Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program
End of Season Report 2008
The Lake George Association This program was funded through the Lake George Watershed Conference (LGWC) and the Lake George Association (LGA). Funding from the LGA is generously provided by the Helen V. Froelich Foundation. Funding from the LGWC is provided by the NYS Department of State with funds provided under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund. Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008
by Emily DeBolt Program Coordinator, Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program
Contributing writers: Justin Arzberger, Karlie Donlon, Lauren Ellmers, Jason Smith, Ben Strong and Samantha Zuhlke The Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program would like to say thank you to its many supporters. Without their contributions and commitment to protecting Lake George, the program would not have been successful.
Baldwin, Joan, Norowal Marina Belden, Dan, Town of Hague Supervisor Bennett, Linda, Norowal Marina Blanchard, Wayne, NYS DEC Bove, Ann, VTDEC Cusano, Mike, New York Bass Federation Decker, David, Lake George Watershed Conference DeGoosh, Katie, RI DEM Demung, Leo, NYS DEC Eichler, Larry, Darrin Fresh Water Institute Goehle, Michael, USFWS Hall, Tom, NYS DEC Holmlund, Eric, Adirondack Watershed Institute King, Maria, NYS DEC Kishbaugh, Scott, NYS DEC Kurth, Emily, NYS DEC Leeson, Hope, Rhode Island Natural History Survey Levy, Dan, NYS DEC Lowe, Betsy, NYS DEC Modley, Meg, Lake Champlain Basin Program Nierzwicki-Bauer, Sandra, Darrin Fresh Water Institute Parillo, Scott, Dunham’s Bay Marina Rawson, Bud, NYS DEC Raymond, Roberta, Island View Marina Reeps, Roslyn, CAES IAPP Robinson, Michelle, MA DCR Rourke, Daniel, NYS DEC Smagula, Amy, NH DES Smith, Hilary, Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program Starinchak, Joe, USFWS White, Mike, Lake George Park Commission Zollweg, Emily, NYS DEC The Lake George Association Staff All members of the Lake George Watershed Conference Invasive Species Task Force
Cover photo: Lake George from First Peak, Samantha Zuhlke. Inside photos by Emily DeBolt, Ben Strong and Samantha Zuhlke (unless otherwise noted). Maps by Randy Rath, Project Manager and GIS Specialist, Lake George Association. Table of Contents
Abstract ...... 1 Introduction and Background ...... 3 Staff Biographies ...... 7 Key Findings ...... 9
Lake Steward Launch Locations Norowal Marina ...... 21 Mossy Point Boat Launch ...... 31 Dunham’s Bay Marina ...... 39 Hague Town Launch ...... 47 Rogers Rock Campground ...... 53 Northwest Bay Cartop Launch ...... 59 Island View Marina ...... 63
Fishing Tournament Outreach ...... 67 Educational Outreach Activities ...... 71 Terrestrial Invasive Species ...... 73 Recommendations and Future Considerations ...... 75
Appendices ...... 80 A: Data Collection Sheet ...... 81 B: Map of Launch Locations ...... 82 C: Map of Zebra Mussel Locations in LG ...... 83 D: Map of Eurasian Watermilfoil Locations in LG ...... 84 E: List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies ...... 85 F: List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies by State ...... 87 G: List of All Invasive Species Removed from Boats ...... 91 H: List of All Specimens Removed ...... 93 I: List of All Invasives Found by Weekday ...... 96 J: Scientific and Common Names of Invasive Species ...... 98 K: Invasive Species in Previously Visited Waterbodies ..... 99 L: Steward Materials and Supplies ...... 101 P.O. Box 408 2392 State Route 9N Lake George, NY 12845 Phone: 518-668-3558 Email: [email protected] www.lakegeorgeassociation.org Abstract
Lake George is located in northern New York, in the southeastern corner of the Adirondack Park. The lake is rated as AA-Special by the State of New York, meaning its best usage is as a drinking water supply. However the lake’s water quality is increasingly being threatened by human activities and pressures around the lake. One of the many threats to the lake’s water quality is the introduction of aquatic invasive species. To address this threat, an aquatic invasive species spread prevention and education program was started on Lake George in 2006. The goal of the program is to prevent new introductions of invasive species into Lake George and to educate boaters. The Lake Stewards inspect boats at launches and collect quantitative data about the number of boats and last waterbody of boats entering Lake George. Such data can help determine the pathways of spread for aquatic invasive species between other regional waterways and Lake George.
The Lake Stewards visually inspected 2,984 boats over the summer of 2008. Boats had previously been in 159 different waterbodies in 19 different states before coming to Lake George. Lake George itself was the most common previously visited body of water at 1,770 boats. After that, the Hudson River was the most common, with 89 boats. New York was the state with the most waterbodies mentioned as previous boating locations at 57, while Massachusetts came in second with 19 and New Jersey third at 18. A total of 113 samples were removed from 5 of the 7 launches Lake Stewards were stationed at. Of the 113 samples, a total of 61 specimens of invasive species were removed from boats, making 54% of all samples removed from boats invasive. 4 different species of invasives were found overall: Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweed, water chestnut, and zebra mussels. 9 waterbodies were identified as possibly providing the source material of invasive species that hitchhiked on boats to launches at Lake George.
1 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 2 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Introduction and Background
About the Program Sponsors The Lake George Association (LGA) The LGA’s mission statement is “Working together to protect, conserve and improve the beauty and quality of the Lake George Basin.” Since its inception in 1885, the LGA has evolved to incorporate and address the changing needs of the Lake George environment. The LGA advocates a reasoned, balanced approach to the management and conservation of the Lake George watershed through education, remediation, advocacy and broad-based community involvement. The goal is to ensure the long-term stability of the lake’s exceptional water quality and the economic viability of the region. The Lake George Watershed Conference (LGWC) Formed in 1999, the LGWC is a coalition made up of the municipalities, counties, state agencies, and non-profit organizations involved in protecting Lake George. The purpose of the LGWC is to provide a forum to identify the priorities for protecting the lake’s water quality and to coordinate the proactive use of resources to accomplish this mission. The Conference is chaired by the Secretary of State, the Honorable Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez.
Introduction 2008 was the third and final year of a three year pilot project lake steward program on Lake George. The program was initiated in 2006 by the Lake George Watershed Conference. One of the many threats to the lake’s water quality is the introduction of aquatic invasive species. The goal of the program is to help prevent new introductions of invasive species into Lake George by inspecting boats at launches and to collect quantitative data about the number and last location of boats entering Lake George and the possible pathways of spread for aquatic invasive species between other regional waterways and Lake George.
3 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Invasive Species Background Invasive species are threatening ecological communities and impacting the economy nation-wide. They are estimated to cost the United States more than $100 billion annually in environmental losses and damages. Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, second only to direct habitat loss in many locations. Within the Adirondack Park, which includes part of the Lake Champlain Basin, invasive species are also a top threat to biodiversity. Aquatic invasive species disrupt aquatic food webs and habitats, out- competing native species and altering the ecological function of lakes and rivers. Species such as zebra mussels clog water intake pipes, attach to dock pilings and the underside of boats, and litter beaches with sharp shells that cut bare feet. Dense mats of Eurasian watermilfoil on the surface make boating, swimming, and other recreation difficult. Lake George is rated as AA-Special by the State of New York, meaning its best usage is as a drinking water supply. However the lake’s water quality is increasingly being threatened by the introduction of invasive species. Eurasian watermilfoil was first documented in North America in 1942 in the District of Columbia. By 1985 it has made its way north, and was identified in Lake George. Zebra mussels were first discovered in Lake St. Clair in 1988 and were found in Lake George in 1999.
Zebra mussel Curly-leaf Pondweed Eurasian watermilfoil
To date, Lake George has been infested with three known invasive species: Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), curly-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus), and zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha). Nearby, Lake Champlain has 48 invasive species, the St. Lawrence River has 87, the Hudson River 91, and the Great Lakes has 183 documented invasive species. These bodies of water surround Lake George on all sides, and boats can easily be trailered from one to the next. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have already been spent by local entities to manage the Eurasian watermilfoil and the zebra mussels in Lake George. The Lake George Park Commission is currently managing Eurasian watermilfoil. Their 2007 management report states that there are 160 identified locations of Eurasian watermilfoil in the lake “with high concentrations near human population centers and boat-use areas”. Over 19,000 plants were removed by hand harvesting and over 170,000 square feet of benthic barrier installed in 2007 (report available online at http://www.lgpc.state.ny.us/PDF/LG2007.pdf). Zebra mussels were first discovered in the lake in December of 1999. After ice out in April of 2000, scuba divers from the Darrin Fresh Water Institute (DFWI) and Bateaux Below removed over 19,000 zebra mussels from around the docks at a site near Lake George Village. Since this initial finding, 6 more locations have been found, although none nearly as large as the first colony. As of the end of the 2007 season, 24,624 mussels had been removed from the lake by divers. 5 of the 7 sites are boat launches/marinas and the other two sites are docks. Zebra mussels at DFWI. 4 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 In the last few years, as understanding of invasive species and their consequences has increased, efforts have increased to stop or slow their spread. For aquatic invasives, boats and trailers moving between waterways seem to be a clear mode of transportation for invasive and native species alike. Based on the locations of the highest concentrations of milfoil being at boat-use areas and zebra mussels being found mainly at boat launches, the connection between boats and the introduction and movement of invasive species in Lake George is clear.
Bits of broken plants at the town launch entrance in Hague. Lake George and its Watershed Lake George is located in northern New York, in the southeastern corner of the Adirondack Park. It is a 32 mile long, oligotrophic lake formed by earthquakes and glaciers. The lake is classified as Class AA-Special by New York State, which means one of its best usages is as a drinking water supply. The lake is used as drinking water by many people around the lake. The maximum depth of the lake is just under 200 feet deep, with an average depth of about 70 feet. The widest part of the lake is about 2 miles across, while the average width is 1.33 miles. There are over 170 islands dotting the lake’s surface. Lake George flows from the south to the north and drops 226 feet into Lake Champlain through the LaChute River in Ticonderoga. Streams provide the lake with just over half of its water; the rest comes from precipitation directly on the lake’s surface and groundwater. There are over 100 streams in the watershed, with just 8 major streams providing about 2/3 of the total stream flow going into the lake.
A watershed is an area of land that drains into a waterbody. The Lake George watershed is 233 square miles, which is about five times the area of the lake’s surface.
The lake’s elevation is 320 feet above sea level, while the highest point in the watershed is the peak of Black Mtn. at 2,646 feet.
5 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Program Description The Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program is an aquatic invasive species spread prevention and education program on Lake George. Lake Stewards are hired to work at marinas and boat launches during the summer. Lake George is a large lake, with around 20 marinas, and various yacht clubs, public launches, and many hotels which let customers launch boats. Lake Stewards cannot cover every entry to the lake at all times. However, they can work at some of the high traffic launches and help prevent introductions at those locations, as well as help spread awareness. The Lake Stewards provide boaters with educational information about the threats of aquatic invasive species that are ecologically and economically harmful to the waters of Lake George and other waterways. Stewards help stop the introduction and transport of invasive species via boats and trailers by conducting visual inspections of boats and removing and identifying any plant or animal material found. Stewards also interview boaters to find out which body of water their boat was last in and if they have taken any spread prevention steps before arriving to launch. The Lake Steward Program is a crucial step in protecting the water quality of Lake George and preventing the spread of invasive species between waterbodies throughout the Lake Champlain Basin and the Northeast.
Staff and Training 4 Lake Stewards were hired for the summer of 2008 as well as 1 Assistant Coordinator. Since the Program Coordinator had other work duties besides the Lake Steward Program, once the Lake Stewards were trained and working, the Assistant Coordinator oversaw their daily activities and was their key point of contact. Bi-weekly staff meetings allowed for constant communication and adjustments throughout the season as needed. Training began in mid-May with 2 days at Paul Smith’s College. We joined the Adirondack Watershed Institute’s training for their stewards. The Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) stewards also come for a day of joint training as well. All the stewards had a chance to meet stewards from other programs and find out about those programs. The stewards learned about interpretation techniques, types of boats, invasive plant identification, and other related topics. Staff from the LCBP, Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Adirondack Park Agency and Paul Smith’s College was on hand to cover a variety of topics for training. Once back in Lake George, training continued at the LGA for the rest of the week. The stewards learned specifics about Lake George and the invasives found in the lake, as well as the lay of the land. Staff from NYS DEC, the Darrin Fresh Water Institute and the Lake George Park Commission helped out by covering various topics with the stewards. The stewards started work on Memorial Day weekend. They worked in pairs for the first 2 weeks until they were comfortable, then they were split up and worked alone for the rest of the season. 6 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Staff Biographies
Emily DeBolt
Program Coordinator Emily is the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Lake George Association (LGA). She is active in the Lake George Watershed Conference’s Invasive Species Task Force and the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program. She provides education to schools and the public about invasive species and water quality, as well as other Lake George-related topics. She joined the LGA in 2006 with a Bachelors degree from Cornell University and a Masters in Environmental Interpretation from SUNY-ESF. Benjamin Strong
Assistant Coordinator Ben is a SUNY, University at Albany Senior majoring in Political Science and a former member of the United States Coast Guard. Having grown up in Lake George, Ben has a strong appreciation of the natural landscape and hopes to pursue a career in environmental protection.
Justin Arzberger
Lake Steward Justin is from Ticonderoga, New York, and currently attends The University of Vermont where he hopes to attain his Bachelors degree in Environmental Studies in 2010. Growing up in the Adirondacks, Justin learned to appreciate the beauty and pristine nature of the land around us. By becoming a Lake Steward he has learned more about the lake and invasive species as a whole.
Karlie Donlon
Lake Steward Karlie, originally from Rochester, NY has completed an Associate in Science. She is currently in her last year at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, completing her Bachelor of Landscape Architecture. She will be taking a semester abroad in New Zealand, studying the enclosures and habitats of Zoos and Nature Preserves. With her love a natural areas she is also very interested in preserving the Adirondacks for the future. 7 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Lauren Ellmers
Lake Steward A Fort Edward local, Lauren is a student at Hobart and William Smith College. After college, she plans to have a career in Environmental Regulations and help to protect the same Adirondack Park she grew up and enjoys spending time in. Volunteering to help clean up the Ohio River, she experienced the importance of clean waters and decided to help keep Lake George pristine.
Jason Smith
Lake Steward From Queensbury, New York, Jason is a student at Fredonia State University earning a degree in Environmental Science with concentrations in Limnology and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). As a resident of the Lake George area and frequent user of the lake and its watershed he has taken an interest in the impacts of recreation, specifically boating, on Lake George.
Samantha Zuhlke
Lake Steward Alternate In her second summer as the LGA’s Education and Outreach Intern, Samantha Zuhlke was the Lake Steward Alternate for the 2008 season. After training with the stewards, she spent most of the summer fulfilling other duties but was able to make it to the launches on occasion. She is a Geography major and will be a junior at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY this fall.
Justin Goodwin
Lake Steward Volunteer For several weeks in July Justin volunteered at the Norowal Marina Launch Site to complete community service hours for school. Justin is from Texas where he attends high school at Lake Travis High School in South Austin.
8 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Key Findings
Number of Boats The Lake Stewards visually inspected 2984 boats Launch # boats over the summer. 1264 boats were inspected Norowal Marina 1264 at Norowal Marina, 949 boats at Mossy Point Mossy Point 949 Boat Launch, 437 at Dunham’s Bay Marina, 152 Dunham’s Bay 437 at the Hague Town Launch, 126 at Rogers Rock Hague 152 Campground Launch, 31 at Northwest Bay Cartop Rogers Rock 126 Launch, and 25 at Island View Marina. While some Northwest Bay 31 launches were much busier than others, the Lake Island View 25 Stewards spent different amounts of time at different TOTAL 2964 launches, so the total number of boats inspected Figure 1: Summary of boats inspected at is not necessarily an accurate measure of overall each launch site. launch activity. The Lake Stewards worked between Memorial Day in May and mid-August. A steward was at Norowal Marina for 48 days during the summer, 49 days at Mossy Point, 37 days at Dunham’s Bay, 9 days in Hague, 8 days at Rogers Rock, 2 days at Northwest Bay, and 5 days at Island View Marina. By calculating the average boats launched by day at each location, we can get a better idea of the traffic at the various launches (figure 2). Average Boats Inspected By Day at Each Launch y a d / 30 d 26 e t
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A l t y a n y e k a w w i a u c ie o B g o B ro P s a R t V o a H s s d sy r e n N s m e w a o h g h l n o rt Is M u R o D N Launch Location Figure 2: Average # of boats inspected by Lake Stewards at the 7 launches. 9 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Norowal Marina and Mossy Point were the launches with the highest rate of traffic. Stewards had been located at these two marinas for the past two years, for this very reason. However, this year Dunham’s Bay was added on as a third major marina location. We thought it would have a similarly high traffic level. Based on these numbers, it actually appears to be the second slowest launch location. These results are based on the assumption that the Lake Steward spent the same amount of time, 8 hours, each day at each location. This is most likely not the case, as weather and occasional personal conflicts would sometimes affect the number of hours spent at a location. However, most of the time the Lake Stewards were at a launch for 8 hours each day. Time of year could also affect these results, especially for the launches that the Lake Stewards spent only a few days at. Some launches could be busy in July and not in August, while it could be the opposite for others. There is no way to correct for such seasonality in this data. We have to rely on local knowledge and coordination with marina owners to work out such fine details. We had also selected Dunham’s Bay since users must pass under a bridge to reach the lake, which limits the size of the boat that can be launched there. We thought that since smaller boats would most likely be trailered greater distance than larger boats, this marina might get more traffic from farther away, increasing the risk of the spread of an invasive species. 28 samples were removed from 13 boats at Dunham’s Bay, for a total of 11 identified invasive species. This was the third highest number of invasive specimens removed from a launch. There are many more launch locations on Lake George than we can find funding for a steward for, so launches need to be prioritized in some way. This data about launch traffic rates will help us prioritize launch locations for 2009.
Where are the boats coming from? 2,489 boats were inspected that had been in 159 different waterbodies in 19 different states. Lake George itself was the most common previously visited body of water at 1,770. After that, the Hudson River was the most common, with 89 boats (figure 3). New York was the state with the most waterbodies at 56, while Massachusetts was second at 19 and New Jersey was third at 18 (figure 4).
Most Common Previously Vistited Waterbodies # of Previously Visited Waterbodies by State for all Launches (excluding LG) 18 New Jers ey Long Island Sound (NY) 22 2 Rhode Is land Greenwood Lake (NY) 22 Connec tic ut Mas s ac hus etts Candlewood Lake (CT) 22 12 56 New Hamps hire Connecticut River (CT) 23 V ermont y
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o Schroon Lake (NY) 24 North Carolina b r Sacandaga Lake (NY) 25 Mary land t e a Saratoga Lake (NY) 47 Mic higan W 19 Florida Lake Champlain (NY) 51 Penns ly v ania Atlantic Ocean 52 Illinois Tennes s ee Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 54 Ohio Delaw are Hudson River (NY) 89 8 11 Ontario 11 Quebec 0 20 40 60 80 100 11 7 9 New Y ork Number of Boats 3 2 2 2 4 Figure 3: Most common previously visited waterbodies. Figure 4: Number of waterbodies by state.
