New York State’s third annual Invasive Species Awareness Week is taking place through July 16th.
The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) and its partners have organized a lineup of free invasive species related events to be held during Invasives Week for all ages and interests. » Continue Reading.
I like to think I have a pretty nice garden. It’s not too large and not too small. If you were to hear about it from my children you would think I had them weed a farm sized lot. Instead my ½-acre produces the perfect amount of greens and salad stuff, berries, nectar flowers and even a monarch milkweed patch. Weeding is a necessity, but if an invasive plant finds its way onto my property, my family takes an “all hands on deck” approach to getting rid of the perpetrator in a proper fashion.
According to Jane Raffaldi, Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) Seasonal Invasive Species Educator, this is the second year that Invasive Species Week has been held statewide, July 12-18, 2015. Though APIPP has year-round programming to educate people on invasive plants and animals, this intensive week-long educational outreach allows people to learn why the proper control of invasive species is a necessity. » Continue Reading.
Regional efforts to control the spread of invasive species in the Adirondacks are making advances recently. The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) has approved two general permits relating to invasive species. At the same time, Warren County has approved a Framework Agreement for a region-wide aquatic invasive species plan that could mean expanded voluntary boat inspections.
APA General Permits 2015G-1 and 2014G-1A authorize a rapid response to both aquatic and terrestrial invasive species throughout the Adirondack Park by qualified and trained persons. These general permits approve eradication efforts both on a park-wide scale as well as for individual waterbodies or specific locations.
The Adirondack Park may become the first region in New York State to have its own, integrated program to halt the spread of aquatic invasive species.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has asked the state legislature to appropriate $1 million to develop the Adirondack-wide strategy.
According to Morris Peters, a spokesman for the Division of the Budget, the money for the new initiative will come from an increase in appropriations to the Environmental Protection Fund. » Continue Reading.
This summer and fall, by land and by water, I was on the lookout for invasive insects at the Sacandaga Campground and invasive plants in Lake Algonquin. Surveys are one component of a suite of tools that help protect the Adirondacks’ natural resources. When infestations are detected in their early stages, fast action can be taken for management or even eradication.
Invasive species cost the United States billions of dollars each year. Without the checks and balances found on their home turf, they can rapidly reproduce to outcompete native species. Invasive insects can threaten maple syrup and baseball bat production, nurseries, agriculture, and forest health. Infested trees are costly to remove and limbs may fall on power lines, homes, or cars. Aquatic invasive plants can degrade water quality, inhibit boating, and overrun fish habitat. » Continue Reading.
Local governments, lake and landowners associations, sportsmen and environmental protection organizations want to see Lake George’s program of mandatory inspections of trailered boats adopted throughout the Adirondack Park.
According to Fred Monroe, a Warren County Supervisor, and Eric Siy, the executive director of The Fund for Lake George, who convened a meeting of Adirondack Park stakeholders in Chestertown earlier this month, prevention is the only way to protect Adirondack lakes from invasive species and preserve an economy based on recreation.
“What were once the mainstays of the Adirondack economy, such as forestry and mining, are either gone or disappearing,” said Monroe. “What’s left is tourism, which is so clearly tied to the health of the waters. If we lose the waters, we have nothing.” » Continue Reading.
Hilary Smith, former Director of the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, has been awarded the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District’s 2014 Partnership Appreciation Award. Soil and Water Conservation District Manager Elizabeth Mangle and Educator Caitlin Stewart presented Smith with a framed certificate during a surprise going-away party on September 15th. “Her partnership with the District has protected Hamilton County’s lands and waters from invasive species that can harm the environment, public health, and economy,” Stewart told the Adirondack Almanack.
“For 13 years, Hilary assisted our staff members with invasive species initiatives including spread prevention, early detection and rapid response, and educational outreach,” Stewart said. “She hosted many APIPP volunteer survey workshops for aquatic invasive plants in Hamilton County. Fifth and sixth grade students learned about invasive species from her presentations at Conservation Field Day events.” » Continue Reading.
A new report—The Actual and Potential Economic Impact of Invasive Species on the Adirondack Park: A Preliminary Assessment—explores the economic impacts of invasive species on specific sectors of the Adirondack Park’s economy. This first-of-its-kind assessment for the Adirondacks analyzes actual and potential impacts of eight invasive species, summarizes expenditures across sectors, species and strategies, and recommends strategic investments in prevention and control.
