Cayuga Lake—A North‐End Perspective NABs, HABs, Hydrilla

Lisa B. Cleckner, Director [email protected]

May 6, 2017

1 Talk Outline

• Introduction • NABs (Nuisance Algal Blooms) – benthic algae study • HABs (Harmful Algal Blooms) – Cyanobacteria and fluoroprobe measurements in and related work on other • Hydrilla – the north end version in Aurora

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 2 5/6/17 Finger Lakes Institute @ HWS

Halfman 2016

http://www.fingerlakessustainablefarming.org/

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 3 5/6/17 Some Guiding Principles • Finger Lakes are big lakes • Understudied and need many pairs of eyes • Build on previous work • Avoid duplication when possible • Work closely with watershed associations, leverage expertise from other FLs, GLs • Nearshore/human health understudied • Cyanobacteria, NABs, and HABs • Contaminants ‐ methyl mercury • Bacteria/bathing beaches • Invasive species

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 4 5/6/17 Cayuga Lake ‐ North End

Thanks, Trip Advisor! GB12345

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 5 5/6/17 Benthic Algae Project Motivation • Benthic algal fouling on beaches • Problems? • Nuisance: Smell, interfere with recreation, drinking water taste? • Health: harbor bacteria, pathogens • Economic: property values? • Others?

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 6 5/6/17 Motivation • Frequent calls to agencies and managers for help • Distinguish from HABs • Compare with Great Lakes • Saginaw Bay, Erie, Huron, Ontario, others • GLAA Demonstration project • Sediments, nutrients, beach fouling • $20K funding level from NY Sea Grant

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 7 5/6/17 Sites and Approach • Three sites in Cayuga Lake from Union Springs to Aurora • Nearshore (W, E) – 2 m depth • “Middle” – 5 m depth • Sample water every three weeks at 9 sites (April – Sept) • Nutrients, YSI, secchi • Assess biomass of benthic algae over season • Diving, quadrats, camera/visual • Dry weight, P • Work with citizen scientists and Cayuga Lake Watershed Network

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 8 5/6/17 Cayuga Study Sub‐Watersheds

“Thanks to Matt Yarrow of the Community Science Institute for this beautiful map” and the CLWN.

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 9 5/6/17 West Sites – 6/1/16

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 10 5/6/17 Preliminary Data – FLI Lab2

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 11 5/6/17 Preliminary Data Still Rolling In

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 12 5/6/17 Bacteria a Concern? – a Survey

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 13 5/6/17 HABs in FL (’12 – ’16)

Lake '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 Conesus Hemlock Canadice Honeoye Canandaigua Keuka Seneca Cayuga Owasco Skaneateles Otisco

Suspicious Landsat Image Confirmed High Toxin

L. Cleckner R. Weakland

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 14 5/6/17 The bbe FluoroProbe

• Acquired in July 2016 through a State Water Resources Institute grant • Differentiates algal classes and concentrations • Works up to a depth of 300 m • Measures algal communities throughout water column

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 15 5/6/17 The FluoroProbe: How It Works

http://www.bbe‐moldaenke.de/en/ • Chlorophyll‐a (chl‐a) is a fluorescent pigment required for photosynthesis • Different algae have different pigments that interact with chl‐a • Each algal class has its own fluorescence ‘fingerprint’

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 16 5/6/17 Cayuga Lake: HABs

• Samples tested for toxins above cyanobacteria chl > 25 µg/L based on NYSDEC and SUNY ESF history • Confirmed blooms in Cayuga • 08/16/16 • 09/09/16 • 09/14/16 • 09/19/16

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 17 5/6/17 Blooms 09/09/16

Lisa’s Dock

Bill Ebert’s Dock

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 18 5/6/17 Bloom 09/14/16

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 19 5/6/17 Bloom 09/19/16

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 20 5/6/17 HABs 09/19/16

http://www.observer‐ review.com/more‐toxic‐ algae‐on‐seneca‐lake‐cms‐ 5465

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 21 5/6/17 HABs and Role of Nitrogen

• Non‐nitrogen fixing genera (e.g., Microcystis) blooms are proliferating • Many cyanobacteria are extremely competitive + for ammonium (NH4 ), the N form most easily incorporated into biomass + • NH4 associated with toxin production in cyanobacteria • Most monitoring is for ‐ NO only https://theislandpond.files.wordpress.com/201 3 5/09/microcystis‐and‐anabaena‐ 03.jpg?w=1024&h=694

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 22 5/6/17 2016 Sampling for Nitrogen

Dr. Mark McCarthy Wright State University

Dr. Silvia Newell Wright State University

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 23 5/6/17 2017 HABs and N

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 24 5/6/17 Hydrilla verticillata • Named after the Hydra, the giant, serpent‐ like monster with multiple tentacles • Acts like the bully of the waterworld ‐ can overtake native vegetation due to fast growth • Decreases oxygen and eliminates fish

http://www.in‐fisherman.com/conservation‐politics/fish‐spawning/ http://www.listsworld.com/greek‐mythology‐creatures/

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 25 5/6/17 Where is Hydrilla in GL Basin? • Marinette County, WI (treated with Aquathol and water drawdown) • Cuyahoga County, OH (actively managed) • Summit County, OH (management information unavailable) • Erie County, PA (management information unavailable) • Crawford, County, PA (actively managed) • NY‐ Five Counties with Hydrilla (Monroe, Erie, Niagara, Tioga, Tompkins, Broome, and downstate)

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 26 5/6/17 Hydrilla in Cayuga County • Discovered by Floating Classroom (Again!) • Followed up by four‐pronged survey: • UTM Grid Survey (Racine‐Johnson Aquatics) • Point‐intercept Survey (Finger Lakes Institute/FL‐PRISM) • Outer Perimeter Rake‐toss Survey (Floating Classroom) • Citizen scientists • Education and Outreach: • Cayuga Lake Watershed Network working with partners

More info ‐ fingerlakesinvasives.org

Photo credits: Kate Des Jardin

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 27 5/6/17 Survey Results • Initial recommendations to treat 27 acres based on positive identification of Hydrilla • Three treatment options discussed so far: • Benthic Matting‐ $10M • Sonar H4C pellets‐ $134K • Komeen Crystals‐ $134K for three applications • Proximity of water intake

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 28 5/6/17 Next Steps New York State Aurora Hydrilla Task Force Aurora Hydrilla Aurora Hydrilla Hydrilla Task Force (AHTF) Management Committee Outreach Committee (NYSHTF) (AHMC) (AHOC) LEAD Cathy McGlynn, NYSDEC ISCU Hilary R. Mosher, Coordinator, FL‐PRISM Hilary R. Mosher, Coordinator, FL‐PRISM Hilary Lambert, Cayuga Lake AIS Coordinator Watershed Network

Members NYSDEC ISCU Lisa Cleckner, Director, Finger Lakes Institute Lisa Cleckner, Director, Finger Lakes Institute Bill Foster, Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom AIS Experts Cayuga County (Michele Wunderlich, Cayuga County Cayuga County (Michele Wunderlich, Cayuga County Tee Ann Hunter, Cayuga Lake I/O Planning, Eileen O’Connor, Cayuga County Department of Planning, Eileen O’Connor, Cayuga County Department of Hilary R. Mosher, Coordinator, FL‐PRISM Health, Bruce Natale, Cayuga County Planning, Keith Batman, Health Michele Wunderlich, Cayuga County Planning Chair, Cayuga County Legislator, Steve Lynch, Chair, WQMA Bruce Natale, Cayuga County Planning) Cornell Cooperative Extension Cayuga County) Hilary Lambert, Cayuga Lake Watershed Network Community stakeholders (Bill Ebert, or others) NYS Parks Jim Malyj, Seneca County Soil and Water Conservation NYS Parks‐ identify representative Sue Edinger, Inns of Aurora District Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge/MAC Bonnie Bennett, Mayor of Aurora NYSDEC (Willow Eyres, NYSDEC ISCU, Cathy McGlynn, Grace Bates? Jonathan Gibralter, President, Wells College NYSDEC ISCU, Finger Lakes HUB) Kristy LaManche, Coordinator, FLLOWPA NYS Parks‐ identify representative NYSDEC (Willow Eyres, NYSDEC ISCU, Cathy McGlynn, Racine‐Johnson Aquatic Ecologist NYSDEC ISCU, Finger Lakes HUB) Cayuga Lake Representation (Either Tee Ann Hunter, Cayuga Lake I/O or Hilary Lambert) Grace Bates Responsibilities ‐ Provides updates from the ‐ Receives timely information from the AHMC ‐ Receives timely information from the AHTF ‐ Receives timely information from the NYSDEC ISCU regarding and AHOC and AHOC AHTF and AHMC treatment, permitting, funding, ‐ Makes final decisions regarding seasonal ‐ Defines and implements management plan ‐ Creates and provides outreach and state or national efforts management plan with consult from AHMC for treatment materials such as brochures, handouts, ‐ Receives timely information ‐ Makes decisions on local project ‐ Contacts experts to serve as peer reviewers presentations, and press releases. from the AHTF, AHMC, and implementation for BMPs to treat Hydrilla Maintains content for the website AHOC ‐ Communicates with stakeholders, citizens, ‐ Works with contractors to develop request ‐ Organizes Hydrilla ID training ‐ Functions as the venue for and participates in outreach efforts for bids, proposal requirements, permitting workshops and public meetings reporting actions and ‐ Provides official communication to the public needs, and budget for projects ‐ Provides speakers for community coordinating local and state regarding the management implementation ‐ Oversees project survey and monitoring groups that request updates on efforts including all necessary public notices, or those ‐ Prepares and provides base information for management project goals and project aspects that have impacts to technical papers, outreach materials, or other invasions. stakeholders information for the website ‐ Provides technical support and input to Hydrilla management in the region

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 29 5/6/17 Summer 2017 ‐ FLI • fluoroprobe and HABs • Cayuga Lake “north end” • Cayuga Lake Hydrilla • Seneca Lake HABs, mercury • HABs, nitrogen, mercury • Other • Water chestnut – US EPA $ • Giant hogweed control – USDA $ • Restoration and terrestrial invasive species – USFS $ • Watercraft stewards – USFWS, NYSDEC $ • HWS campus farm – value‐add ag product • Office of Sustainability – GHG inventory

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 30 5/6/17 Acknowledgments: FLI Staff Plus students and interns!

Sarah Meyer Nadia Harvieux Hilary Mosher Patty Wakefield Sam Beck‐Andersen Picture pending Picture pending

Roxanne Razavi Trevor Massey Kate Des Jardin Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 31 5/6/17 Acknowledgments: FLI‐Affiliated Faculty And, many more, plus staff…

Cayuga Lake Watershed Network 32 5/6/17