10 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Maps showing previously visited waterbodies before launching at Lake George
This map shows the 2,489 boats that were inspected and the location of the 159 different waterbodies in 19 different states that they had previously been in. It also shows previous locations that were not state specific, such as the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, or Great Lakes.
This enlargement of the above map shows the waterbodies that boats had previously been in that are in the Northeast.
11 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Map showing previously visited waterbodies in New York State before launching at Lake George
This map shows the 56 waterbodies in New York that boats had visited before arriving at a launch at Lake George (excluding Lake George itself). Lines that are red indicate lakes that are known to be infected with one or more invasive species. Lines that are black go to lakes that are not known to be infected or are unknown. Some ‘uninfected’ lakes might already have invasive species in them, and we just haven’t found them or recorded them yet. 15 out of the 56 lakes are not known to have invasive species in them or it could not be determined due to inability to pinpoint the correct body of water (map is shown enlarged on next page).
Invasive species found in waterbodies that boats had previously been in include: swollen bladderwort, European frogbit, yellow floating heart, variable watermilfoil, Eurasian watermilfoil, alewife, zebra mussels, water chestnut, curly-leafed pondweed, spiny water flea, brittle naiad, starry stonewort, and many others. The Hudson River, Lake Champlain, and St. Lawrence have more invasive species then other bodies of water by far, at 91, 48, and 87 respectively. After that, most lakes do not have more then 2 invasive species. However, some do. For instance, 2 boats had previously been in Oneida Lake, which has Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweed, starry stonewort, and spiny water flea. Of the 41 waterbodies with invasive species, only 4 do not have Eurasian watermilfoil. Cranberry Lake has variable watermilfoil, the Oswego River has water chestnut, Sacandaga Lake has the spiny water flea, and Tupper Lake has variable milfoil. Based on these findingd, it appears that Eurasian watermilfoil is the most prevalent invasive species in waterbodies in New York State and also maybe commonly the first invasive species discovered in lakes as well.
12 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Map showing previously visited waterbodies in New York State before launching at Lake George
Map of the 56 waterbodies in New York that boats had visited before arriving at a launch at Lake George (excluding Lake George itself). Red lines indicate lakes that are known to be infected with one or more invasive species. Black lines go to lakes that are not known to be infected or are unknown.
13 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Plants/Animals Removed from Boats After stewards had spoken with the boater about invasive species and spread prevention, they would request to visually inspect the boat for any hitchhikers. Boaters were encouraged to join the Lake Steward in the inspection so that boaters could learn to inspect their boats for themselves. Stewards mainly inspected boats on their way into Lake George, however they also inspected boats on their way out when possible. Stewards would collect any sample of foreign material they found attached to the boat or trailer. They would bag it and label the bag with the boat registration number the sample had come from, along with the date and launch location. Samples were delivered to the Darrin Fresh Water Institute in Bolton Landing for identification. Some samples would end up having more than one plant/animal species in it, which would result in a different number of specimens then number of boats found with plant/animal matter.
Below is a chart of how many boats were found with foreign material and how many specimens were found at each launch location (Figure 5). The total number of boats and the number of boats that were entering the lake are shown. The difference between these numbers is the number of boats that were leaving the lake when a sample was removed from them. Boats leaving Lake George were sometimes found to be carrying hitchhikers out of the lake. This was happening frequently at the Hague Launch, which has invasive plants growing in the water at the launch. One of the main purposes of the Lake Stewards was to help prevent the additional introduction if invasive species into Lake George. However, since Lake George is an infected lake, we also do not want to spread our invasive species to other lakes. So inspecting boats on their way out is also important to regional efforts to slow the spread of invasive species between waterways.
Launch Boats Total Boats Entering Samples Invasives Norowal 32 31 45 28 Mossy Point 13 8 15 6 Dunham’s Bay 13 11 28 11 Hague 15 2 22 15 Rogers Rock 3 1 3 1 Northwest Bay 0 0 0 0 Island View 0 0 0 0
Figure 5: Summary of all samples and invasives removed from boats at all launches.
14 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 A total of 113 samples were removed from 5 of the Total Invasive Species Removed 7 launches Lake Stewards were stationed at. No Eurasian Watermilfoil 28 samples were collected from the Northwest Bay Curly-leaf Pondweed 24 Launch or Island View Marina. Stewards were only Water Chestnut 4 at both of these launches for a few days, so that Zebra Mussels 5 might be why no samples were collected. All Invasive Species Removed from Boats
Of the 113 samples, a total of 61 specimens of 8% invasive species were identified, making 54% of 7% all samples removed from boats were invasive. So there was also a significant amount of native plants 46% being moved (see Appendix H). 4 different species of invasives were found: Eurasian watermilfoil, curly- 39% leaf pondweed, water chestnut, and zebra mussels
(Figures 6 & 7). E urasian W aterm ilfoil Curly-leaf P ondweed W ater Chestnut Zebra M ussels Figures 6 &7: All invasive species removed from boats. Norowal Marina 28 invasive species were removed from boats at Norowal Marina, 27 were stopped from going into the lake and 1 was removed from a boat on its way out. All four invasive species found overall were also found at the Norowal launch. Eurasian watermilfoil was the most common by far. There were 17 samples of Eurasian watermilfoil, 1 water chestnut, 8 curly- leaf pondweed, and 2 zebra mussels. The 28 invasives came off boats from 8 different lakes, with Lake George being the most common. 2 of the 8 lakes were from outside of New York (figure 8). Boats appear to be moving invasives around within the lake as well as between lakes within New York and between states. Only 1 of the specimens was found leaving the launch, so that does not account for the high number of 10 for Lake George. This finding suggests that people that were in the lake on a previous day did not clean off their boat after leaving. If they just use their boat on Lake George, they might think they do not need to clean it. However, while they might not be introducing a new invasive species, they are spreading around a current infestation. This is a problem since time and money are being spent on managing that same infestation.
Boats at Norowal Marina found with Invasive Species y d o
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f r ) e ) in e T e ke e J o la rg k k N iv C a a a ( p R ( o L L L # e g m n ke a a n n a o G g id le o h s a e o e c C d L k t n G t e u d a ra a k o L a O p a H o S o L w H le e d k n a a L C Last Waterbody
Figure 8: The last waterbody that boats were in that had invasive species removed off them by a Lake Steward at Norowal Marina.
15 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Mossy Point Boat Launch 6 of the 15 samples found on boats at Mossy Point were invasive species. All of these specimens were removed from boats about to enter the lake. 5 specimens of Eurasian watermilfoil and 1 specimen of curly-leaf pondweed were removed from boats. The 6 invasive species came from boats that had last been in 3 different lakes, one of which was Lake George itself (figure 9). This is not surprising considering the large amount of Eurasian watermilfoil growing in the water right at the boat launch. Boats at Mossy Point found with Invasive Species
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# Last Waterbody Figure 9: The last waterbody that boats were in that had invasive species removed off them by a Lake Steward at Mossy Point Boat Launch.
Dunham’s Bay 11 of the 28 samples from Dunham’s Bay were invasive species. All 4 different invasives were also found at this launch. There were 3 zebra mussels, 3 water chestnut, 4 Eurasian watermilfoil, and 1 curly-leaf pondweed. The water chestnut saves are especially important. Dunham’s Bay is the ideal habitat for water chestnut, and there is a historical record of the plant growing there from years ago. The population was removed and has not been seen in years and we certainly do not want it to make a come back. The 11 invasives came from boats that had last been in 6 different lakes. Once again, Lake George itself was listed. The 3 water chestnut samples came from 3 different waterbodies: Saratoga Lake, Lake Champlain, and the Mohawk River. 1 waterbody was from outside of New York and two of the waterbodies were rivers (figure 10). Boats at Dunhams Bay found with Invasive Species y
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Figure 10: The last waterbody that boats were in that had invasive species removed off them by a Lake Steward at Dunham’s Bay Marina.
16 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Hague Town Launch 15 of the 22 samples found at Hague were invasive species. 13 of the specimens were curly-leaf pondweed and 2 were Eurasian watermilfoil. 13 of the invasives were removed from boats leaving the lake, while only 2 were removed from boats about to launch. Curly- leaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil are both growing in the water at the boat launch, so it is not surprising that plants were on boats on their way out. This area needs to be a priority for plant management in the future, so that these invasives are not spread to other waterbodies. The Hague launch was the only location where more invasives were found on their way out then on their way in. 1 specimen of curly-leaf pondweed and 1 Eurasian watermilfoil were found on boats about to enter, but both of these boats had last been in Lake George. All 15 of the specimens came from boats that reported they had last been in Lake George.
Rogers Rock 1 of the 3 samples found at Rogers Rock was invasive. The invasive sample was removed from a boat about to launch while the other 2 samples were removed from boats that were leaving the lake. The invasive was a sample of curly-leaf pondweed off a boat that had last been in Twin Lakes in Connecticut.
Where are the invasives coming from? Besides looking at where boats that had invasive species on them were last before they launched on Lake George, we can also look at each of the 4 invasive species that were found and see which lakes might possibly be exporting these species and how often.
All Invasive Species Removed from Boats All Invasive Species Removed from Boats both launching and leaving Lake George about to Launch at Lake George
5 4 4 4
28 25 12 24
E urasian W aterm ilfoil Curly-leaf P ondweed Eurasian W atermilfoil Curly-leaf Pondweed W ater Chestnut Zebra M ussels W ater Chestnut Zebra Mussels Figure 11: # of all of the 4 types of invasives found Figure 12: # of all of the 4 types of invasives found on all boats. on all boats about to launch.
Since we are looking at where invasives are coming from before the enter Lake George, these next numbers only include specimens removed from boats about to launch. So while there were 61 invasive species removed from boats overall, 16 of those samples were removed on their way out of Lake George, so they have been removed from these next charts. The figures on the next page only include specimens found on boats about to launch into the lake, not samples found on boats on their way out as well. The charts above show the differences (figures 11 & 12).
17 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Possible Sources of Invasive Species Introductions to Lake George Lake George has three different invasives in it: Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweed, and zebra mussels. Based on the data collected by the Lake Stewards, boats are moving these infestations around. If management efforts and dollars are going to be spent on these current infestations, then an increased awareness by boaters needs to be part of the plan. Besides the movement of its own invasive species, 9 other lakes possibly provided source material of invasive species that hitchhiked on boats to launches at Lake George. Where are the different species coming from? The table and graphs below show which waterbodies were the probable sources. (These are only possible sources, as the invasive species could have gotten on the boat in a previous waterbody and stayed on the boat for a while.) Nearby Saratoga Lake was a possible source for all 4 invasive species, while the Hudson River was a possible source of 3 of the 4 (figure 13). 3 of the 9 waterbodies, or 1/3, were from outside of New York State. Knowing which waterbodies are the possible source “hot spots” might help coordinate regional efforts to prioritize spread prevention messages.
Eurasian Watermilfoil Curly-leaf Pondweed Water Chestnut Zebra Mussels Lake Champlain Saratoga Lake Hudson River Lake George Candlewood Lake (CT) Lake George Saratoga Lake Saratoga Lake Lake George Twin Lakes (CT) Mohawk River Hudson River Hudson River South Bay, Lake Glen Lake Oneida Lake Champlain Saratoga Lake Lake Hopatcong (NJ) Figure 13: Possible waterbody sources for each of the invasive species removed from boats.
Sources of Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) Sources of Water Chestnut (WC) 2
d 9 n
8 d u
8 n o u f
7 o 1.5 f s
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a 4 4 4 m 1 s 4 a
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f f 1 0.5 o
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# # 0 ) r ) in T e e e e J la rg v k k N 0 p (C o i a a ( e R L L m e n n a ng a k G o e g Hudson River S aratoga Lake M ohawk River S outh B ay, h a e s l o co C L k d G t t d a u ra a Lake Cham plain ke o L H a p a o S o L w H Waterbody le e d k n a a L C Waterbody Figure 14: Possible sources of Eurasian watermilfoil. Figure 15: Possible sources of water chestnut.
Sources of Curly-leafed Pondweed (CLP) Sources of Zebra Mussels (ZM)
d 8
n 7 4
u 7 o d f
6 n s
u 3 e o l 3 5 f
p s m e
4 l a p s
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M f 1 1 1 Z o 1 1
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# 1 o 0 # S aratoga Lake G eorge Twin Lakes Hudson River O neida Lake Lake 0 Waterbody Lake G eorge S aratoga Lake Waterbody
Figure 16: Possible sources of curly-leaf pondweed. Figure 17: Possible sources of zebra mussels. 18 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Summary of Recreation User Data The Lake Stewards collected various data on their data sheets. The main focus of the program was on invasive species spread prevention, and so this report focuses on reporting the information related to these efforts. However, since the Lake Stewards were at the launch and able to collect additional types of data, they did. Vessel type, motor type, outboard engine type and LGPC boat registration are all summarized here. Additional information that is not included in this report was also gathered, such as number in boating group, horsepower of outboard engine, time spent at launch, and boat registration number. This data is available for further study into recreational users of Lake George.
Vessel Types Motorboats made up over 80% of all boats at all launches except for the Northwest Bay launch (figure 18). This launch is cartop only - which is why there were no other types of boats launches there. Island View Marina seems to have the most variety in terms of motor boats, sailboats, and PWCs; however since a Lake Steward was only there for a very short period of time the data could be more affected by a few events and not the best representation of average vessel traffic at that launch. Additional details about the vessel types are provided in the individual launch reports. Vessel Type at Launches Motor Types 100% The Lake Stewards looked at 90% the motor on all motorboats and 80% recorded what type it was. Then, if d e t 70% c it was an outboard, they recorded e p
s 60% the horsepower and stroke if n i
s 50% t possible. Northwest Bay is not a o
b 40%
f included in these graphs because o 30% % there were not motorboats at this 20% launch. All launches have similar 10% trends with Island View Marina 0% NM MP D B HT RR NW IV sticking out slightly again (figures Launch Location 19 & 20). The same reason as
Motorboat S ailboat P W C C artop mentioned above makes this finding Figure 18: Summary of vessel types at all launches. most likely unimportant. Again, additional details are provided in the Inboards vs. Outboards individual launch reports. Such data 100% could be useful in a recreation user 90% study in the future.
s 80% t a
o 70% b r
o 60% t
o Key to Launch Abbreviations in Graphs
m 50%
l l NM Norowal Marina a 40%
f o
30% MP Mossy Point Boat Launch % 20% DB Dunham’s Bay Marina 10% HT Hague Town Launch 0% RR Rogers Rock Campground NM MP DB HT RR IV NW Northwest Bay Cartop Launch Launch outboard inboard IV Island View Marina Figure 19: Summary of engine type of motorboats at all launches. 19 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Average Compliance with LGPC Boat Registration 2-stroke vs. 4-stroke
s 95 e 120% 100 n i g e 77 n 100% c 80 76 76 76
e 71 n
a d i
r 80% l a
p 60 o
60% m t b o u c
o 40% 40
l n l i
a f 20% % 20 o
% 0% 0 NM MP D B HT R R IV NM MP DB HT RR IV Launch 4 stroke 2 stroke Launch Figure 20: Summary of stroke of outboard engines. Figure 21: Compliance with LGPC boat registration. Lake George Park Commission (LGPC) Boat Registration All vessels 18 feet or longer, or any vessel mechanically propelled by a motor 10 h.p. or greater, must register with the Lake George Park Commission and display a registration decal. Boats can pay for daily or weekly temporary registrations. If a boat is on Lake George for more than 21 days annually, then the boat must have an annual registration. Stewards checked for the registration decal on boats so that the information could be provided to the LGPC. The LGPC provided the Lake Stewards with a handout of what the different types of registration decals look like so they would know what they were looking for. Compliance was over 70% at all the launches - with Norowal Marina have the highest average compliance at 95%. The managers at Norowal sell the boat registrations at their marina and actively tell their customers about the regulation. Registrations are also available at Island View Marina. Boaters do not have the opportunity to register their boat at the other launches that stewards were at - they would have to have registered it prior to arriving at the launch. Conclusion The Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program had a very successful summer. The Lake Stewards inspected 2,984 boats that had come from 159 different waterbodies in 19 different states. A total of 113 samples were collected off of 76 boats. 61 of the samples were identified as invasive species. 4 different invasives were found on the boats, 3 of which are already in Lake George. Eurasian watermilfoil, zebra mussels, and curly-leaf pondweed were all removed from boats that had both come from other lakes and that had also last been in Lake George. Water chestnut was also removed from boats on 4 different occasions, saving Lake George from another invasion. The Lake Stewards also collected other recreational user data that is valuable to the state agencies and private entities operating the launch facilities. Over 70% of boaters at all of the launches self-reported that they had taken spread prevention measures prior to arriving at the launch. It is hard to know how biased this finding is, however, it is still encouraging.
The results of this summer’s program clearly Spread Prevention Measures Taken 100 92 95 show the need for continued invasive species 85 88 78 education and spread prevention programs. 80 72 74
s 60 e Y
They also show the effectiveness of the Lake Steward Program. Hopefully, we will % 40 have funding to continue and to improve this 20 0 program in the future so we can continue our NM M P DB HT RR NW IV efforts to protect the waters of Lake George by Launch slowing the spread of aquatic invasive species. Figure 22: Summary of spread prevention measures. 20 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Norowal Marina Bolton Landing
Introduction For the third consecutive summer a Lake Steward was stationed at Norowal Marina in Bolton Landing. Norowal Marina is a privately owned launch site and parking facility with a close proximity to “The Narrows”, a closely spaced group of islands that is a popular camping destination only minutes from the launch. Norowal Marina provides an excellent opportunity to survey a high volume of lake users and present information about both the invasive species already present in Lake George and those that have not yet been introduced into the lake. While the Lake Stewards visually inspected the vessels as they entered and left the lake, stewards concentrated on educating the public about how to prevent the spread of invasive species. Due to the high volume of island campers using the launch, Norowal Marina also provides a good opportunity to inform campers of the invasive species that can be transported by firewood. A Lake Steward was stationed at Norowal Marina five days a week from May 23 to August 17, 2008.
Methods The Lake Steward was stationed at Norowal Marina from 8 am to 4:30 pm Wednesday through Sunday. The Lake Stewards were initially trained with the Paul Smith’s College stewards in May, and later received training by the NYSDEC, the Darrin Freshwater Institute, and the Lake George Park Commission. Each Lake Steward was given a handbook, visual aids, handouts, dichotomous key for aquatic plant identification, and forms to record data from each party and accompanying vessel entering and leaving the lake. The Lake Steward recorded information such as boat type, horsepower (outboard only), stroke (outboard only), group size, state of registration, presence of a current Lake George Park Commission decal, time arrived and departed.