The potential direct economic impact from eight species evaluated in the study is estimated to be $468 to $893 million, with the greatest projected impacts on property value, recreation, and tourism. The species highlighted include five that are known to be present in the Park (Eurasian watermilfoil, Asian clam, spiny waterflea, Japanese knotweed, spotted drosophila) and three that are in close proximity (hydrilla, emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle). » Continue Reading.
Invasive Species Awareness Week, July 6th through July 12th, promotes opportunities for citizens to learn about the most threatening species and ways to prevent and manage their spread.
Events are free, but pre-registration may be requested. The line-up of events in the Adirondack region includes an aquatic invasive plant interpretive paddle at Fish Creek Campground, a Japanese knotweed identification and mapping session in the Town of Bolton and a hemlock and balsam woolly adelgid symposium in Indian Lake.
There are also Ask-an-Expert sessions at the Farmers Markets in Old Forge, Paul Smiths and Plattsburgh. Experts will also be at the Visitor Centers in Paul Smiths and Lake George to help with invasive species identification in addition to regular boat launch stewards stationed across the region. » Continue Reading.
The growing season is underway and with it comes troublesome invasive plants. The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) is hosting a free training session that provides landowners with instruction on how to control unwanted infestations of invading plants, such as Japanese knotweed and garlic mustard.
Participants will learn how to identify common invasive terrestrial plants and how to apply effective management techniques on their own lands. The training will include presentations and in-field demonstrations. Landowners, landscapers, gardeners, resource managers and highway department staff are encouraged to attend. » Continue Reading.
The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) will host its annual volunteer training sessions in aquatic invasive plant identification and survey techniques on June 24th at the Darrin Fresh Water Institute in Bolton Landing and June 26th at Paul Smith’s College. Boaters and paddlers, anglers, outdoor guides and shore-owners are encouraged to attend.
In a region as expansive as the Adirondacks, volunteers are essential to help protect waterways by surveying lakes and ponds to search for non-native invasive plants. Detecting infestations early can lead to removal when the chance of successful eradication is highest. Hundreds of citizens are needed to be on the look-out for aquatic invasive species infestations. » Continue Reading.
Many invasive species stories follow a similar narrative. When the non-native species first shows up, people either don’t notice it, or they don’t take the threat seriously. Suddenly, the invader explodes across the landscape, and conservationists spring into action. but so often, it’s too late.
That’s why invasive species success stories are so few and far between.
The Adirondacks is different. Here, over a huge landscape, the Conservancy and partners have excelled at a coordinated approach that’s making a difference: early detection and rapid response. » Continue Reading.
The voice of the woman on the other end of the phone was laden with concern. She called to report a possible infestation of Eurasian watermilfoil in the outlet of Sacandaga Lake, just past the Route 8 bridge in Lake Pleasant. I took down her contact information and told her I would check it out.
That evening, my husband and I loaded up his Carolina Skiff with a glass jar full of water to collect a plant sample, a cooler to keep the sample cold, and an aquatic plant identification book. The sky was streaked with ominous clouds against a low, red sun, and the boat ride would have been enjoyable if I were not so anxious to get to the plant bed. Images of benthic mats and hand harvesting SCUBA divers flashed before my eyes, and my thoughts turned to the expensive cost of milfoil management that could take years to successfully eradicate. According to a 2003 study, New York State spends an estimated $500,000 to control Eurasian watermilfoil each year. » Continue Reading.
Groups across the Adirondack region are sponsoring fun and educational activities this week through Saturday for the 8th annual Adirondack Invasive Species Awareness Week. The week provides an opportunity for communities to highlight the threats of invasive plants and animals and for residents and visitors to learn ways to prevent and manage invasive species spread.
This year’s line-up of public events includes an array of interactive activities including an invasive plant paddle on Upper Saranac Lake; a forest pest identification workshop in Bolton Landing; a terrestrial invasive plant management training for landowners in Wanakena; a garlic mustard control event in Old Forge; a Floating Classroom opportunity on Lake George; interpretive displays at the Paul Smiths VIC and Lake George Visitors Center, and more. » Continue Reading.
Eurasian Watermilfoil Management Summit: Lessons Learned from the Adirondack Region will be a free event hosted at the Horicon Town Hall in Brant Lake from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 16th.
The program will feature presentations on the status of the Eurasian watermilfoil invasion and its management in the Adirondack region, control options, planning considerations, case studies from various lakes, permitting, financing, lake-friendly land-use recommendations and spread prevention. Speakers will include state agency staff, elected officials, not-for-profit representatives, shoreowners and lake managers. » Continue Reading.
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