By Walt Lender, Executive Director, Lake George Association (LGA)

A recent release from the Adirondack Council states that virtually all of the trailered boats on the Northway passed right by the boat inspection station set up at the rest area south of Exit 18, which was located there to stop the spread of invasive species throughout the Adirondacks.

It is disturbing news as we head into the busy summer season in northern New York, and as  recognize New York’s Invasive Species Awareness Week (June 7-13).

The report is a good reminder that everyone has a part in stopping both the spread and the introduction of invasive species, and a timely one as more boaters and visitors are expected to be traveling now that the state’s PAUSE program is winding down.

You know if you are coming to boat on Lake George, you will be inspected for invasive species – Lake George has its own, mandatory boat inspection program that developed out of the LGA’s Lake Steward program. For 2020, the LGA again invested $30,000 to support Lake George’s mandatory inspection program (https://lgpc.ny.gov/lake-george-boat-inspections) to protect the Lake’s water quality.

The Lake George inspection stations are located here: https://lgpc.ny.gov/inspection-station-locations

Elsewhere in the Adirondacks, the inspections are voluntary. The facility at Exit 18 is part of that separate program. But the “Clean,  Drained and Dry” standard is universally accepted.

If you are not headed to Lake George, we encourage northbound boaters to take advantage of the voluntary inspection and wash at the Exit 18 boat inspection station – whether the boat is Cleaned, Drained and Dry or not –
to ensure the vessel is not inadvertently carrying an invasive from one body of water to another.