21 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 The Lake Steward also recorded where visitors had used their boats last and if they had taken steps to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as washing their boats and draining their bilge water. The Lake Steward typically set up a chair and a table with handout information about invasive species and other information pertaining to Lake George. The Lake Steward table was located at the convergence of the two entrance roads to the launch ramp. Due to the setup location it was difficult for the Lake Steward to inspect boats leaving the lake. The collected information was entered into an Excel database at the Lake George Association then later compiled and analyzed. Results Number of Boats Over the thirteen week period that a Lake Steward was stationed at Norowal Marina a total of 1264 boats were recorded entering Lake George by a Lake Steward. Information for each vessel was recorded and interpreted. The manager of Norowal Marina recorded about 2,293 boats launching during the same time frame. A Lake Steward was at the marina for 48 days out of 87 days from May 23 - Aug 17. The Lake Stewards intercepted 55% of boaters using Norowal Marina during 13 weeks of the summer. A steward was at the marina for 48 out of 87 days, which is also 55%. So it appears that the Lake Stewards were very effective in interacting with boaters when they were at the launch. This is important to know because this launch can get very busy at times. With the launch being so busy, boaters can become less willing to interact with the steward. However, it appears that the stewards did a great job of handing this situation.
Boat launch use by week varied greatly throughout the summer (figure 1). Boat Launch Use at Norowal Marina by Week Memorial Day at the end of May started 200 s
the season off with over 100 boats t
a 150 o launching over the long weekend from B f o
r 100
Friday to Monday. The busiest week e b m (Wed-Sun) was over the 4th of July, with u 50 N 212 boats; 79 of which launched from 0 8:00-4:30 pm on July 4th and were 6 8 5 2 9 6 3 0 7 3 0 7 2 /1 0 1 2 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 1 / 6 / / / / / / / / / / / 5 - 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 - 9 ------inspected by a Lake Steward. The end of 3 2 5 1 8 5 2 9 6 3 0 6 3 /2 / /0 /1 /1 /2 /0 /0 /1 /2 /3 /0 /1 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 July and beginning of August was also a Date busy time for a number of weeks. Figure 1: A summary of boat launches by week at Norowal.
Saturday was the busiest day of the Boat Launch by Weekday at Norowal Marina 450 week, with Friday a close second (figure 397 d 400 2). Wednesday and Thursday were not e h 350 337 c nearly as busy as the weekends as n 300 279 u a l
250 was expected. This data will help us s t
a 200 to evaluate if stewards should work at o
b 150
f 95
o 100 79 launches for 5 days again next year or
# 36 if working just Fri - Sun makes the most 50 16 11 28 25 0 sense. W T H F SA SU day of the week average total Figure 2: A comparison of boat launch by day of the week.
22 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Vessel Types A total of 1,136 motorboats make up 90% of the vessels Vessel Type entering the Lake George via Norowal Marina. Of the 1% 0% remaining 10%, 9% consisted of personal watercraft (PWC) and 9% 1% were sailboats. There was 1 canoe and 0 kayaks launched at Norowal while the steward was on duty. The manager of Norowal Marina provided us with records of vessels launched during the same dates a Lake Stewards was stationed there, May 23 - Aug. 17. The records show a total of 90% 2,293 boats launching, with 1,715 motorboats, 22 sailboats, M PWC 124 PWC, and 19 cartops (canoes and kayaks). They also S C had 413 day pass launchers, of which type of boat is not Figure 3: A comparison of vessel recorded. Using the numbers provided by Norowal, 91% of types that launched at Norowal. the boats were motorboats, 7% were PWC, and both cartops and sailboats were 1%. This is very close to the percentages Vessel Type from Norowal's Records that the steward interactions amounted to as well. This shows 7% 1% that the data from the steward interactions is a representative 1% sample of the boaters using the marina during the time they were there. While the majority of vessels launched at Norowal Marina were motorboats, 9% (figure 3) of vessels launched at this location 91% were PWCs. The sailboats launched at Norowal Marina were motorboat sailboat pwc cartop often at the launch for longer periods of time due to the time needed to rig the boat. Since there is a fee associated with Figure 4: Comparison of vessel types that launched at Norowal. launching a vessel at Norowal Marina most canoes and kayaks are probably launched at the nearby Northwest Bay Car Top Motor Type Launch which is free of charge. The low numbers of canoes and kayaks that do enter Lake George through Norowal Marina Outboard 30% are often launched on another larger vessel and put into the lake after they have departed the launch. Motor Types Motor type for each vessel was recorded and vessels with Inboard outboard motors were categorized by stroke (2 or 4 stroke). 70%
Almost three-quarters of the motorboats that launched at Figure 5: Comparison of motor Norowal Marina were inboard while the remaining one-quarter types. were outboard. Of the outboard motors observed, 72% were recorded to be 2-stroke while 28% were 4-stroke. Outboard Engine Type
Four Stroke 28%
Tw o Stroke 72%
Figure 6: Comparison of outboard motor stroke. Lake Stewards learning how to identify motors during training. 23 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Lake George Park Commission Decals Lake George Park Commission Decals are required by law for any vessel mechanically propelled by more than 10 horsepower and non-mechanically propelled greater than 18 feet in length.
% Compliance with LGPC Decals 100 90 80 e
c 70 n a
i 60 l p 50 m o 40 C
% 30 20 10 0 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 6 1 8 5 2 9 6 3 0 7 3 0 7 2 / / 1 2 2 / 1 2 2 / 1 1 / -6 -6 / / / -7 / / / -8 / / -5 8 8 -6 -6 -6 8 -7 -7 -7 8 -8 -8 8 0 0 8 8 8 0 8 8 8 0 8 8 0 / / 0 0 0 / 0 0 0 / 0 0 / 9 /5 / / / /2 / / / 0 / / 3 /2 6 1 8 5 7 /9 6 3 /3 /6 3 /2 5 /1 /1 /2 7 /1 /2 7 8 /1 5 6 6 6 7 7 8 Date Samples of a boat Figure 7: Weekly comparison of Lake George Park Commission Decal registration decal and a compliance at Norowal Marina. temporary registration decal.
Lake George Park Commission decal compliance remained over 80% for each of the thirteen weeks that a Lake Steward was stationed at Norowal Marina. An average of 95% compliance was found for the total thirteen weeks. A possible cause for the drop in compliance in July is the increased number of out of town tourists who are not familiar with the Lake George Park Commission regulations. Most locals are aware of the Lake George Park Commission decal, as they have been boating on Lake George in the past.
Of the 1264 boats that entered Lake George via Norowal Marina 1184 displayed a decal while 64 vessels did not display a decal. There were 16 vessels that were not required to display a decal (figure 7). The over 95% compliance throughout the thirteen weeks can be partially attributed to the Norowal Marina Managers. The Norowal Marina Managers made their customers aware of the decal if the vessel required one for use on Lake George.
24 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Previous Lake Steward Interaction It was recorded whether or not the boaters had a previous interaction with a Lake Steward. Previous Lake Steward Interaction 100 90 80 70 60 s
e 50 Y 40 % 30 20 10 0
8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 6 1 8 5 2 9 6 3 0 7 3 0 7 2 / / 1 2 2 / 1 2 2 / 1 1 / -6 -6 / / / -7 / / / -8 / / -5 8 8 -6 -6 -6 8 -7 -7 -7 8 -8 -8 8 0 0 8 8 8 0 8 8 8 0 8 8 0 / / 0 0 0 / 0 0 0 / 0 0 / 9 /5 / / / /2 / / / 0 / / 3 /2 6 1 8 5 7 /9 6 3 /3 /6 3 /2 5 /1 /1 /2 7 /1 /2 7 8 /1 5 6 6 6 7 7 8 Date Figure 8: Weekly comparison of boaters that have had a previous interaction with a Lake Steward. Throughout the thirteen weeks the percentage of boaters that had previous Lake Steward interaction fluctuated, which shows that many different boaters enter Lake George through Norowal Marina during the summer. There were many repeat users at the marina as well as a steady flow of vacationers in town for a few days. Another reason there was less repeated interaction with a Lake Steward is that several local marinas use Norowal Marina to launch boats as well as to launch rental boats.
However, there still are a number of repeat users at the launch. With season-pass holders and multiple use boaters at Norowal Marina it was important that the Lake Steward note whether or not a previous interaction had taken place. Once an interaction had occurred the boater was given a trailer sticker to indicate that an interaction had taken place (sticker pictured on this page). The Lake Steward recorded “Y” for Previous Lake Steward interaction if a sticker was visible, or if during conversation it became apparent that an interaction had taken place in the past. Over time we can determine if there is any correlation between having a previous Lake Steward interaction and several other variables such as a decrease in invasive species entering Lake George, or an increase in Prevention Steps taken to prevent the spread of invasive species. 25 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Previous Waterbodies The Lake Stewards recorded which waterbody boats had been in contact with immediately preceding their entry into Lake George. Previous Waterbody Frequency Waterbody Frequency Atlantic Ocean 29 Lake Sivi (OH) * 1 Ballston Lake (NY) 2 Lake Sunapee (NH) 1 Bantam Lake (CT) 2 Lake Walcott (NH) 1 Barnegat Bay (NJ) 8 Lake Wallenpaupack (PA) 11 Beltsville Lake (PA) 4 Lake Winnipesaukee (NH) 3 Blue Water Marsh (PA) 2 Lake Winnisquam (NH) 1 Boston Harbor (MA) 1 Lillinonah Lake (CT) 1 Boston Lake (CT) 1 Little York Lake (NY) 1 Brant Lake (NY) 2 Long Island Sound (NY) 22 Buckhorn Lake (ONT) 1 Manasquam River (NJ) 1 Buzzards Bay (MA) 1 Mansfield Reservoir (CT) 1 Canandaigua Lake (NY) 1 Marrow Creek (NJ) * 1 Canadarago Lake (NY) 1 Mohawk River (NY) 6 Candlewood Lake (CT) 13 Navesink River (NJ) 2 Cayuga Lake (NY) 1 Ohio River 1 Chesapeake Bay (MD) 2 Onota Lake (MA) 6 Connecticut River (CT) 18 Oswego River (NY) 1 Connamessett Lake (MA) 1 Otis Reservoir (MA) 5 Coventry Lake (CT) 1 Otsego Lake (NY) 1 Cranberry Lake (NJ) 1 Phantom Lake (CT) 1 Crystal Lake (IL) 1 Pawtucket River (RI) 1 Delaware River (DE) 8 Peach Lake (NY) 1 Glen Lake (NY) 1 Piseco Lake (NY) 1 Great Egg Harbor River (NJ) 2 Pontoosuc Lake (MA) 1 Great South Bay (NY) 3 Raystown Lake (PA) 1 Greenwood Lake (NY) 9 Round Valley Reservoir (NJ) 1 Gulf of Mexico 1 Ruisetumn Lake (PA) * 1 Hamilton Reservoir (MA) 4 Sacandaga Lake (NY) 11 Harriman Reservoir (VT) 4 Sandy Hook Bay (NJ) 2 Highland Lake (NY) 1 Saratoga Lake (NY) 25 Schroon Lake (NY) 7 Holland Reservoir (MA) * 1 Seneca Lake (NY) 1 Hudson River (NY) 35 Shepherd Lake (NJ) 1 Indian Lake (NY) 3 Shrewsbury River (NJ) 1 Jordan Lake (NC) 1 Silver Lake (NY) 1 Lake Champlain (NY) 6 Skaneateles Lake (NY) 2 Lake Congamond (MA) 1 Spofford Lake (NH) 1 Lake Erie 2 Spruce Run State Park (NJ) 1 Lake George (NY) 531 St. Lawrence River (NY) 4 Lake Harmony (PA) 1 Stockbridge Bowl Lake (MA) 1 Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 39 Susquehanna River 2 Lake Housatonic (CT) 1 Swinging Bridge Reservoir (NY) 4 Lake Kerr (FL) 1 Upper Woods Pond (PA) 1 Lake Luzerne (NY) 1 Wallum Lake (RI) 1 Lake Mahopac (NY) 3 Watatic Pond (MA) 1 Lake Mohawk (NJ) 1 Webster Lake (NH) 2 Lake Ontario 1 Whiteham Lake (MA)) * 1 Lake Pleasant (NY) 1 Windsor Pond (MA) 1 Lake Rescue (VT) 1 Zoar Lake (CT) 1 * Stewards did not always have the chance to ask for correct spelling from boaters. This results in occasional names of bodies of water which may be misspelled, named with local slang, or unidentifiable. Figure 9: Name and frequency of previously visited waterbodies. 26 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Boats launching at Norowal Marina had visited approximately 97 different water bodies before entering Lake George. The highest frequency of previous water bodies was Lake George with 531. The highest frequency of non-Lake George water bodies visited was Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey, which contains several invasive species, many of which were found by Lake Stewards on vessels that were last in its waters. Information about previous water bodies entered is important because it can be used to determine where outreach efforts should be focused in the future. Several of the highest frequency water bodies (Saratoga Lake, Lake Hopatcong (NJ), and the Hudson River) (figure 10) contain invasive species that have not yet been introduced into Lake George.
Most Common Previously Visited Waterbodies (excluding Lake George)
Lake W allenpaupack 11 S acandaga Lake 11 C andlewood Lake 13 r e t
a C onnecticut River 18 W
f Long Island S ound 22 o
y
d S aratoga Lake 25 o B A tlantic Ocean 29 Hudson River 35 Lake Hopatcong 39
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Number of Boats
Figure 10: Name and frequency of most common previously visited waterbodies (excluding Lake George).
31 of the 97 bodies of water listed Previously Visited Waterbodys outside of in Figure 9 are from NY. The rest 2% New York State are from a variety of states. After 2% Massachusetts New Jersey New York State, the most common 2% C onnecticut states were Massachusetts and 2% New Jersey with 13 different 21% P ennsylvania 3% waterbodies and Connecticut New Hampshire with 10. There were also bodies 3% V ermont of water which cover more than Rhode Island 10% one state, and the Lake Steward Maryland was unable to collect the state. Illinios Florida The Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of 21% North C arolina Mexico, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, 12% D elaware the Susquehanna River, and the Ohio Ohio River were all also recorded 16% Ontario as previous waterbodies visited. Figure 11: Previous Waterbody Locations from outside of NY.
27 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Plants/Organisms Found Each vessel entering the lake was inspected for any plant material/organisms. Samples were collected and then identified by either a Lake Steward or by Larry Eichler at the Darrin Fresh Water Institute. Boats were also inspected leaving the lake when possible.
Plants/Organisms Going In 2% % Native versus Invasive
Native No 39% Y es Invasive 61%
98%
Figure 12: Comparison of boats found Figure 13: Comparison of native vs. invasive with and without plants/organisms. specimens found.
A total of 45 samples were collected from 31 boats entering Lake George at Norowal Marina and 1 boat leaving. The 31 boats entering make up 2% of the total boats launching at Norowal Marina during the thirteen weeks a Lake Steward was stationed there. Norowal Marina’s 2% of boats entering with plants/organisms is the second highest among the launches visited by Lake Stewards this summer. Some boats had more than one type of plant on them, which resulted in more samples than the number of boats carrying the samples. For instance, 1 boat entering had 3 different species of native plants found on it, while another boat had both curly-leaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil on it, both of which are invasive aquatic plants. Zebra mussels were found on two different boats, 1 of which had been in the Saratoga Lake earlier that same day. Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha), curly-leaf pondweed (Potomogeton crispus), and water chestnut (Trapa natans) were all invasive species removed from boats about to enter Lake George. 28 of the 45 samples were invasive, so more than half of the samples turned out to be invasive species prevented from entering the lake (figure 13). A wide variety of native plants Number of Invasive Specimens Found were found, including: slender-leaf 2 pondweed, flat-stem pondweed, Vasey’s pondweed, coontail, water E urasian W aterm ilfoil marigold, narrow-leaf pondweed, 8 W ater Chestnut eel grass, duck celery, and a few Curly-leaf P ondweed other types of native pondweeds Zebra M ussels and waterweeds. Of the invasive 17 plants found, Eurasian watermilfoil 1 was the most common, followed by curly-leaf pondweed (figure 14). Figure 14: Summary of invasive species removed from boats.
28 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Of the 28 samples of invasives, 1 sample of Eurasian watermilfoil was removed from a boat leaving the launch. The other 27 were all removed from boats about to enter the lake. The date, species, last waterbody visited, and how long ago the boat was in that waterbody are listed below. It appears that Lake George is continually re-infecting itself by moving its own populations of Eurasian watermilfoil and curly-leaf pondweed around. Lake Champlain, Saratoga Lake, and the Hudson River are not surprising possible local sources of invasives, but Candlewood Lake in CT and Lake Hopatcong in NJ are interesting finds.
Date Invasive Last Waterbody When June 5 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Champlain < 1 week June 13 Water chestnut Hudson River last year June 14 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Champlain < 1 week June 21 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Champlain < 1 week June 27 Eurasian watermilfoil Candlewood Lake (CT) not recorded June 28 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George < 1 week June 29 Eurasian watermilfoil Candlewood Lake (CT) > 1 week July 3 Eurasian watermilfoil Candlewood Lake (CT) 2 days July 3 Curly-leaf pondweed Saratoga Lake 1 day July 4 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George 1 week July 4 Zebra mussel Lake George 1 week July 6 Zebra mussel Saratoga Lake same day July 16 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George last season July 18 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George last season July 18 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 1 month July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 4 days July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Hudson River 2 weeks July 19 Eurasian watermilfoil Hudson River 2 weeks July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Oneida Lake 3 weeks July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 2 weeks July 25 Eurasian watermilfoil Glen Lake < 1 week July 25 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 2 weeks July 26 Eurasian watermilfoil Saratoga Lake 1 week Aug 2 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 3 weeks Aug 10 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 1 week Aug 17 Eurasian watermilfoil Candlewood Lake (CT) 2 weeks Aug 17 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong (NJ) < 2 weeks
Figure 15: List of invasives found on boats about to launch at Norowal Marina.
Water chestnut nutlets that were removed off a boat at Norowal Marina on June 13 that had last been in the Hudson River the previous year. 29 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Forest Pests Norowal Marina also provided an excellent opportunity to educate the public about other non-aquatic invasive species such as the Asian longhorn beetle, the emerald ash borer and the sirex woodwasp. These invasive insects are transported via untreated firewood, which is a concern at this launch site due to the high number of island campers transporting firewood from locations known to have infestations of these invasive insects. Norowal Marina is close to many of the Lake George Islands which are a very popular camping location. The stewards provided an interpretive message about firewood and invasive insects to boaters who appeared to be camping and had firewood with them. During the summer, emergency regulations were enacted by the NYS DEC making it illegal to move firewood more than 50 miles. While not an enforcer, the Lake Stewards did make campers aware of these new regulations. When people who had brought firewood from more than 50 miles away were not willing to leave their firewood behind, they were instructed to please burn all of it or to bring whatever was not burned back on the boat with them. One group from Long Island actually did leave their firewood (which they had brought with them from Long Island) in their car after talking to the steward. The rest of the boaters seemed to appreciate the message and said they would buy local firewood the next time. % of Boaters who took Spread Prevention Steps Spread Prevention No 15% 1072 of the boaters reported taking some sort of step to prevent the spread of invasive species prior to arriving to launch their boat. After asking the boater if he/she had taken any spread prevention steps, the Lake Steward supplied examples of what possible prevention steps are if needed, such as inspecting your boat, washing your boat, draining your bilge, bait Y es bucket, or live well or disposing of your bait. 85% Figure 17: % of boaters who self-reported having taken spread prevention measures. Conclusion Over the thirteen weeks that a Lake Steward was at Norowal Marina it became clear that this was an important location in educating the public about invasive species and how to prevent them from spreading. There were more Lake Steward-Boater interactions, 1264, at Norowal Marina than any other boat launch worked by a Lake Steward this summer. There were also a high number of boaters using the launch at this location coming from water bodies impacted by invasive species. In general the public response toward the Lake Stewards was positive and well received. Due to the high volume of boats being launched at this location there was often a limit on the amount of time given to interact with boaters. This time limit presented a challenge to the Lake Steward in that they must convey a message about preventing the spread of invasive species while not hindering business. Norowal Marina is a private marina in which the customers pay for launching and parking. Since this marina is private the Lake Steward must bear that in mind when interacting with the public, who are also customers of a business. Norowal Marina is an excellent location for the Lake Stewards to be interacting with, and educating, the public on ways to prevent the spread of invasive species. 30 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Mossy Point Boat Launch Ticonderoga NY
Introduction For the third year the Lake George Watershed Conference has stationed a Lake Steward at Mossy Point boat launch. This year Lake Stewards were posted there from May 24 to August 22 with Mondays and Tuesdays off. Mossy Point is state owned and operated under the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Located at the northern-most end of Lake George, Mossy Point in Ticonderoga provides local residents with a large, easily accessible, no cost boat launch. Also, with its ability to launch up to four vessels at a time, Mossy Point is one of the largest launch sites on the lake. Mossy Point does attract some out-of-state boaters, but a large number of launch users live nearby. Stewards stationed at Mossy Point provided information about the lake and invasive species to visitors as well as inspected all watercraft coming in or out of the lake for invasive plants.
Methods The primary duty of the Lake Steward posted at Mossy Point boat launch was to talk to every boater and ask questions that corresponded to the Lake George Recreational Use Study Data Sheets. Some information such as boat type, horsepower, group size, registration number, and time arrived and left were able to be written down without asking any questions to the actual boater. Other information such as the last body of water, the prevention measures taken, and previous interaction with lake stewards needed to be asked to the boaters. After answers to these questions were attained the Lake Steward could proceed to inspecting the watercraft for any signs of invasive species or any plant matter. Usually boaters are interested enough in what the Lake Steward is doing that they will do this inspection along with them. This gives the Lake Steward additional time to inform the boater of good locations to inspect boats.
31 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Also stationed at Mossy Point on some weekends is a temporary boat wash station. On days of higher activity, the Lake Steward(s) can operate the boat wash station. After a boater has been asked a series of questions and their boat is inspected it is up to the Lake Steward to assess whether or not this particular watercraft is “at risk”. “At risk” watercraft have recently come out of another body of water known to have invasive species or a boat where the boater has recently been in another body of water and has taken no spread prevention measures. If the watercraft is considered to be a threat the Lake Steward would highly advocate the boat be washed. From here, the boater can simply say no but on most occasions they are willing to help. The watercraft is towed onto a containment mat that holds all the water that is washed off the boat from the power washer. The boat washing component of the program is discussed in the Recommendations and Future Considerations section of this report. Results Number of Boats Over the course of the summer 949 watercraft were surveyed at the Mossy Point launch. This was the second busiest launch that a Lake Steward was stationed at during the summer. The week of the 4th of July was the busiest with 209 boats recorded by the steward from Fri - Sun at the launch. Other peak use times appear around Memorial Day in May at and the end of July. This use is relatively consistent with trend of boat use on the lake during the summer. Boat Launch Use by Week Saturdays had the most 200 traffic at Mossy Point, a s t total of 364 boats and an a 150 o B average of 30 boats per f o
100
Saturday. Sunday was a r e close second, with a total of b
m 50
304 boats and an average u N of 28 boats per Sunday. 0
Wednesday, Thursday, and 5 1 8 5 2 9 6 3 0 7 3 0 7 /2 /0 /0 /1 /2 /2 /0 /1 /2 /2 /0 /1 /1 Friday were all very slow, 5 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 ------4 6 5 1 8 5 2 9 6 3 0 6 3 /2 /2 /0 /1 /1 /2 /0 /0 /1 /2 /3 /0 /1 with Thursday having the 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 least numbers of boats Date overall and on Figure 1: Summary of boat launch use by week. average. Boat Launch by Weekday at Mossy Point The boat by day trend is 500 d
e 397 similar to that also found at h
c 400 337 Norowal Marina, with both n u
a 279 launches having Thursday l 300
s with the fewest boats and t a 200 o
Saturday with the most. b 95 f 79
However, Fridays appeared o 100 36 # 16 11 28 25 to be more popular than 0 Sundays at Norowal, and W T H F SA SU the opposite is true here. day of the week average total Figure 2: A comparison of boat launch by day of the week. 32 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 0% 1% Vessel Type Motor 9% 0% PWC Sailboat Canoe Kayak 90% Sailboat at Mossy Point launch. Figure 3: Vessel types coming in and out.
Vessel Type Over the course of the summer 949 watercrafts were surveyed at Mossy Point launch. Of the watercraft surveyed 90% were motorboats, 9% were PWCs, and 1% were sailboats. Kayaks and canoes were counted in much smaller numbers and only consisted of a fraction of a percent. As the percentages show, the majority of use at Mossy Point comes from motor boats and PWCs. Sailboats, canoes, and kayaks were recorded in much smaller numbers mainly because of a small inlet just up the road that some canoers and kayakers seem to use. Outboard Engine Type
Motor Types 20% The motorboats are divided into two categories: inboard and outboard. Outboards are then categorized into two types: two-stroke and four- stroke. Of the different types motors, approximately two-thirds were counted as inboards, with the 80% remaining one-third being outboards. The 37% 2-Stroke 4-Stroke of outboards can then further be divided into 2-strokes, 80%, and 4-strokes, 20%. Figure 4: Proportion of 2-stroke engines to 4- strokes The data shown in the graphs to the right Motor Type makes it clear that the bulk of the boats coming into the launch were inboard boats. This could be due to the fact that Mossy Point is a large 37% launch, which makes it more accommodating to larger, inboard engine boats. Of the outboard population, 2-stroke engines are definitely the 63% more popular choice. 2-strokes are a cheaper engine that makes it appealing to most boaters; however they are not nearly as fuel efficient as Inboard Outboard 4-stroke engines. Figure 5: Proportion of inboard engines to outboard engines. 33 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 LGPC Decals % Compliance with LGPC Decals Boaters are required to have Lake 120 George Park Commission stickers on 100 e their vessels if their boat is longer than 80 n c a i
18 ft. or has an engine of 10 horsepower p l 60 or greater. Lake Stewards simply noted o m 40 C if boats had them or not, they were not % 20 enforcing the use of them. 0
25 01 08 15 22 29 06 13 20 27 03 10 17 5/ 6/ 6/ 6/ 6/ 6/ 7/ 7/ 7/ 7/ 8/ 8/ 8/ ------Over time the percent of people who had 24 26 05 11 18 25 02 09 16 23 30 06 13 5/ 5/ 6/ 6/ 6/ 6/ 7/ 7/ 7/ 7/ 7/ 8/ 8/ Park Commission decals seemed to rise Date slightly. The average percent of people with LGPC decals was 76%. This is much Figure 6: Percent of people who had LGPC decals on their boats over time. lower than the average compliance of
95% at Norowal Marina. This difference Previous Lake Steward Interaction could be explained by the fact that there 80 is no person manning the Mossy Point 70 Boat Launch, informing boaters of the 60
s 50 e
rules and providing the opportunity to Y 40 n t e purchase a decal on location. c 30 r e
P 20 Although there is a slight upward trend 10 in this graph it doesn’t necessarily 0 5 1 8 5 2 9 6 3 0 7 3 0 7 /2 /0 /0 /1 /2 /2 /0 /1 /2 /2 /0 /1 /1 prove that more and more people were 5 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 ------24 26 05 11 18 25 02 09 16 23 30 06 13 purchasing decals. The spikes and dips 5/ 5/ 6/ 6/ 6/ 6/ 7/ 7/ 7/ 7/ 7/ 8/ 8/ in the graph could be attributed to the Date influx of tourists coming in from other Figure 7: Percent of people who had previous contact with places because they were unaware of Lake Stewards. the use of LGPC decals. Previous Lake Steward Interaction One of the first questions asked is whether or not they have previously interacted with a Lake Steward. This lets the Lake Steward know that they may be familiar with the information about to be presented.
The average percent of people who had previous interaction with Lake Stewards was about 59% with some weeks averaging more than 70%. As the above graph shows, there appears to be an upward trend over time. Over the summer more and more people seemed to be people the Lake Stewards recognized as someone they had talked to many times before. However, like before, the spikes and dips in the graph are likely related to tourist activity and people coming in from out of state.
34 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Previous Waterbodies By the end of the summer there were a recorded 37 different lakes and rivers that boaters were coming into Lake George from. Previous Waterbody Frequency Of the 37 water bodies listed, most are located in Atlantic Ocean 7 New York, Vermont, or New Hampshire. Second Annabessacook Lake (ME) 1 to Lake George in last body visited was Lake Onota Lake (MA) 1 Champlain at 37. Bantam Lake (CT) 1 The most common last body of water was Lake Beltsville Lake (PA) 1 George. This can be attributed to the fact that Brant Lake (NY) 2 many people who live in or around the area stay Candlewood Lake (CT) 4 loyal to Lake George and never visit other lakes. Cassian Lake (NY) * 1 The next most visited lake is Lake Champlain. Chesapeake Bay (MD) 2 This makes sense because of Mossy Point’s close Clarke Pond (NY) 1 proximity to a Lake Champlain launch. Because Connecticut River (CT) 2 of the closeness there is an inherent problem; Delaware River (DE) 1 many boaters are pulling out of Champlain and Fairview Lake (FL) 1 launching into Lake George within a relatively Framingham Lake (MA) 1 short period time. This makes boats coming out Greenwood Lake (NY) 6 of Champlain of significant interest to the Lake Hudson River (NY) 8 Steward because of Lake Champlain’s notoriously Key West (FL) 1 high invasive species count of 48. Lake Bomoseen (VT) 6 Lake Champlain (VT) 37 Most Common Previous Waterbodies (excluding Lake George) 40 Lake Dunmore (VT) 3 37 Lake George (NY) 812 35 Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 4 30 25
Lake St. Catherine (VT) 1 s t
a 20 o
Lily Lake (PA) 1 b
f 15 o
Mohawk River (NY) 2 # 10 10 8 8 7 6 6 Paradox Lake (NY) 2 5
Putnam Pond (NY) 2 0 Plunkett Lake (MA) 1 Lake Saratoga Hudson Schroon Atlantic Greenwood Lake Champlain Lake River Lake Ocean Lake Bomoseen Round Lake (NJ) 2 Waterbody Sacandaga Lake (NY) 3 Figure 8: Summary of most common previous waterbodies. Saratoga Lake (NY) 10 Schroon Lake (NY) 8 It is alarming to find that all of the most common St. Lawrence River (NY) 1 previous freshwater waterbodies have invasive Seneca Lake (NY) 1 species. The Hudson River has over 90 invasive Waterbury Reservoir (VT) 1 species. Both Saratoga Lake and Lake Bomoseen Whalen Lake * 1 have Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussels, Webster Lake (MA) 1 and Saratoga Lake also has water chestnut and curly-leaf pondweed. Schroon Lake only has * Stewards did not always have the chance to Eurasian watermilfoil. Greenwood Lake has ask for correct spelling from boaters. This results in occasional names of bodies of water which Eurasian watermilfoil as well, and is located in the may be misspelled or named with local slang. same county where hydrilla and snakehead have Table 1: List of every previous waterbody visited recently been discovered. along with its frequency.
35 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Previous Waterbody Locations 16 of the 37 bodies of water listed in Table outside of New York State 1 are in New York State. The rest are from 5% 5% a variety of other states shown in figure 11% Maine 9. There was also a record for the Atlantic 20% Massachusetts Ocean, which was unable to be assigned 5% C onnecticut to a state. Massachusetts was the most Pennsylvania common state, with 4 different bodies of New Jersey water. Both Connecticut and Vermont had 16% Verm ont 3 bodies of water that boats had previously Maryland 16% been in, while surprisingly Florida tied New Florida Jersey and Pennsylvania with 2 bodies 11% D elaw are 11% of water each. Maine, Maryland, and Figure 9: Summary of Previous Waterbody Locations Delaware all finish off the list with 1 body outside of New York State. of water each. It should be noted that one waterbody has been left out of this analysis. Lake Whalen was recorded as the last body of water for a boat launching on June 7th. However, the state was not recorded, as it turns out there is a Lake Whalen in Texas, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The boat was registered in Mississippi, so it might have been the one in Texas, but there is no way to know for sure. This sample illustrates the importance of gathering complete data as well as the reality of trying to do so. Plants/Organisms Found One of the main goals of the Lake Steward program is to inspect all incoming vessels for any plants or organisms. Outgoing vessels are also inspected when possible.
Of all the boats launched at Mossy Point only 2%, or 15 boats, Plants/Organisms on Watercrafts were found to have plants or organisms attached to them. 2% Of these 15 samples collected there were 6 specimens of 2 different invasive species found, Eurasian watermilfoil (5) Yes and curly-leaf pondweed (1). Although Lake George is known No to contain both of these invasives, the aim is to deter further colonization and to prevent new types of invasive species from contaminating the lake. The best way to achieve this is 98% to catch the plants/organisms before they have a chance to Figure 10: % of boats with or enter the lake and multiply. with out plants/organisms attached. Plants/Organisms found on Watercraft % Native versus Invasive 1
Coontail Invas ive 5 3 Nativ e pondw eeds 43% Nativ e w atermilf oil N ative 57% Nativ e w aterw eed Curly -leaf pondw eed 1 Euras ian w atermilf oil Figure 11: Comparison of native 1 versus invasive specimens found. 3 Figure 9: Summary of plants found on boats. 36 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Spread Prevention % of Boaters who took Boaters were asked by the steward if they had taken spread Spread Prevention Steps prevention steps such as washing their boat, draining their bilge, etc. 542 boaters reported taking spread prevention No 28% while 264 said they had not. A unique addition to the Mossy Point Launch site was a Nuisance Invasive Species Disposal Station. This station was built by the NYSDEC and the stewards helped out by installing the signage on the station. The drop box is provided for boaters to place plant material removed from their boat on the rocks to dry and desiccate. Yes The box keeps the plant matter contained so that it does not 72% wash back into the lake. Figure 12: % of boaters who self-reported taking spread prevention steps.
Eurasian watermilfoil growing Eurasian watermilfoil washed up Nuisance Invasive Species Removal next to the Mossy Point boat on the Mossy Point boat launch Station at Mossy Point. launch dock. ramp.
Conclusion Due to the high volume of boats coming into Mossy Point launch it was an essential launch to have a Lake Steward stationed. Mossy Point is located in a unique location in that it gets visitors from various regions. There is a large population of returning boaters who are local to the area and easy for Lake Stewards to remember. These locals are usually some of the more receptive people the Lake Stewards get to associate with. There are also a good number of boats coming in from Lake Champlain and other parts of Vermont considering the closeness to the area. The danger that comes with being so close to Lake Champlain, as stated previously, is that there are multiple invasive species such as water chestnut, alewives, and European frog-bit that could enter Lake George via boats. In addition, there are a lot of tourists coming into Lake George from other places. This results in multiple boaters bringing their boats from other lakes straight to Lake George. Many of these tourists may not have any idea what invasive species are and may be unaware that they can transfer them from one lake to another. When you bring together these three aspects one can see how Mossy Point State Boat Launch is a high-use launch with plenty of potential to be an introduction point of invasive plant/organisms into Lake George.
37 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 38 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Dunham’s Bay Marina Lake George, NY
Introduction For the first season, a Lake Steward was stationed at Dunham’s Bay Marina. This launch site is a private boat launch, located at the southern end of Lake George. Due to private ownership, being conscientious and respectful of customers’ time was important. For the high-use marina that it is, Dunham’s Bay has a few challenges. In order to reach Lake George from the bay area (which is where the launch ramp is located) boats and boaters have to go under a low bridge; this limits the launch to smaller boats. Also, due to the location, boaters originating from Dunham’s Bay Marina are often headed out to campgrounds, requiring the steward to be prepared to address other environmental issues. The Lake George Watershed Steward is responsible for educating boaters on the threat of invasive species, as well as prevention steps to stop the spread into other water bodies. They visually inspected boats and removed any weeds or organisms found. The Steward was also to inform visitors on other environmental issues, such as runoff pollution and invasive insects which spread by the movement of firewood to different locations. The Lake Steward was located at Dunham’s Bay boat launch, providing this educational program throughout the summer.
Methods Lake George Watershed Stewards participated in a week long training session at Paul Smith’s College as well as a week long training in Lake George. Throughout their training they learned about invasive species, interpretation and interaction with visitors. A Lake Steward was placed at Dunham’s Bay, five days a week, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm between the dates of June 5, 2008 through August 17, 2008.
39 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 The Steward would be located at the launch ramp and would take down visible information such as the boat registration number, the motor type, and the number of people. Once outside their vehicle the Lake Steward would approach the boater, greet them, give a brief introduction as to why they are there and state general information about invasive species. The boater is then asked a series of questions relating to the cleanliness of their boat, such as if they have cleaned their boat, drained their bilge, and if they have drained their live wells. They are also asked what water bodies the boat had been in the previous two weeks. Finally the Lake Steward would visually inspect the boat and remove any organisms or plant fragments found. Samples would be removed from boats, which would then be placed in a bag partially filled with lake water and taken to Darrin Fresh Water Institute for identification. Results Number of Boats A total of 437 vessels were inspected before entering Lake George by way of Dunham’s Bay Marina. Information from each vessel was recorded and interpreted. Boat launch use by week varied throughout the summer, with an expected peak around the Fourth of July holiday with 121 boats launching from July 2-6.
Boat Launch Use by Week 125 Based on Lake Steward interactions by day of
s 100 t the week, Saturday seem to be the busiest day a o
B 75
f at the Dunham’s Bay Launch with 185 boats o
r 50 e
b total and 21 boats on average each Saturday
m 25 u
N that a steward was there. Saturday was 0 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 followed by Friday and then Sunday for highest /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 8 5 2 9 6 3 0 7 3 0 7 /0 /1 /2 /2 /0 /1 /2 /2 /0 /1 /1 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 ------use, with both of thee days averaging about the 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 /0 5 1 8 5 2 9 6 3 0 6 3 /0 /1 /1 /2 /0 /0 /1 /2 /3 /0 /1 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 same use. Date Figure 1: Summary of boat launches by week. Vessel Types A total of 396 motorboats made up a total
Boats by Weekday at Dunhams Bay of 91% of vessels going through the launch. The remaining 9% of vessels consisted of 200 185 6% personal watercrafts, ~0% sailboats, 1%
s 150 t
a 113 o canoes and 2% kayaks. There was not a b
93 f 100 o
# significant number of non-motorized vessels; 56 46 50 21 the majority being motorboats and the minority 8 7 14 13 0 W TH F S A S U were canoes and kayaks (figure 3). Though
Weekday average total it seems that the canoes and 2% Figure 2: Comparison of boat launch use by day of 1% 0% the week. kayaks were Vessel Types not prevalent 6% at this location, it is important to note that this marina has a separate entrance for car-top boats out of view of the launch, which is reserved only for the use of non-motorized boats. Also, there is very little use of sailboats at Dunham’s Bay; this 91% is due to the bridge boats must clear to get out of the launch site and reach Lake George. This makes it impossible for tall M PWC S C K vessels to launch from this site which explains the absence of Figure 3 Overall comparison of sailboats from this location. vessel types.
40 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Motor Types Looking closer at the total 91% of motorboats, there was enough information to compare the different types of motors. Motor Type Outboard Engine Type 23% 31%
69% 77%
Inboard Outboard 2-Stroke 4-Stroke Figure 4: Overall comparison of inboard Figure 5: Overall comparison of outboard motors. and outboard motors. Approximately three-quarters of motorboats were noted to be inboards and one-quarter were outboards. Of the outboards, approximately two-thirds were 2-stroke motors (figures 4 & 5).
LGPC Decals LGPC Decals are required for entry into Lake George. Although there was no regulating body at the launch, the presence of a decal was noted by the Lake Steward.
LGPC Decals % Compliance 100 90 80
e 70 c
n 60 a i l 50 p
m 40 o
c 30
% 20 10 0 8 5 2 9 6 3 0 7 3 0 6 /0 /1 /2 /2 /0 /1 /2 /2 /0 /1 /1 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 ------5 1 8 5 2 9 6 3 0 6 3 /0 /1 /1 /2 /0 /0 /1 /2 /3 /0 /1 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 date Figure 6: Week-by-week comparison of Lake George Park Commission decals compliance.
Compliance with LGPC decals was only below 50% for the first week of data collection, and even then it was very close at 48%. There appears to be no real pattern to compliance.
41 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 One might have guessed that it would decrease around a major holiday, like the 4th of July, with a big influx of tourists, but the data shows the opposite with a 93% compliance over the holiday weekend, which is also the second highest week in terms of % compliance. (figure 6).
Previous Lake Steward Interaction When talking to boaters it was noted whether there had been previous interaction with a Lake Steward. Previous Lake Steward Interaction 100 90 80 70 60
s 50 e 40 % Y 30 20 10 0
08 15 22 29 06 13 20 27 03 10 16 6/ 6/ 6/ 6/ 7/ 7/ 7/ 7/ 8/ 8/ 8/ ------05 11 18 25 02 09 16 23 30 06 13 6/ 6/ 6/ 6/ 7/ 7/ 7/ 7/ 7/ 8/ 8/ Date Figure 7: Week-by-week % comparison of boaters with previous Lake Steward interaction.
There was an overall increase of people who had had previous interaction with a Lake Steward. With multiple-use boaters at Dunham’s Bay Marina it was important to note if the users had previous interaction with a Lake Steward. After an encounter with a Lake Steward many boaters were given a sticker to place on their boat trailers as an indication of interaction. The Steward recorded whether a sticker was visible, or if during conversion it was apparent they had previous communication. From this data we can infer that throughout the summer the outreach has been successful, with an increase of boaters who have had previous contact with a Lake Steward (figure 7). 42 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Previous Waterbodies It was found that there were 41 different bodies of water that boats had been in contact with immediately preceding their entry into Lake George (Table 1). Previous Waterbody Frequency Previous Waterbody Frequency Atlantic Ocean 6 Lake George (NY) 254 Bantam Lake (CT) 1 Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 6 Brant Lake (NY) 1 Lake Marburg (PA) 1 Candlewood Lake (CT) 1 Lake Mejantic (Quebec) 1 Chesapeake Bay (MD) 1 Long Lake (MI) 1 Connecticut River (CT) 1 Long Pond (MA) 1 Cossayuna Lake (NY) 1 Marrow Creek (NJ) * 1 Cranberry Lake (NY) 1 Mohawk River (NY) 1 Delaware River (DE) 3 Maine (2 unnamed lakes) 2 Fulton Chain Lakes (NY) 1 Otis Reservoir (MA) 1 Glen Lake (NY) 3 Potomac River ( MD) 1 Goose Pond (MA) 1 Sabattus Lake (ME) 1 Great Bay (NJ) 1 Sacandaga Lake (NY) 4 Greenwood Lake (NY) 3 Saratoga Lake (NY) 9 Hadlock Pond (NY) 1 Schroon Lake (NY) 6 Higgins Lake (MI) 1 Skaneatles Lake (NY) 1 Hinckley Reservoir (NY) 1 Star Lake (NY) 1 Hudson River (NY) 22 Tennessee River (TN) 1 Lake Congamond (MA) 1 Wallenpaupack Lake (PA) 2 Lake Champlain (NY) 4 Warners Lake (NY) 1 Table 1: Listing and frequency of previously entered waterbodies. * Stewards did not always have the chance to ask for correct spelling from boaters. This results in occasional names of bodies of water which may be misspelled or named with local slang. Boats utilizing this launch had visited 41 different water bodies before entering Lake George. The majority of previous water bodies visited were freshwater lakes and rivers from New York (i.e. Lake George, Saratoga Lake, and the Hudson River). Based on frequency, the most common water body previously visited was Lake George. This high number of 254 vessels that were previously in Lake George may be attributed to the fact that Dunham’s Bay Marina caters to locals as well as has many multiple-use customers. The other most common freshwater bodies were Most common waterbodies previously visited the Hudson River, and the Saratoga Lake (Figure 8). The S acandaga Lake 4 proximity of these bodies of Lake C hamplain 4 y
d A tlantic Ocean 6 water to Lake George makes o b r Lake Hopatcong 6 them common frequented e t a locations. These places also w S chroon Lake 6 raise concern; both locations S aratoga Lake 9 contain invasive species that Hudson River 22 are not yet found in Lake 0 5 10 15 20 25 George. number of boats Figure 8: Name and frequency of most common previously visited waterbodies (excluding Lake George). 43 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Of the waterbodies noted, there was a much greater percentage of people who Previous Waterbody Locations outside came from New York State water bodies of New York State most recently, than people coming from 3% 8% 17% Atlantic Ocean out of state. The New York State water Canada bodies contains 18 different lakes and 3% Connecticut rivers. Although there is less frequency Delaware 22% of boaters from non-New York State water 8% Maine bodies, it consists of 22 different water Massachusets bodies (from approximately 9 different 8% Maryland states (and Canada). Given the large 6% Michigan variety of freshwater bodies boats are 6% 8% New Jersey 11% originating from, there should be concern Pennsylvania for the threat of invasive species at Tennessee Dunham’s Bay Boat Launch.
Figure 9: Previous waterbody locations from outside of NY.
Plants or Organisms Found Each vessel was inspected for invasive plants and organisms. A total of 13 boats were found to have plant material or organisms on them, 11 were entering and 2 were exiting Lake George. This produced 28 samples, as some of the boats had more than one species of plant/animal on it. 11 of the specimens from boats were found to be invasive. Yes 3% % Native versus Invasive
No Inv as iv e 97% 39%
Nativ e 61% Boats with Plants/Organisms going into Lake George at Dunham's Bay Figure 10: Comparison of boats found Figure 11: Comparison of native vs, with and without plants/animals. invasive specimens found. Eurasian watermilfoil, water chestnut, and zebra mussels were found on boats at Dunham’s Bay. 4 samples of Eurasian watermilfoil were found, all of which were on boats that had Number of Invaisve Specimens Found last been in Lake George. 3 samples of water 1 chestnut were found, from boats that had last 3 been in Saratoga Lake, Lake Champlain, and the Curly-leaf pondweed Mohawk River. 3 samples of zebra mussels were Eurasian watermilfoil found. 2 of the samples were from boats last in Water chestnut 4 Zebra mussels Saratoga Lake, and 1 of the samples came off a boat that had last been in Lake George. It cannot be determined if the zebra mussel had come from 3 Lake George or if it had come from a previous body Figure 12: Summary of invasive species of water and had been on the boat for some time. removed from boats. 44 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Water chestnut is not currently in Lake George, although Dunham’s Bay would provide it with ideal habitat. In a relatively short amount of time, invasive species like these could completely inhabit Dunham’s Bay, out-compete native species and alter the natural ecosystem. There was a historical water chestnut infestation in the bay but it was eradicated in the 1990s.
Zebra mussels on Eurasian watermilfoil 29 Water chestnut nutlets were removed found on a boat about to enter Lake George. on June 15 from a boat about to launch at Dunham’s Bay that had last been in the Mohawk River less than a week ago.
28 samples were removed from a total of 13 boats. 11 of the boats were entering Lake George and 2 of the boats were exiting the lake. Some boats had more than one species of plant/animal material on them, which created more than one sample per boat. Of the 28 samples, 11 were invasive species. These samples are shown below.
Date Invasive Last Waterbody When August 8 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong < 1 week August 15 Eurasian watermilfoil Hudson River < 2 weeks June 13 Zebra mussel Saratoga Lake < 1 week June 21 Water chestnut Saratoga Lake 2 weeks June 25 Water chestnut Mohawk River < 1 week July 4 Water chestnut South Bay, LC same day July 4 Eurasian watermilfoil exiting Lake George -- July 4 Zebra mussel exiting Lake George -- July 5 Zebra mussel Saratoga Lake -- July 6 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George 1 day July 6 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 1 day
Table 2: List of invasive removed from boats at Dunham’s Bay Marina.
Most of the sources of invasive species on boats using the Dunham’s Bay launch came from neighboring waterbodies, including South Bay on Lake Champlain, the Hudson River, and Saratoga Lake. It is unclear if the two invasive species found on their way out were missed going in or were picked up in Lake George. Native plants removed from boats included variable pondweed, threadgrass pondweed, muskgrass, coontail, duckweed, bladderwort, duck celery, and water marigold among others.
45 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Spread Prevention 265 boaters reported taking spread prevention steps while 35 did not. This results in 88% of the boaters that the Lake Steward talked with as taking spread prevention steps before launching their boat.
% of Boaters who took Spread Prevention Steps No 12%
Yes 88%
Figure 13: % of boaters who self-reported that they had taken spread prevention measures.
Conclusion Throughout the duration of the summer there were a total of 437 vessels inspected by a Lake Steward before entering Lake George at this location. The majority of users at this launch were repeat users and welcomed the Lake Steward to inspect their vessel; they also encouraged the continued effort to educate people about Lake George. Since the bridge the boats must go under limits the size of boats launched, smaller boats launch here than at some other launches. Smaller boats are often easier to trailer, so this launch was a concern because it might possibly have had lots of boats coming from longer distances bringing invasives with them. While boats came from 41 different waterbodies, which is just higher than the 37 from Mossy Point, most of the infected boats were local, and 41 is not a relatively high number compared to the 86 of Norowal Marina. It appears that there were more repeat users than thought, which makes this marina less of a threat to introduce invasive species into the lake than originally thought. Although, having said that, 11 invasives were still found and removed from boats, and this marina actually had the highest percentage of boats found with plants/organisms on them at 3%, higher than the 2% at Norowal. This should be kept in mind when planning for future efforts.
46 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Hague Town Launch Lake George, NY
Introduction Due to the relatively small size of the boat launches at Hague, Roger’s Rock Campground, Northwest Bay, and Island View Marina, a Lake Steward was not positioned at these launch as frequently as some of the higher volume launches. Following the same procedure, the Lake Steward approached the boater and gave a brief interpretive message on preventing the spread of invasive species as well as some background about invasive species in Lake George. After the interview, the Lake Steward recorded some visual information including time of arrival, time of departure, type of watercraft, motor type, and size of group. The Lake Steward then asked the boater whether or not they took any preventative measures, as well as recorded any waterbodies that the boat had been in during the previous two weeks. The Lake Steward would then continue to complete a visual inspection to look for any weeds that could be attached to the boat and trailer.
Methods A Lake Steward was located at the Hague Town Launch for one weekend in June, July, and again in August. The launch is owned and operated by the Town of Hague and a small fee of ten dollars is required except for Hague residents. Since the boat launch was located in the center of town, parking was restricted to one small lot. The restricted parking area limited the number of boats that could launch and often created a congested launch ramp. In addition, the town did not allow boaters to park their trailers. This made it difficult for those who did not live or were not staying near- by. Located next to the launch ramp was the town beach and park. This oftentimes provided the steward with more pedestrian traffic and concerned residents rather than boaters.
47 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Results Number of Boats 152 boats were inspected by a Lake Steward at the Hague Town Launch. Since the steward was only at the launch a few times, it does not make sense to try to compare boat launch use by week. However, we can look at use by day. It just needs to be kept in mind that the sample size is very small, as a steward was only at the launch for 9 days total, including only 1 Wednesday and 1 Sunday. Even with a very small sample, when averaged, the launch appears to follow the same weekly use pattern as other launches on the lake that more data was gathered from. Saturday has the highest use and Sunday is second, which is the same as at Mossy Point. The launches in the southern end, Norowal and Dunham’s Bay, had Friday as the second highest use day. All 4 launches had Wednesday with more traffic than Thursday, which was an unexpected finding. Boats by Weekday at Hague Town Launch Vessel Type 2% 1% 5% 80 73 d e 70 11% h
c 60 n u
a 50
L average
s 40 34 t
a total
o 30 24 23 23 B 17 f 20
o 12 10 10 # 10 6 81% 0 W T H F SA SU Weekday M PWC S C K Figure 1: Comparison of average boat launch by day of week. Figure 2: % of vessel types launched at Hague. Vessel Types From June 11th until June 15th, July 17th through the 19th and August 9th, 144 boaters interacted with a Lake Steward at Hague. Of these boaters 123 (81%) were motor boaters, 16 (11%) were personal watercraft, 3 canoes (2%), 8 kayaks (5%) and 2 sailboats (1%) (figure 2).
Motor Types Of the motorboats recorded, 79 (64 %) were inboard motors and 45 (36%) were outboard motors. Outboard motors were then differentiated between four-stroke and two-stroke engines. 31 two-stroke engines (69%) and 14 four-stroke engines (31%) were observed (figure 3,4). Although two-stroke and four-stroke data could only be collected for outboard motors, in general the majority of inboard motors are four-stroke engines. The Lake Steward did not collect any data regarding inboard engines since the information could not be observed. The motor type information for only one year is not significant because not enough data was recorded to measure any trends. After several years of collecting data, the information could be used to determine whether the use of four-stroke engines has changed.
48 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Motor Type Outboard Engine Type
31% 36%
64% 69%
Inboard Outboard 2-stroke 4-stroke Figure 3: Comparison of motor type. Figure 4: Comparison of outboard motor stroke.
Lake George Park Commission Decal: Lake George Park Commission Decals For most boats to launch on Lake George, it is Observed required to have a Lake George Park Commission 11% registration decal. Lake George Park Commission registration is not required for boats shorter than 18 feet and for motors with a horsepower less 21% than 10. The Lake Steward recorded the presence of a Lake George Park Commission (LGPC) decal. Of the 141 boats recorded, 97 had decals (68%), 68% 29 did not (21%), and 15 did not need decals (11%) (See Figure 5). Out of boats that did need a decal, boaters were in compliance 77% of the Yes No Not Needed time. Figure 5: Overall compliance of LGPC decal. Previous Lake Steward Interaction 43 of the boaters at the Hague Launch reported Previous Lake Steward having previously spoken with a Lake Steward. Interaction In June, only 13 boaters said yes, but when the yes steward was there in July, 26 did. This implies 30% that the Hague launch had some repeat users during these two months. 101, or 70%, or the boaters, reported not having had a prior interaction with a Lake Steward. Since a Lake Steward was only at this launch for a total of 9 days during the summer, it is not surprising that many boaters did not have repeat interactions no with the Lake Steward. 70%
Figure 6: % of boaters who had previously interacted with a Lake Steward. 49 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Previous Waterbodies The Lake Steward asked the boater to list any bodies of water that the boat had been in during the previous two weeks. This question generated a wide range of answers, approximately 21 different bodies of water (figure 7).
Previous Waterbody Frequency Previous Waterbody Frequency
Atlantic Ocean 1 Lake Flower (NY) 1 Barnegat Bay (NJ) 1 Lake George (NY) 90 Candlewood Lake (NY) 2 Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 2 Cannaan Street Lake (NH) 1 Niagara River (NY) 1 Cape Cod (MA) 1 Oneida Lake (NY) 2 Cassadaga Lake (NY) 1 Otsego Lake (NY) 1 Clinton Res. (NJ) 1 Round Valley Res. (NJ) 1 Connecticut River (CT) 1 Saratoga Lake (NY) 2 Greenwood Lake (NY) 1 Sleepy Hollow Lake (NY) 1 Hudson River (NY) 3 Stockbridge Bowl Lake (MA) 1 Lake Champlain (NY) 2
Figure 7: Listing and frequency of previously entered waterbodies.
* Stewards did not always have the chance to ask for correct spelling from boaters. This results in occasional names of bodies of water which may be misspelled or named with local slang.
Most Common Waterbodies Previously Visited The most common previously visited (excluding Lake George) waterbodies besides Lake George were all from New York except for one, which Saratoga Lake 2 O neida Lake 2 was Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey (figure y d
o 8). The most common previously visited b Lake C ham plain 2 r t e
a C andlew ood Lake 2 waterbody was the Hudson River, which W Lake Hopatcong 2 is nearby. This waterbody has over 90 Hudson R iver 3 known invasive species in it. 0 1 2 3 Number of Boats 8 of the waterbodies recorded came from Figure 8: Name and frequency of most common outside of New York, while 12 came from previously visited waterbodies (excluding Lake George). New York. This demonstrates that most of the boat launch users were not traveling from long distances to launch their boats. Previously Waterbody Locations outside One drawback of closer previous water of New York State bodies is that the shorter distances may 25% allow for an easier spread of invasive species on a boat where the owner did not New Jersey take all necessary prevention steps. For New Ham pshire 49% example, if a boat is coming from a lake C onnecticut in another state that is five or more hours 13% Massachusetts away there is less of a chance that a weed or zebra mussel would survive the entire 13% drive, as compared to a lake that is only an Figure 9: Summary of previous waterbody locations hour away. from outside of NY.
50 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Plants of Organisms Found The final step of interaction between the Lake Steward and the launch user was to complete a visual inspection of each boat. The inspection includes removing any weeds that were found attached to any part of the boat or trailer.
Plants/Organisms Going In % Native versus Invasive Yes 1% Native 32%
Invasive No 68% 99% Figure 10: Comparison of boats about Figure 11: Comparison of native vs. invasive to launch found with and without plants. plants for all 22 specimens found.
