Hills
Fourth Lake
Limekiln Lake Campground
Seventh Lake
Eighth Lake Campground
Raquette Lake Village
Burke's Marina
Forked Lake Campground
Long Lake
Stillwater Reservoir
Cranberry Lake
Tupper Lake
Chateaugay Lake
Meacham Lake
St. Regis Canoe Area
About Paul Smith's College
At Paul Smith's College, it's about the experience. Our programs, in fields including hospitality, culinary arts, forestry, natural resources, entrepreneurship and the sciences, draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere.