New York State Federation of Lake Associations, Inc... November 2012 Inside this issue: Hydrilla Found in Erie Canal Near From the President 2,5 Hydrilla in Erie Canal 3 (Cont’d) Tonawanda: Major Threat to NY Lakes Invasives Species in 3 Erie Canal NYS DEC Press Release: 09/21/2012 EPA Great Lakes $$ 4 A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist recently Watershed Academy 5 discovered hydrilla, a highly invasive aquatic plant, H is for Hyde Lake 6-7 in the Erie Canal in North Tonawanda, New York. Clean Water Act 7 Turns 40 Experts attending a symposium on hydrilla in Syra- cuse confirmed the identification. Asian Clam Battle 8-9 Continues This latest discovery creates a very high threat of Western Regional 9 infestation in New York and beyond the state's bor- Meeting ders through the Niagara River and the Erie Canal DEC “No Discharge 10 system by natural flow disbursal and to many more Zones” for Lake Erie waters by recreational boating. Recreational boat- and St. Lawrence R. ing is the highest risk vector for spreading this plant CSLAPpenings 11 to other waters. DEC urges boaters to take steps to More on Hydrilla 12 prevent the spread of this and other aquatic invasive Scholarship Winners 13 species. Green Homes for 13 "DEC urges boaters, anglers and others enjoying Cleaner Lakes New York's incredible and abundant water re- News from Members 13 sources to help stop aquatic hitchhikers", said DEC Available from NYS- 14 Assistant Commissioner for Natural Resources FOLA Kathy Moser. "Inspect boats and gear for any cling- 2013 Membership 15 ing plants, mud or tiny animals; remove them, and Form Hydrilla from the Cayuga Lake inlet is the clean and dry all boats and gear. Use DEC's aquatic same species found in the Erie Canal in invasive species disposal stations, when available." North Tonawanda.. "Preventing the spread of hydrilla and other inva- Photo courtesy of Bob Johnson sive plants and animals in the Great Lakes is a pri- (Continued on page 3) NYSFOLA’s mission is to protect the water resources of New York State by assisting local organizations and individuals through public dialogue, education, information exchange and collaborative efforts. Waterworks From the President: Published by: New York State Federation of Lake Associations, Inc. P.O. Box 84 LaFayette, NY 13084-0084 Phone: (800)796-3652 e-mail: [email protected] www.nysfola.org Find us on: Officers: James Cunningham, President Helen Sick, Past-President Willard Harman, Vice-President Nearly every month we read reports that another invasive fish, insect, plant, ani- Walter Dutcher, Treasurer mal, or disease is spreading into New York State endangering our indigenous flo- Janet Andersen, Secretary ra and fauna. Board of Directors: Matthew Albright Hydrilla is on the move in NYS at a more rapid pace than anyone projected. Jack Baldwin These invaders would naturally be spreading at a glacially slow rate, but with Donald Cook mankind's help they are taking considerable geographical leaps, which is what has Rena Doing materialized with hydrilla inside NYS this year. Hydrilla has magically leaped Tarki Heath from southeastern NYS, to the middle of the state at Cayuga Lake, to western Richard Henderson NYS near Buffalo in just a few years! John Jablonski III CHECK, CLEAN, & DRY ! We can instruct boaters traveling from lake to lake George Kelley to clean off aquatic weeds, and allow their mobile rigs to dry for at least 48 hours, Nick Klupacs but with so many unattended, unrestricted boat launches, it Dean Long is merely a daydream that boaters will successfully self Theresa Mayhew Kathleen McLaughlin monitor and eradicate their boats and trailers of hitchhikers. Bob Rosati If we did not utilize law enforcement to enforce speed limits Rebecca Schneider on our roads, how many people do you think would stay Jan Shields beneath the posted speed limits? The exponential rate of John Slater movement that these ecosystem changing species are show- Robert Thill ing up is a somber predicament that requires stern, effective David Wright, Esq. measures. Staff: Nancy Mueller, Manager NYSDEC Environmental officers are now citing violators for transporting firewood more than 50 miles. It might be a successful step for the NYSDEC to execute similar regulations when boaters are found transporting All letters to the editor represent the aquatic weeds, as other nearby states are now doing. Education of boaters could viewpoints of the author and may or be enhanced. The small signs at public boat launches do not catch the attention of may not reflect the opinion of the the boaters transporting invasive species. A $1000 fine would immediately gain NYSFOLA membership or Board of Directors. (Continued on page 5) 2 Waterworks Novvember 2012 (Continued from page 1) Invasive Species and the Erie Canal When the 363 mile long Erie Canal was completed in 1825, ority for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In response to only 8 years after construction began, it was hailed as a the discovery of hydrilla in the Erie Canal, Service biolo- modern engineering wonder. No longer regarded as gists are working with others to rapidly assess if it has “Clinton’s Ditch,” the canal allowed the transport of goods spread in that area," said Jaime Geiger, Assistant Regional from New York City to the Great Lakes and the U.S. interi- or. It also provided a pathway for the introduction of inva- sive species. As the canal system has expanded and trans- formed from a commercial transportation route to a recrea- tional one, invasive species continue to spread along the canal and into interior lakes. According to a September 2003 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice pamphlet entitled “The Erie Canal and Introduced Spe- cies, “ (http://www.fws.gov/midwest/fisheries/library/fact- eriecanintro.pdf) aquatic invasive species now found in the canal system include: Eurasian watermilfoil Zebra Mussels Courtesy of the NYS Canal Corporation Asian clams Round goby Director for the Service's Fisheries program in the north- east. Sea lamprey DEC is working closely with federal and state partners in- Water Chestnut cluding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Recreational boaters can Asian clams were first report- Corps of Engineers, New York State Canal Corporation, help prevent or slow the ed in the canal in 1998 near spread of invasive species the Office of Parks and Recreation and the Western New Lockport. York Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Manage- throughout the canal sys- Photo courtesy of the Lake ment to determine the extent of the infestation and develop tem by following good boat- ing practices: George Association recommendations for rapid response. A map showing the known extent of the infestation as of October 5th, can be Remove any visible mud, plants, fish or animals before found on page 11. transporting equipment. Prior to the discovery in North Tonawanda, hydrilla was Eliminate water from equipment before transporting. found in the Cayuga Inlet and small, isolated occurrences Clean and dry anything that comes into contact with on Long Island and Orange County. water (boats, trailers, equipment, clothing, even dogs!) Larval forms of many animal species will not be visible Hydrilla is considered to be among the most invasive to the naked eye but can be spread nonetheless. aquatic plants in North America, and has resulted in signifi- cant ecological, recreational and economic impacts in other Never release plants, fish or animals into a body of wa- regions of the country. Its biological traits enable it to out- ter unless they came from that body of water. compete native species and dominate aquatic ecosystems due to its ability to grow in a variety of environmental set- tings and to propagate and spread from fragments, turions and tubers. 3 Waterworks November 2012 EPA Announces $1.4 Million in Great Lakes Grants to Help Tackle Invasive Species in New York (U.S. EPA Press Release 10/02/12) ern Great Lakes Basin The Nature Conservancy will develop models that predict the The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $1.4 spread of Hydrilla verticillata and other aquatic invasive species million to five organizations to work on invasive species in New across the New York, northwestern Pennsylvania, and eastern York State. These grants are among 21 invasive species grants Ohio portion of the Great Lakes basin. The Nature Conservancy awarded this year through the EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration will also survey for targeted invasive species and will use this Initiative, nationwide. information to plan, promote, and develop local invasive species “Invasive species are a very serious problem facing the Great control projects. Lakes, “ said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “These EPA grants will help prevent larger costs and damage to Cornell University - $227,484 the environment in the future and will help ensure the continued Working with Recreational Anglers and Boaters to Prevent the revitalization of western New York’s economy.” Spread of Invasive Species Cornell will increase efforts by The grants announced for work in government agencies and nongov- New York State are: ernmental organizations in the Lake Paul Smith’s College of Arts & Ontario region to communicate Sciences - $399,891 with anglers and boaters about the Lake Ontario Headwaters Water- risks that invasive species pose to craft Inspection Program the Great Lakes and to discourage This project will prevent the spread actions that contribute to the spread of aquatic invasive species in the of invasive species. headwaters of eastern Lake Ontario by allowing Paul Smith’s College Research Foundation of SUNY to conduct a new round of water- Buffalo - $99,756 craft inspections at public boat Improving the Early Detection of launches in the western Adirondack Invasive Ponto-Caspian Fishes in Park.