The Lake Steward found plants on 15 boats at the Hague Town Launch. 13 of these boats were inspected on their way out of the lake. Plants were found on 2 out of 101 boats about to launch, which is 2% of boats inspected before launching (figure 10). So the majority of boats were found to be bringing plants out of Lake George rather than taking them in. The 15 boats produced 22 different specimens, including 15 invasive specimens (figure 11). 13 of these were curly-leaf pondweed and 2 were Eurasian watermilfoil. Eurasian watermilfoil and curly-leaf pondweed are both growing in the water right at the launch, which is why they were often found on boats leaving the launch. Hague is very close by to neighboring Schroon Lake, which does not currently have curly-leaf pondweed. Schroon Lake does not appear on the previously visited waterbodies list, so it is unknown how much boat movement there is between the lakes. But it only takes 1 boat. It is recommended that efforts are made in the future to manage the curly-leaf pondweed problem at the Hague Town Launch before it is spread to other lakes. Spread Prevention The Lake Steward asked the boat owner whether or not they had taken any preventive measures. Draining the bilge, washing the boat, inspection the boat/trailer, draining the live well and bait buckets were considered to be preventive measures. Of the 122 participants asked, 112 (92%) said that they had taken preventive steps and 10 (8%) said that they had not. This question is significant for determining the number of boaters that the Lake Steward needs to target. Although 8% is not a high percentage of boaters who have not taken any steps, it still is represents a large portion who need to be reminded by a Lake Steward to take Invasive plants in water at Hague Town Launch. preventions steps. 51 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 With the invasive plants growing in the water at the % of Boaters who took Hague Town Launch and the launch’s proximity to other Spread Prevention Steps nearby bodies of water, removal of plants at this launch No will should be a priority for next year. A general permit 8% can be received from the Adirondack Park Agency to pull some of the plants to help prevent their spread out of Lake George and to other nearby lakes. As the map below shows, bodies of water such as Schroon, Brant, and Paradox are nearby. Eurasian watermilfoil was just Yes in Paradox Lake this summer. 92% Figure 12: % of boaters who self- reported that they had taken spread prevention measures.
Conclusion A Lake Steward was only stationed at the Hague Town Launch for 9 days during the summer. This was a smaller launch, and we were interested in gathering some information about it, however we did not have enough staff and it does not have enough traffic to have a steward there full time. The most obvious finding is that this launch appears to be more of a threat to other lakes than to Lake George, since most of the invasive species and plant matter were found on boats leaving the lake. This launch also has an attendant from the Town of Hague to collect $10 from boaters to use the launch. The Steward Assistant Coordinator met with this attendant and reviewed invasive species spread prevention info. Since there is already a paid person at the launch, in the future it would make sense to provide additional training and have the town attendant collect data and inspect boats at this launch. 52 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Rogers Rock Campground Lake George, NY
Introduction Due to the relatively small size of the boat launches at Hague, Roger’s Rock Campground, Northwest Bay, and Island View Marina, a Lake Steward was not positioned at these launch as frequently as some of the higher volume launches. Following the same procedure, the Lake Steward approached the boater and gave a brief interpretive message on preventing the spread of invasive species as well as some background about invasive species in Lake George. After the interview, the Lake Steward recorded some visual information including time of arrival, time of departure, type of watercraft, motor type, and size of group. The Lake Steward then asked the boater whether or not they took any preventative measures, as well as recorded any water bodies that the boat had been in during the previous two weeks. The Lake Steward would then continue to complete a visual inspection to look for any weeds that could be attached to the boat and trailer.
Methods The boat launch a Roger’s Rock Campground is a state operated campground and launch. Located above the town of Hague at the northern end of lake the launch provides access for those staying at the campground. Boaters were informed about the spread of invasive species and asked whether or not they take any prevention steps and the last body of water that their boat had been in. Many of the boats had been in a variety of lakes previous to launching in Lake George. This was most likely due to the fact that boaters often frequent several bodies of water when in the Adirondack region. A Lake Steward was located at the campground for two weeks during the summer.
53 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Results 2% Vessel Type 2% Number of Boats From June 25th until June 29th, and July 23rd through 15% the 27th, 126 boaters interacted with a Lake Steward at Roger’s Rock campground. Of these boats there were: 103 (81%) motor boats, 19 (15%) personal watercraft, 2 canoes (2%), and 2 kayaks (2%) (See figure 2).
Boats by Weekday at Rogers Rock 81% 50 46
d 45 41 e 38 h 40 c
n 35 u
a 30 M PWC C K
L average 23
s 25 t 21 19 a 20 total o Figure 2: % of vessel types launched at B
15 f
o Rogers Rock.
10
# 4 4 4 4 5 0 W T H F SA SU Motor Type Weekday Figure 1: Comparison of boat launch by week day. Outboard While a steward was only at the launch for 8 days, it is 35% still clear that the weekends were more popular, which is the same as at other launches. Also, the numbers were much higher for July than June, with only 38 boats launching from Fri-Sun at the end of June and 87 Inboard launching from Fri-Sun at the end of July. 65%
Vessel Types Of the motorboats recorded, 67 (65 %) were inboard Figure 3: Comparison of motor type. motors and 36 (35%) were outboard motors. Motor type was differentiated between four-stroke and two- stroke engines. 26 two-stroke engines (72%) and 10 Outboard Engine Type four-stroke engines (28%) were observed (figure 3, 4). 4-Stroke Lake George Park Commission Decal 28% For most boats to launch on Lake George, it is required to have a Lake George Park Commission registration decal. Lake George Park Commission registrations are not required for boats shorter than 18 feet and for motors with a horsepower less than 10. The Lake Steward recorded the presence of a Lake George Park Commission decal. Of the 130 boats recorded, 93 had 2-Stroke decals (71%), 31 did not (24%), and 6 did not need 72% decals (5%) (figure 5). Figure 4: Comparison of outboard motor stroke.
54 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Lake George Park Commission Previous Lake Steward Decals Observed 5% Interaction
24% yes 29%
71% no 71% Yes No Not Needed Figure 5: Overall compliance of LGPC decal. Figure 6: Summary of previous lake steward interaction. Previous Lake Steward Interactions 37 users reported having previous Lake Steward interactions while 92 reported not having a prior interaction with a Lake Steward. While the number of “yes’” increased from June to July, so did the number of “no’s” . So that probably shows an increase in use of the launch and not an actual increase in users who had previously interacted with a Lake Steward. Previous Waterbodies Boats came from 22 other waterbodies before arriving at the Rogers Rock Campground to launch. 12 of the waterbodies recorded came from outside of New York, while only 10 came from New York. The variety of lakes demonstrates that many of the launch users were traveling from farther distances. This is probably the result of campground users who are on vacations instead of local residents like some of the other boat launches. Event though many of launch users came from a variety of lakes, Lake George was still the most frequent answer. This may be the result of boaters launching several days in row.
Previous Water Bodies Frequency Previous Water Bodies Frequency Atlantic Ocean 6 Lake George (NY) 69 Ballston Lake (NY) 1 Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 3 Candlewood Lake (CT) 2 Lake James (NC) 1 Chautauqua Lake (NY) 1 Wallenpaupack Lake (PA) 1 Connecticut River (CT) 1 Mullica River (NJ) 5 Greenwood Lake (NY) 3 Otis Reservoir (MA) 1 Highland Lake (CT) 1 Piseco Lake (NY) 1 Hudson River (NY) 9 Sacanadaga Lake (NY) 7 Lake Champlain (NY) 2 Saratoga Lake (NY) 1 Lake Cogamond (MA) 1 Schroon Lake (NY) 1 Lake Dunmore (VT) 1 Twin Lakes (CT) 1 Twin Lakes (NY) 1
Figure 7: Listing and frequency of previously entered waterbodies.
55 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Most Common Waterbodies Previously Visited (excluding Lake George)
Lake Hopatcong 3 r
e G reenwood Lake 3 t a W
Mullica River 5 f o
y Atlantic O cean 6 d o
B Sacandaga Lake 7
Hudson River 9
0 2 4 6 8 10 Number of Boats Figure 8: Name and frequency of most common previously visited waterbodies (excluding Lake George).
Previously Waterbody Locations outside of The Hudson River was the most New York State common previously visited body of 8% water, followed closely by Sacandaga 8% C onnecticut Lake and then the Atlantic Ocean and 34% New Jersey the Mullica River in New Jersey. Half of the most common previously visited 8% Massachusetts waterbodies were from New York, North C arolina while half were not (figure 8). Those Verm ont that were not from New York were 17% Pennsylvania from New Jersey or the Atlantic Ocean. While we can not know for sure, it is 25% very possible that many of the Atlantic Ocean data points are from the coast Figure 9: Summary of previous waterbody locations from of New Jersey. Of those from New outside of NY. York, all three of the waterbodies are infected with invasive species. While New Jersey was the state besides New York with the most commonly previously visited waterbodies, Connecticut had the most number of bodies of water in its state that were visited before arriving to launch. Boats had previously been in 4 different bodies of water in Connecticut, while only in 3 from New Jersey. The boat that had come the longest distance was last in North Carolina (figure 9).
Plants/Organisms Found Plants/Organisms Going In Overall, the Lake Steward visually inspected 127 Y es vessels. Of those vessels, only three were found 1% transporting plant material which could be invasive. One boat was about to launch and two were on their way out of the lake. The boat on its way in had curly- leaf pondweed removed from it, while both boats on their way out had native pond weeds. So 1 invasive plant was prevented from entering the lake through the Rogers Rock Campground Launch in the 8 days No that a steward was stationed there. The boat had 99% last been in the Twin Lakes in Connecticut. Figure 10: Comparison of boats about to launch found with and without plants. 56 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Spread Prevention The Lake Steward asked the boat owner whether or not they had taken any preventative measures. Draining the bilge, washing the boat, inspection the boat/trailer, draining the live well and bait buckets were considered to be preventative measures. Of the 114 participants asked, 89 (78%) said that they had taken preventative steps and 25 (22%) said that they had not. This question is significant for determining the number of boaters that the Lake Steward needs to target. Although 22% is not a high percentage of boaters who have not taken any steps, it still is represents a large portion who need to be reminded by a Lake Steward to take preventions steps. As with data recording engine type, this data could be used in future years to record the change in the number of boaters who take prevention steps. % of Boaters who took Sread Prevention Steps
No 22%
Yes 78%
Figure 11: % of boaters who self-reported that they had taken spread prevention measures.
Conclusion While there was only a steward at this launch for 8 days, they still interacted with 127 boaters and gained some valuable information. The Rogers Rock launch is different from other launches that the stewards were stationed at because it is also a state campground. So there is state staff there that can provide information as well. There was only 75% compliance with the LGPC decal for boats that should have one, which seems a bit low. Since the launch is a campground, people are most likely not from around here, and maybe do not know about the LGPC regulations. Since there is staff at the campground, maybe this compliance could be increased through future efforts. Even though a Lake Steward was only briefly at the launch, they still stopped an invasive plant from entering the lake. This launch is already a site of zebra mussels in the lake, so it is clearly at risk for additional invasive species introductions. Future efforts at this launch on weekends should be considered for following years, especially since the most common waterbodies previously visited are infected waterways or from out of state. 57 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 58 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Northwest Bay Launch
Introduction Due to the relatively small size of the boat launches at Hague, Roger’s Rock Campground, Northwest Bay, and Island View Marina, a Lake Steward was not positioned at these launch as frequently as some of the higher volume launches. Following the same procedure, the Lake Steward approached the boater and gave a brief interpretive message on preventing the spread of invasive species as well as some background about invasive species in Lake George. After the interview, the Lake Steward recorded some visual information including time of arrival, time of departure, type of watercraft, motor type, and size of group. The Lake Steward then asked the boater whether or not they took any preventative measures, as well as recorded any water bodies that the boat had been in during the previous two weeks. The Lake Steward would then continue to complete a visual inspection to look for any weeds that could be attached to the boat and trailer.
Methods A steward was positioned at the Northwest Bay car-top launch for two days, July 3rd and 4th. This launch site is unique when compared to other launches for a few reasons. It is one of the few state-run boat launches on Lake George that does not charge a usage fee. The launch can only by used by smaller vessels which limits boat type to canoes and kayakers. As a result, the launch is used less frequently when compared to other launches that the Lake Stewards are stationed. Secondly, it is not located right on Lake George, but rather on Northwest Bay Brook. The brook allows for a short paddle, about one mile, before reaching Northwest Bay of Lake George. Since the brook is a swamp it also provides boaters with far more wildlife than usually seen on Lake George. The same interpretive message was given to boaters about preventing the spread of invasive species.
59 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Number of Boats Of all the boats that were launched the majority were kayaks. There were 23 kayaks launched (74%) and 8 canoes launched (26%) (figure 1). Since there were no motorboats launched at Northwest Bay, no data could be collected on inboard, outboard motors, four-stroke versus two-stroke engines, or Lake George Park Commission decal compliance. Vessel Types Launched at Northwest Bay Vessel Type Given the nature of the boat launch, as a car-top launch, the 26% number of boats launched does not necessarily represent the number of launch users that the Lake Steward interacted with. As opposed to the larger boat launches, where the users were only launching a single boat, many of the survey participants were launching multiple canoes and kayaks. Therefore, 31 74% does not represent the number of users that the Lake Steward C K interacted with, but rather the number of boats launched. Figure 1: % of vessel types launched at Northwest Bay. Previous Lake Steward Previous Lake Steward Interaction Interaction yes 28 of the 31 boaters has no prior interaction with a Lake Steward, 10% while 3 said they had. While only 12.5% of boaters had heard a steward’s message about spread prevention, 23 out of the 31 boaters, or 74% had taken spread prevention measures. One explanation for these results is the possibility that the type of boater who uses canoes or kayaks is more aware of issues such as no invasive species. 90% Previous Waterbodies 14 water bodies were recorded as sites of previous use. Figure 2: % of previous interactions with Lake Frequencies of use range from 1 to 7. Sites with multiple uses Stewards. were most likely the result of launch users with several boats. Previous Water Bodies Frequency
Ballston Lake (NY) 2 Most Common Waterbodies Previously Visited Battenkill River (VT) 1 (excluding Lake George) Dyken Pond (NY) 1 T rout Lake 3
Grafton Park (NY) 1 r e t Hudson River (NY) 4 a W
f
o Round Lake 3 Lake George (NY) 7 y d
Loon Lake (NY) 2 o B Moreau Lake (NY) 2 Hudson River 4 New Jersey * 1 Quincy Lake* 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 Round Lake (NY) 3 Number of Boats Schroon Lake (NY) 2 Figure 4: Name and frequency of most common previously Schroon River (NY) 1 visited waterbodies (excluding Lake George). Trout Lake (NY) 3 Tupper Lake (NY) 1 Figure 3: Listing and frequency of previously entered waterbodies * Stewards did not always have the chance to ask for correct spelling from boaters. This results in occasional names of bodies of water which may be misspelled or named with local slang. 60 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 The most common previous waterbodies were all % of Boaters who took nearby locations. It appears that this type of boat user spread prevention steps does not travel as much as motor boat users. Only two boats had last been in waters outside New York State. No 26% Spread Prevention During the two days that a Lake Steward was present at the Northwest Bay boat launch, July 3rd and 4th, the Y es steward recorded 31 boats. One of the questions asked 74% was whether or not the boater took any prevention Figure 5: % of boaters who self-reported steps. taking spread prevention measures. Of the 31 boaters that the steward interacted with, 23 (74%) of the boater stated that they had taken preventative measures, while 8 (26%) had not. Since all of the boats launched were canoes and kayaks, not as many prevention steps were required. For example, the Lake Steward recommends washing the boat, draining the bilge, draining live wells, washing bait buckets and inspecting the boat and trailer of motorboats. Where as canoes and kayaks only would need to wash their boat and/or allow it to dry completely in between launchings. This difference may have led to an increased number of users who had taken prevention steps. Unique to the Northwest Bay boat launch was the threat of Didymo (Didymosphenia geminata), or “rock snot”, an invasive algae. Since Didymo is found in rivers and streams, it is an important issue to be discussed since the Northwest Bay launch was located on Northwest Bay Brook. Once established, Didymo becomes a barrier to native fish and vegetation by forming mats on river bottoms. Didymo spores travel by attaching themselves to any wet equipment. Didymo is a concern at the Northwest Bay Brook launch since it can be spread by angler’s equipment. As an area filled with wildlife, the Northwest Bay Brook is a popular area for fishing. In addition, Didymo has been found nearby in the
Didymo. photo by Tim Daley, PA DEP PA Tim Daley, by photo Didymo. Battenkill, Connecticut and Delaware Rivers. One previous body of Conclusion water used by a launch user was infected with Didymo. The Northwest Bay Launch is the only cartop launch that the stewards were at on the lake. This is a state launch, and is not actually on the lake itself but on a stream just before it enters the lake. A Lake Steward was only at this launch for 2 days. This launch was not a main priority of the program, however since it was a unique user group, we decided to try to gather some initial information that might help us to determine if this site might be of interest in the future. Most of the previous waterbodies were all from close by. It is unclear if this launch is used mainly by locals, or if tourists just kayak at multiple nearby waterbodies when they are in our area. Non-motorized boats are often not the focus of spread prevention efforts - but they should not be overlooked as methods of transport. Kayaks are often used in remote backwaters in pristine natural areas, so it is very important to make sure that they are cleaned and/or dried between waterways. Since usage volume is low at this site, appropriate signage might be the best way to get the spread prevention message to launch users in the future. 61 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 62 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Island View Marina Lake George, NY
Introduction Due to the relatively small size of the boat launches at Hague, Roger’s Rock Campground, Northwest Bay, and Island View Marina, a Lake Steward was not positioned at these launch as frequently as some of the higher volume launches. Following the same procedure, the Lake Steward approached the boater and gave a brief interpretive message on preventing the spread of invasive species as well as some background about invasive species in Lake George. After the interview, the Lake Steward recorded some visual information including time of arrival, time of departure, type of watercraft, motor type, and size of group. The Lake Steward then asked the boater whether or not they took any preventative measures, as well as recorded any water bodies that the boat had been in during the previous two weeks. The Lake Steward would then continue to complete a visual inspection to look for any weeds that could be attached to the boat and trailer.
Methods A steward was located at Island View Marina, in Huletts Landing for one week at the end of July. Located on the east side of Lake George and just above the Narrows, the launch provided access for boaters camping on the Islands. Although it’s an excellent location on Lake George, Huletts Landing remains to be an isolated community. Access to the launch was fairly limited because boats had to be pulled over Elephant and Hogback Mountain. As a result, most of the boats launched were relatively small. As a private marina, Island View provided other services to boaters. The marina had a small store, and was located next to a beach and park which provided the steward with sufficient interaction with local residents. Many pedestrians in this small community were interested in our efforts to help prevent the spread of invasive species and would often stop to share their concerns. Narrow Island with State Campground Office 63 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Number of Boats Vessel Type Launched at Island View Marina From July 30th until August 3rd, a Lake Steward 0% was stationed at Island View Marina. While at 4% 0% the launch the Lake Steward interacted with 25 boaters. Of these boaters there were: 18 (72%) 24% motorboats, 6 (24%) personnel watercraft, 1 (4%) sailboat and 0 canoes and kayaks (figure 1). There is a county beach very close by to this launch, 72% so kayakers might launch there instead of at the marina. M PW C S C K
Vessel Type Figure 1: Vessel types launched at Island View. Of the motorboats recorded, 7 (39%) were inboard motors and 11 (61%) were outboard motors. Motor type was differentiated between four- stroke and two-stroke engines. 3 two-stroke engines (27%) and 8 four-stroke engines (73%) were observed (See figure 2,3).
Motor Type Outboard Engine Type Lake George Park Commission Decals Observed 27% 4%
39% 24%
61%
73% 72%
Inboard Outboard 2-stroke 4-stroke Yes No Not Needed Figure 2: Comparison of motor type. Figure 3: Comparison of outboard Figure 4: Overall compliance with motor stroke. LGPC decal. Lake George Park Commission Decal For most boats to launch on Lake George, it is required to have a Lake George Park Commission registration decal. Lake George Park Commission registrations are not required for boats shorter than 18 feet and for motors with a horsepower less than 10. The Lake Steward also recorded the presence of a Lake Previous Lake Steward George Park Commission decal. Of the 25 boats recorded, Interaction Yes 18 had decals (72%) , 6 did not (24%) , and 1 did not need a 4% decal (4%). Previous Lake Steward Interaction Of the 25 boaters at Island View Marina, only 1 reported having prior Lake Steward interaction. This boat was last in New Hampshire, which has a state-wide boat launch steward No program. So it is possible that the boater had interacted 96% with a steward in New Hampshire previously.
Figure 5: Summary of previous lake steward interactions. 64 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Previous Waterbodies The two final pieces of information gathered required the compliance of the boat owner. The Lake Steward asked the boater to list any bodies of water that the boat had been in prior to entering Lake George. There were 8 different answers. (figure 6). Previous Waterbodies Frequency Island View Marina was not a high volume launch Atlantic Ocean 3 site. Lake George and the Hudson River were Delaware River (DE) 1 the only New York waterbodies listed. This data Hudson River (NY) 8 suggests that many of the boaters launching were Lake Bomoseen (VT) 2 traveling from outside of New York to launch their Lake George (NY) 7 boat. This data is also surprising since none of Nubanusit Lake (NH) 1 the boaters had last been in Lake Champlain, Lake Wallenpaupack (PA) 1 which is close by. Also, only 1 of the bodies of Sebago Lake (ME) 1 water are from Vermont, Lake Bomoseen. This lake is infected with Eurasian watermilfoil and Figure 6: Listing and frequency of previously zebra mussels. Prior to collecting this data, it visited waterbodies. had been assumed that there would have been more direct traffic from Vermont to Lake George at this launch. Since this sample size was so small, it doesn’t say for sure that this is not the case, but it gives a starting point.
Prevention Steps % of Boaters who took The Lake Steward also asked the boat owner whether or not they had taken any preventative measures. Spread Prevention Actions Draining the bilge, washing the boat, inspection the No boat/trailer, draining the live well and bait buckets 5% were considered to be preventative measures. Of the 22 participants asked, 21 (95%) said that they had taken preventative steps and 1 (5%) said that they had not. These results are much higher when Yes compared to some of the other smaller marinas. This 95% may again just be the result of a smaller sample size. Figure 7: Summary of spread prevention measures taken. Conclusion A Lake Steward interacted with 25 boaters over 5 days at Island View Marina. This marina is close to Vermont and Lake Champlain, so its location puts it at risk for spread of invasives. For instance, Lake Champlain has 48 known invasive species in it. However, this marina appears to be low-use, and of the boats the steward did interact with, only 1 was from Vermont, and none were from Lake Champlain. The mountain terrain to get to the marina and its location on the east side of the lake makes it semi-isolated. This marina also appears to get more PWCs then other marinas. This again might be due to the ability of users to trailer their watercraft over the mountain to get to the launch. The marina has staff that runs the marina and its store, and collects money for parking and launching. This marina might be a good candidate for education of marina staff and signage about invasive species for future spread prevention efforts. Since there is already someone that works at this marina keeping a close eye on things, it would make sense to train them to check the boats for invasive species as well. That way, the Lake Stewards can focus their efforts on locations were there is no warm body to interact with the boaters. 65 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 66 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Fishing Tournament Outreach Lake George, NY
Introduction With the help and cooperation of several bass tournament coordinators, Lake Stewards were able to survey and speak with bass tournament participants at the Mossy Point Boat Launch Site. Fishing tournaments were of particular interest to our outreach efforts because of the risk of transporting invasive aquatic species when anglers traverse numerous waterbodies. Bass tournaments are popular in our area with multiple tournaments held on Lake George and nearby lakes throughout the summer. Many anglers arrive days before a tournament to find out where the fish are, so it can be heard to intercept the anglers before they actually launch into the lake. There are often registration events which are good chances to talk to a group of anglers at once, which is what we did when possible.
Methods The typical greeting and hull examination performed by the Lake Stewards was forgone given the time constraints put on the tournament participants as well as the lack of available staff to conduct examinations. Participation by local anglers was dependant on the organization that conducted the tournament. The New York Bass Federation consisted of ninety-two anglers from various locations throughout New York state as well as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. This particular organization was well organized and included an initial registration meeting that entailed the coordinators going over rules and regulations of the tournament. This meeting provided a good opportunity for the Assistant Coordinator to address the members of the tournament before they initiated the tournament. A volunteer questionnaire was provided to anglers upon entering the registration line. This included the following questions: Name, hometown (city and state), the last body of water their boat was in, other bodies of water the boat was in within the last two weeks, have they heard of invasive species before, and whether or not they take spread prevention measures.
67 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Capital District Bass Masters consisted strictly of members from around the Albany region. This bass-angling group was less organized and did not have a registration meeting. It was also a much smaller organization- only consisting of ten anglers. At this bass tournament the Assistant Coordinator was able to speak with anglers on a one-on-one basis and was able to survey the bass fishing vessels with the standard data collection sheet used by Lake Stewards. The information taken at this tournament was not substantial and therefore does not warrant further examination, such as the information collected at the June 21st New York Bass Federation Tournament. Results The NY Bass Federation had a fishing tournament on June 21, 2008 at Mossy Point Boat Launch in Ticonderoga. Their registration event at a local hotel the day before the start of the tournament allowed us a chance to address the group of anglers. Of the 92 anglers at the registration event 40 were willing to volunteer to take the short survey we had prepared.
Risk Assessment 32 out of 40 ( 93%) of the anglers used their boats in a body of water other than Lake George before entering the lake at the Mossy Point boat launch.
20 different water bodies were recorded as the last body of water the boat had been in before entering lake George. 20 different bodies of water were also recorded as the bodies of water the boat had been in during the last 2 weeks. While some anglers had been only in 1 body of water, others had been in multiple (figure 1). 20% of anglers surveyed stated that they had used their boats in multiple bodies of water before entering Lake George within the last two weeks. For instance, 1 angler from Syracuse had been in Oneida Lake, Onondaga Lake, and the Oswego and Seneca Rivers in the last 2 weeks.
Different Water Bodies Visited in Past 2 Weeks
35 32 30 s t
a 25 o B
f 20 o
r e
b 15 m u
N 10 6 5 1 1 0 One Tw o Three Four Number of Different Water Bodies Visited Figure 1: Number of different waterbodies visited in the past 2 weeks.
The risk of spreading invasive species is high with competition anglers who visit multiple bodies of water within a matter of weeks, although only a fifth of the anglers visited two or more bodies of waters prior to entering Lake George. This is less than expected, however the tournament took place relatively early in the season, and anglers are perhaps just beginning their fishing excursions.
68 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Lake Champlain was the most common body of Waterbody Frequency water that boats had been in before entering Lake Lake St. Catherine (VT) 3 George. Next was Candlewood Lake and then Highland Lake 1 Oneida Lake. It is unclear if the last body of water Lake Congamond (MA) 1 visited is more heavily influenced by where anglers Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 1 live or where the last tournament was held. Either Niagara River 1 way, anglers had last been in 20 different bodies of Hudson River 1 water in 4 different states besides New York before Lake George 3 coming to Lake George (figure 2). Canandaigua Lake 1 Lake Champlain 6 Lake Chautauqua 1 Most Common Last Bodies of Water Visited Saratoga Lake 2 Oneida Lake 4 Lake S t. Catherine (V T) 3
Lake Wallenpaupack 1 Lake G eroge 3 Greenwood Lake 1 O neida Lake 4 Copake Lake 1 Candlewood Lake (CT) 5 Candlewood Lake (CT) 5 St. Lawrence River 1 Lake Cham plain 6 Lake Ontario 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 White Lake 1 Waterbody Number of Boats Onondaga Lake 2 Figure 3: Most common last bodies of water visited before Figure 2: Last bodies of water visited before entering Lake George. entering Lake George. Lake George was the most common body of Waterbody Frequency water visited with the last 2 weeks. However, if Lake Champlain 5 we exclude Lake George, then Lake Champlain Canandaigua Lake 1 becomes the most common. So Lake Champlain is Lake Erie 1 the most common last body of water listed and last Cayuga Lake 1 body of water within 2 weeks listed (other than lake Candlewood Lake (CT) 3 George itself). Due to its proximity to Lake George Saratoga Lake 1 and popularity for fishing, this is not surprising. In Oneida Lake 4 fact, it is the same 5 lakes that were most common Lake George 6 in both categories, but just in different orders. We Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 1 might expect these 5 lakes to have good bass Copake Lake 1 fisheries. Hudson River 1 Lake St. Catherine (VT) 2 Most Common Last Bodies of Water Schroon Lake 1 Visited in Last 2 Weeks
Lake Ontario 1 Lake S t Catherine (V T) 2
White Lake 1 Candlewood Lake (CT) 3
Mohawk River 1 O neida Lake 4
Onondaga Lake 1 Lake Cham plain 5
Oswego River 1 Lake G eorge 6 Seneca River 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lake Lillinoa (CT) 1 Waterbody Number of Boats
Figure 4: Bodies of water boat has been in Figure 5: Most common bodies of water visited in the last 2 during the last 2 weeks. weeks before entering Lake George. 69 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Awareness and Knowledge of Invasive Aquatic Species 37 (92.5%) were familiar with invasive aquatic species and were able to list various known invasive species on the questionnaire. Zebra mussels were the most commonly listed
Familiarity with Invasive Species invasive species by far. Water chestnut, Eurasian watermilfoil, and round goby were 3 the next most common. Snakehead was
Familiar mentioned twice, and all the others were Not Familiar only listed once. The snakehead has just been in the news lately, with a new location
37 discovered in Orange County, NY and Figure 6: Self-reported familiarity with invasive species. eradication with chemicals attempted, so Invasive Species Named by Anglers that may account for its mention since it is 1 not found in this area. Some of the anglers 1 1 1 Zebra Mussels were not familiar with invasive species, 2 W ater C hestnut while some just answered “yes” but did not Euraisan W aterm ilfoil list any specific examples. 7 R ound Goby 21 Snakehead 36 out of 40 anglers stated that they take Silver C arp prevention steps prior to launching into Alew ife and when leaving water bodies. It was 7 R usty C rayfish evident that many of the fishing vessels Q uagga Mussels were thoroughly cleaned before entering 8 the launch area. Power washing, cleaning Figure 7: Invasive species names by anglers in survey. with clorox, wiping down the boat, draining bilge and live-well, disposing of boat, and letting the boat dry were all mentioned as spread prevention measures that had been taken. As the graphs show there is an apparent correlation between knowledge of invasive species and prevention measures taken. It is important to note that many of the anglers claiming to have taken prevention measures have done so by default. This is because many of them wash their boats before entering a tournament, not necessarily to prevent the spread of aquatic plants. Prevention Measures Taken 4 Conclusion Overall, most anglers surveyed had not Y es been in more than 1 body of water in No the past 2 weeks. Furthermore, while in different order, the same 5 waterbodies 36 were the most common for the last Figure 8: Number of anglers who self-reported taking waterbody as well as last waterbodies in prevention measures. 2 weeks. This might tell us what waters in our area are popular for bass fishermen. We can then assess the threats of these main 5 bodies of water. Invasive species knowledge seemed high among the group, with 9 different species named among the anglers. Zebra mussels were not surprisingly the most commonly mentioned species. Prevention measures also seemed high among respondents, however it is unclear if the actions taken were for invasive species spread prevention specifically or just general cleaning of the boat. Since anglers move from waterbody to waterbody, they are a population of lake users that needs further study in terms of invasive species spread prevention. We need to continue to work to develop effective means to reach out to them and to evaluate the risk that different populations of users, such as bass or ice fishermen, have based on their different activities. 70 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Educational Outreach Activities Lake George, NY
The 2008 Lake Stewards were not just limited to their outreach at the boat launches. Throughout the summer, they participated in various other outreach activities sharing information about invasive species with the public. In doing so, the stewards were able to spread their “Clean Boats, Clean Waters” and “Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers” messages beyond the launches and throughout the watershed.
Invasive Species Awareness Week The Adirondack Park’s third annual Invasive Species Awareness Week took place from Sunday, July 6th until Saturday, July 12, 2008. The week was a park-wide effort, organized by the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) in order to raise awareness and educate the public about invasive species. Various events about invasive species were planned for the week. In the Lake George watershed events included multiple lectures, two informative kayak/canoe paddles, interpretive walks, and planned family activities.
A table outside of the Visitor Center in Lake George Village was staffed by various members of the Lake George Watershed Conference and the Lake Stewards weekdays from 11 am -3 pm. Information was provided on terrestrial invasive species and their native alternatives, aquatic invasive species and potential insect invaders. 1,558 people passed through the Visitor Center while the display was set up, many of which stopped to ask questions or tried their luck at winning a T-shirt by feeding the zebra mussel at the bean bag toss.
71 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Ticonderoga’s Waterfest Waterfest in Ticonderoga, NY was on Saturday, July 12. The festival was held in Bicentennial Park from 10 am – 4:30 pm and was aimed at celebrating and educating about all things “water” around the lake. Many organizations from around the lake set up displays on tables which the public could browse through and ask questions about. The Lake Steward table display consisted of plant samples of invasive species such as water chestnut, curly-leaf pondweed, and Eurasian watermilfoil. The table also had live zebra mussels and banded mystery snails so people could observe the difference between the two. The portable boat wash station was set up next to the steward table in order to show what equipment the stewards use to protect the lake.
While there is no way to know an exact number of people who visited the affair, the festival was well attended and many people stopped at the Lake Steward table to hear, ask, and congratulate them about the work they are doing.
72 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Terrestrial Invasive Species Activities Lake George, NY
In addition to combating the spread of aquatic invasive species, the 2008 Lake Stewards also did their part to fight terrestrial invasives around the lake. Like all invasive species, terrestrial invasive species are characterized by their negative impacts on an area. Over- aggressive and greedy for sunlight and nutrients, these plants can change the ecosystem of an area causing harm to native plants and fauna. They are the second leading cause of biodiversity loss and can also have severe economic impacts on an area.
Garlic Mustard Pull at Rogers Rock in Hague On Monday, June 2, 2008, three Lake Stewards, the Lake Steward Alternate, and the Lake Steward Assistant Coordinator visited Rogers Rock Campground in Hague to assist the NYS DEC in the removal of the terrestrial invasive species Garlic Mustard. Garlic mustard, or Alliaria petiolata, is a forest under-story plant that has white flowers and triangular, sharply-toothed leaves. In its first year the plant is merely a small rosette of kidney shaped leaves. However, in year two the plant can grow to be up to four feet tall and have multiple stems. A native of Europe, garlic mustard prefers shady areas and deciduous forests. It blooms early in May, giving it a jump on native plants. The plant also has the potential to harm native trees by releasing a toxin into the soil that harms a specific soil fungus that the trees need.
Garlic mustard infestation at Rogers Rock Campground. 73 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Under the guidance of Wayne Blanchard, NYS DEC Operations Invasive Species Specialist, the Lake Steward group performed a clean sweep of the camp, removing five and a half contractor sized garbage bags of unwanted plants. Garlic mustard seeds can remain active in the soil for up to 7 years, making the plants overall removal a multi-year project. The Lake Stewards pull complimented the pulls on the campsite of previous years. The garlic mustard was in full bloom, the most efficient time to pull the plants, stopping its seed spread and making it easy to find and pull out by its roots.
Yellow Iris at Mossy Point Boat Launch in Ticonderoga On June 11, 2008 a previously unrecorded terrestrial invasive plant for the Lake George watershed was discovered and identified as a yellow iris plant at Mossy Point boat launch in Ticonderoga. The plant was off to the side of the boat launch, and it is unknown how it arrived.
Yellow Iris, or Iris pseudacorus, is native to Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is an iris with a showy, yellow bloom from April to June. It grows to be between three and four feet tall and has broad, stiff leaves. Yellow iris grows on the edges of lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams in huge colonies, displacing native species and providing no nutritional value to native animals. After taking photos of the plant in question, the Program Coordinator reported the find to the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program’s (APIPP) Hilary Oles. She verified the identification of yellow iris and reported it to Wayne Blanchard of the DEC, who promptly removed the plant. Since it was the first instance of yellow iris in the Lake George watershed, this case a great example of coordination to achieve effective early detection and rapid response.
74 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Recommendations and Future Considerations
The Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program had a very successful summer. The stewards inspected 2,984 boats that had come from 159 different waterbodies in 19 different states. A total of 113 samples were collected off of 76 boats. 61 of the samples were identified as invasive species. 4 different invasives were found on the boats, 3 of which are already in Lake George. The stewards also collected other recreational user data that is valuable to the state agencies and private entities operating the launch facilities. The results of this summer’s program clearly show the need for continued invasive species education and spread prevention programs. They also show the effectiveness of the Lake Steward Program in protecting the waters of Lake George. Hopefully, funding will again be made available to continue this program in the future. However it is important to review the program to find ways to make it better and more efficient. If funding does become limited, such efforts will help to prioritize future programming efforts into the areas where we can get the most bang for our buck. Norowal had the most boat traffic on average and overall, followed by Mossy Point. This was the third year that there was a Lake Steward at these locations, and based on the amount of traffic both locations receive it seems to make sense to continue having a Lake Steward at these locations. Surprisingly, Hague, Rogers Rock, and even Northwest Bay had more average use than Dunham’s Bay. In the future, the program might consider Hague or Rogers Rock as the third primary launch location instead of Dunham’s Bay (the data for Northwest Bay is too limited to be representative.) Average Boats Inspected By Day at Each Launch y a d Saturday was the busiest day by far, / 30 d 26 e t
with Friday and Sunday having similar c 25 e 19 p 20 activity levels. Surprisingly, Wednesday s 17 16 16 n i 15
s 12 had more activity than Thursday at t a 10 o
b 5 almost every launch. No possible
# 5
.
g 0 explanation comes to mind. In terms v
A l t y a n y e k a w w i a u c ie of prioritizing days of the week to have o B g o B ro P s a R t V o a H s s d sy r e n N s m e w a o h g h l stewards working at boat launches, n o rt Is M u R o Friday, Saturday, and Sunday seem to D N Launch Location make the most sense based on traffic. Figure 1: Summary of boat launch use If we take a look at the invasive Boat Launch by Weekday at All Launches specimens that were removed from 1065 boats, of the 61 invasives found, 1000
11 were found on a Wednesday or d e 800
h 737
c 689
Thursday and 50 were found on a n u a l
600 total
Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Since 78% s t
a average o
of the saves were made on the weekend b 400 f o
(Friday is included as a ‘weekend’ day), # 239 195 if funding only allows for weekend 200 11 8 23 33 26 coverage, clearly a difference can still 0 be made (see Appendix I). W TH F S A S U Weekday Figure 2: Summary of launch use by weekday 75 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 In addition to the number of boats and the invasive specimens removed from each launch, we can look at the cost associated with the key statistics as well. Lake stewards were paid $9 per hour to work at the launches. Stewards worked at Norowal Marina for 48 days during the summer, 49 days at Mossy Point, 37 days at Dunham’s Bay, 9 days in Hague, 8 days at Rogers Rock, 2 days at Northwest Bay, and 5 days at Island View Marina. Based on 8 hour days, we can determine per launch costs as well as how much it cost per boat inspected and per invasive species removed at each launch and lake-wide. Summary of Results and Costs at each Launch and Lake-wide avg. total Launch # days # boats boat/day # invasives launch $ $/boat $/invasive NW: 48 1264 26 28 $3,456 $2.73 $123.43 MP: 49 949 19 6 $3,528 $3.72 $588.00 DB: 37 437 12 11 $2,664 $6.10 $242.18 RR: 8 126 16 1 $576 $4.57 $576.00 HT: 9 152 17 15 $648 $4.26 $43.20 IV: 5 25 5 0 $360 $14.4 - NW: 2 31 16 0 $144 $4.65 - Lake-wide: 158 2984 16 61 $11,376 $3.81 $186.50 While Norowal and Mossy Point were the most expensive locations, due to their high level of coverage, they also had the lowest cost per boat. Dunham’s Bay had the second highest cost per boat, but it cost less per invasive then both Mossy Point and Rogers Rock, even though both of those sites cost less per boat. The average cost per boat inspected lake-wide was $3.81 and the average cost per invasive species specimen removed from a boat was $186.50. While it only cost around $11,000 for the time the stewards spent at the launches, the total program costs were around $40,000. Salary for the Program Coordinator, Assistant Coordinator, mileage, supplies, time spent training and entering data along with other related program costs were not included in the above per launch expenses. If you used the total program cost to determine the cost per boat and per invasive, the numbers are much higher. At a program budget of $40,000, 2,984 boats were inspected at a cost of $13.40 per boat and 61 invasive specimens were removed from boats at a cost of $655.74 per invasive. These numbers might seem high; however, when compared to the cost of eradication programs, prevention is much more cost-effective then removal. Additional information about program expenses can be obtained from the Program Coordinator. If you are working on creating your own steward program, we would be more than happy to share our program expenses and other details with you to help you budget and plan a similar program. Portable Boat Wash Stations There were two portable boat wash stations that were part of the Lake Steward Program. One was located at Norowal Marina and one was at Mossy Point. There are a number of logistical issues to be worked out in order to operate a portable boat wash station. However, since this was the third year operating them, most of these issues had been resolved. For details on such considerations, please refer to previously issued reports by the Lake George Watershed Conference. 76 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 The location at Norowal Marina where there is room for the boat wash station to be set-up is not conducive to convincing boaters to have their boat washed. They would have to turn around at the launch after speaking to the steward and go to a nearby parking area to have their boat washed. The stewards found that people were not interested in doing this. The boat wash at Mossy Point is located with the steward, so it is more convenient for boaters to use. They just pull right on and off the mat, and do not have to go out of their way. In order to set up and put away the wash station equipment 2 stewards are needed. In years past, 2 stewards were assigned to each launch for this reason. However, this year the stewards worked individually in order to cover more launch locations. So the boat wash could only be used when the Assistant Coordinator was available to help out. Due to location and staffing issues, the boat wash stations were not used as much as had been planned during this summers’ program, which is why they are not discussed at length in the report.
Recommendations for 2009 photo by Dave Decker, LGWC Future recommendations are based on the following findings: • totals and daily averages of boats inspected at each launch • the difference in traffic between launch locations • the difference in traffic between weekends and weekdays • the number of invasives removed on weekends versus weekdays • the costs associated with each launch location • experience from operating a portable boat wash station Based on the above information collected during 2008, the Program Coordinator would recommend a few adjustments to the program for 2009. • Only staff launches with stewards on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays. • Continue to have stewards at Mossy Point and Norowal Marina. • Train town staff at Hague Town Launch to educate boaters and inspect boats. • Consider placing stewards at Rogers Rock and/or Hague Town Launch (if training town staff will not work). • Work with staff at Island View and Dunham’s Bay to educate boaters and inspect boats. However, do not staff these launches with a steward. • Increase outreach efforts to the kayaking community through contacts with outdoors groups and sporting goods stores. • Increase outreach to marinas through contact with staff. • Only have a boat wash station at Norowal Marina in 2009 if the location of the station can be moved to make it more acceptable to boaters. • Due to the convenient location of the boat wash station at Mossy Point, continue with the wash station for 2009. However, 2 stewards should be staffed at this launch.
77 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 78 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendices
A: Data Collection Sheet ...... 81 B: Map of Launch Locations ...... 82 C: Map of Zebra Mussel Locations in LG ...... 83 D: Map of Eurasian Watermilfoil Locations in LG ...... 84 E: List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies ...... 85 F: List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies by State ...... 87 G: List of All Invasive Species Removed from Boats ...... 91 H: List of All Specimens Removed ...... 93 I: List of All Invasives Found by Weekday ...... 96 J: Scientific and Common Names of Invasive Species ...... 98 K: Invasive Species in Previously Visited Waterbodies ..... 99 L: Steward Materials and Supplies ...... 101
79 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 80 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix A Data Collection Sheet 2008 notes comments/ Boatwash? If within last (record waterbody . V Last Waterbody? When? used by boat in last 2 weeks name, state,and county if common name or large river) Did visitor take (Indicate which) =Decal not needed C/S prevention 2 weeks - Ask other lakes/waterbodies NN given steps? of the alpha-numeric registration number or leave blank if unreg. (no steps taken) if cannot identify. =No, or Plant Type N None =Yes, last 3 digits Y unknown and ______: other. If boat not inspected because of boating volume, record O (disposed of bait), type or write Dis other state of registration Launch Site: : no reason given, NR must display a LGPC decal. Record : write in (drained livewell), interaction (Circle Y/N) Found? (Circle Y/N) If N, give reason (Circle Y/N) (C/S/ or both H = already has) Previous LS Boat Inspection Plants/other LW Yes NoYes No Yes NoYes No Yes NoYes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes NoState Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No (Zebra Mussel); write in ZM are given : not necessary, NN Weather: AM: ______PM: Motor 10 h.p. or Greater (drained bait buckets), BB =kayak SAH trailer sticker :time constraint, Time to launch/retrieve boat K T Time arrived Time Left CLP (Curlyleaf Pondweed); and/or =canoe; C Entering Leaving Entering Leaving Entering Leaving Entering Leaving Entering Leaving Entering Leaving Entering Leaving Entering Leaving Entering Leaving Entering Leaving Entering Leaving Entering Leaving Entering Leaving Entering Leaving Entering Leaving Entering Leaving Steward Name: (Drained Bilge), DB =sailboat; S decal (Native Milfoil); NM , or Any Vessel Mechanically Propelled by a last 3 #s (washed boat), WB Watercraft Check Points Card =personal watercraft; PWC 18 Feet or Longer (inspected), : Record if I (Eurasian Watermilfoil); : : If boater declined inspection, record reason given: =motorboat; EWM : All Vessels : M : Boat stroke Group State LGPC # type HP (4, 2) Size 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Boat Lake George Recreation Use Study Time on duty: Time off duty: Date: Card/Sticker Given Boat Inspection Prevention Steps Plant Type LGPC decal Boat Type 81 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix B: Map of Launch Locations The stewards were located at 3 main locations around Lake George. Dunham’s Bay Marina, Norowal Marina, and Mossy Point Boat Launch always had a steward stationed there since they had high traffic. There were a few smaller locations that we wanted to find out about, so the 4th steward moved around between the Rogers Rock Campground, Hague Town Launch, Northwest Bay Launch, and Island View Marina.
82 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix C: Zebra Mussels in Lake George Ticonderoga
Rogers Location # Removed* Rock LG Village 21,265 Mossy Cleverdale 418 Point Mossy Point 1,375 Sandy Bay 1,653 Rogers Rock 211 Hague Yankee Marina 36 Castaway Marina 38 Total 24,996 * as of 10/01/2008 Zebra mussels removed by the Darrin Fresh Water Institute and Bateaux Below. Zebra mussel numbers provided by the Darrin Fresh Water Institute
N Huletts Landing
Bolton Landing
Indicates Zebra Mussel Yankee location marina
Sandy Bay LG Village Castaway marina
Zebra mussels removed by Lake George Cleverdale Darrin Fresh Water Institute Village and Bateaux Below
83 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix D Map of Eurasian Watermilfoil Locations in Lake George
Map of all known Eurasian watermilfoil sites at the conclusion of 2008. Open labels are sites that are clear of all visible milfoil; yellow labels are sites that are actively managed with benthic barrier but are not yet cleared of milfoil; red labels are sites in need of future managed effort. Map from Lake George Integrated Aquatic Plant Management Program. Prepared for the Lake George Park Commission by Lycott Environmental Inc. December 2008. 84 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix E: List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies Previous Waterbody Frequency Previous Waterbody Frequency Annabessacook Lake (ME) 1 Hessian Lake (NY) 1 Atlantic Ocean 52 Hamilton Reservoir (MA) 4 Ballston Lake (NY) 5 Harriman Reservoir (VT) 4 Bantam Lake (CT) 4 Higgins Lake (MI) 1 Barnegat Bay (NJ) 9 Highland Lake (CT) 1 Battenkill River (VT) 1 Highland Lake (NY) 1 Beltsville lake (PA) 5 Hinckley Reservoir (NY) 1 Blue Water Marsh (PA) 2 Holland Reservoir (MA) * 1 Boston Harbor (MA) 1 Hudson River (NY) 89 Boston Lake (CT) 1 Indian Lake (NY) 3 Brant Lake (NY) 5 Jordan Lake (NC) 1 Buckhorn Lake (ONT) 1 Key West (FL) 1 Buzzards Bay (MA) 1 Lake Bomoseen (VT) 8 Canadarago Lake (NY) 1 Lake Champlain (NY) 51 Canandaigua Lake (NY) 1 Lake Congamond (MA) 3 Candlewood Lake (CT) 22 Lake Dunmore (VT) 4 Cannaan Street Lake (NH) 1 Lake Erie 2 Cape Cod (MA) 1 Lake Flower (NY) 1 Cassadaga Lake (NY) 1 Lake George (NY) 1770 Cayuga Lake (NY) 1 Lake Harmony (PA) 1 Chautauqua Lake (NY) 1 Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 54 Chesapeake Bay (MD) 5 Lake Housatonic (CT) 1 Clarke Pond (NY) 1 Lake James (NC) 1 Clinton Reservoir (NJ) 1 Lake Kerr (FL) 1 Connamessett Lake (MA) 1 Lake Luzerne (NY) 1 Connecticut River (CT) 23 Lake Mahopac (NY) 3 Cossayuna Lake (NY) 1 Lake Marburg (PA) 1 Coventry Lake (CT) 1 Lake Mejantic (Quebec) 1 Cranberry Lake (NJ) 1 Lake Mohawk (NJ) 1 Cranberry Lake (NY) 1 Lake Nubanuist (NH) 1 Crystal Lake (IL) 1 Lake Ontario 1 Delaware River (DE) 13 Lake Pleasant (NY) 1 Dyken Pond (NY) 1 Lake Rescue (VT) 1 Fairview Lake (FL) 1 Lake Sivi (OH) * 1 Framingham Lake (MA) 1 Lake St. Catherine (VT) 1 Fulton Chain Lakes (NY) 1 Lake Sunapee (NH) 1 Glen Lake (NY) 4 Lake Walcott (NH) 1 Goose Pond (MA) 1 Lake Wallenpaupack (PA) 15 Grafton Park (NY) 1 Lake Winnipesaukee (NH) 3 Great Bay (NJ) 1 Lake Winnisquam (NH) 1 Great Egg Harbor River (NJ) 2 Lillinonah Lake (CT) 1 Great South Bay (NY) 3 Lily Lake (PA) 1 Greenwood Lake (NY) 22 Little York Lake (NY) 1 Gulf of Mexico 1 Long Island Sound (NY) 22 Hadlock Pond (NY) 1 Long Lake (MI) 1 85 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix E: List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies contd.
Previous Waterbody Frequency Previous Waterbody Frequency Long Pond (MA) 1 Sandy Hook Bay (NJ) 2 Loon Lake (NY) 2 Saratoga Lake (NY) 47 Maine (2 unnamed lakes) 2 Sebago Lake (ME) 1 Manasquan River (NJ) 1 Schroon Lake (NY) 24 Mansfield Reservoir (CT) 1 Schroon River (NY) 1 Marrow Creek (NJ) * 2 Seneca Lake (NY) 2 Mohawk River (NY) 9 Sheperd Lake (NJ) 1 Moreau Lake (NY) 2 Shrewsbury River (NJ) 1 Mullica River (NJ) 5 Silver Lake (NY) 1 Navesink River (NJ) 2 Skaneateles Lake (NY) 4 New Jersey * 1 Sleepy Hollow Lake (NY) 1 Niagara River (NY) 1 Spofford Lake (NH) 1 Ohio River 1 Spruce Run State Park (NJ) 1 Oneida Lake (NY) 2 St. Lawrence River (NY) 5 Onota Lake (MA) 7 Star Lake (NY) 1 Oswego River (NY) 1 Stockbridge Bowl Lake (MA) 2 Otis Reservoir (MA) 7 Susquehanna River 2 Otsego Lake (NY) 2 Swinging Bridge Reservoir (NY) 4 Paradox Lake (NY) 2 Tennessee River (TN) 1 Pawtucket River (RI) 1 Trout Lake (NY) 3 Peach Lake (NY) 1 Tupper Lake (NY) 1 Phantom Lake (CT) 1 Twin Lakes (CT) 1 Piseco Lake (NY) 2 Twin Lakes (NY) 1 Plunkett Lake (MA) 1 Upper Woods Pond (PA) 1 Pontoosuc Lake (MA) 1 Wallum Lake (RI) 1 Potomac River ( MD) 1 Warners Lake (NY) 1 Putnam Pond (NY) 2 Watatic Pond (MA) 1 Quincy Lake * 2 Waterbury Reservoir (VT) 1 Raystown Lake (PA) 1 Webster Lake (MA) 1 Round Lake (NJ) 2 Webster Lake (NH) 2 Round Lake (NY) 3 Whalen Lake * 1 Round Valley Res. (NJ) 2 Whiteham Lake (MA) * 1 Ruisetumn Lake (PA) * 1 Windsor Pond (MA) 1 Sabattus Lake (ME) 1 Zoar Lake (CT) 1 Sacandaga Lake (NY) 25 TOTAL 2489
* Stewards did not always have the chance to ask for correct spelling from boaters. This results in occasional names of bodies of water which may be misspelled, named with local slang, or unidentifiable.
86 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix F: List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies by State
CONNECTICUT MARYLAND Previous Waterbody Frequency Previous Waterbody Frequency 1 Bantam Lake (CT) 4 1 Chesapeake Bay (MD) 5 2 Boston Lake (CT) 1 2 Potomac River ( MD) 1 3 Candlewood Lake (CT) 22 TOTAL 6 4 Connecticut River (CT) 23 5 Coventry Lake (CT) 1 MASSACHUSETTS 6 Highland Lake (CT) 1 Previous Waterbody Frequency 7 Lake Housatonic (CT) 1 1 Boston Harbor (MA) 1 8 Lillinonah Lake (CT) 1 2 Buzzards Bay (MA) 1 9 Mansfield Reservoir 1 3 Cape Cod (MA) 1 10 Phantom Lake (CT) 1 4 Connamessett Lake 1 11 Twin Lakes (CT) 1 5 Framingham Lake (MA) 1 12 Zoar Lake (CT) 1 6 Goose Pond (MA) 1 TOTAL 58 7 Hamilton Reservoir 4 8 Holland Reservoir * 1 DELAWARE 9 Lake Congamond (MA) 3 Previous Waterbody Frequency 10 Long Pond (MA) 1 1 Delaware River (DE) 13 11 Onota Lake (MA) 7 TOTAL 13 12 Otis Reservoir (MA) 7 13 Plunkett Lake (MA) 1 FLORIDA 14 Pontoosuc Lake (MA) 1 Previous Waterbody Frequency 15 Stockbridge Bowl Lake 2 1 Fairview Lake (FL) 1 16 Watatic Pond (MA) 1 2 Key West (FL) 1 17 Webster Lake (MA) 1 3 Lake Kerr (FL) 1 18 Whiteham Lake (MA) * 1 TOTAL 3 19 Windsor Pond (MA) 1 TOTAL 37 ILLINOIS Previous Waterbody Frequency MICHIGAN 1 Crystal Lake (IL) 1 Previous Waterbody Frequency TOTAL 1 1 Higgins Lake (MI) 1 2 Long Lake (MI) 1 MAINE TOTAL 2 Previous Waterbody Frequency 1 Annabessacook Lake 1 2 (2 unnamed lakes) 2 3 Sabattus Lake (ME) 1 4 Sebago Lake (ME) 1 TOTAL 5
* Stewards did not always have the chance to ask for correct spelling from boaters. This results in occasional names of bodies of water which may be misspelled, named with local slang, or unidentifiable. 87 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix F: List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies by State contd.
NEW HAMPSHIRE NEW YORK continued Previous Waterbody Frequency Previous Waterbody Frequency 1 Cannaan Street Lake 1 30 Long Island Sound 22 2 Lake Nubanuist (NH) 1 31 Loon Lake (NY) 2 3 Lake Sunapee (NH) 1 32 Mohawk River (NY) 9 4 Lake Walcott (NH) 1 33 Moreau Lake (NY) 2 5 Lake Winnipesaukee 3 34 Niagara River (NY) 1 6 Lake Winnisquam (NH) 1 35 Oneida Lake (NY) 2 7 Spofford Lake (NH) 1 36 Oswego River (NY) 1 8 Webster Lake (NH) 2 37 Otsego Lake (NY) 2 TOTAL 11 38 Paradox Lake (NY) 2 39 Peach Lake (NY) 1 NEW YORK 40 Piseco Lake (NY) 2 Previous Waterbody Frequency 41 Putnam Pond (NY) 2 42 Round Lake (NY) 3 1 Ballston Lake (NY) 5 2 Brant Lake (NY) 5 43 Sacandaga Lake (NY) 25 3 Canadarago Lake (NY) 1 44 Saratoga Lake (NY) 47 4 Canandaigua Lake (NY) 1 45 Schroon Lake (NY) 24 5 Cassadaga Lake (NY) 1 46 Schroon River (NY) 1 6 Cayuga Lake (NY) 1 47 Seneca Lake (NY) 2 7 Chautauqua Lake (NY) 1 48 Silver Lake (NY) 1 8 Clarke Pond (NY) 1 49 Skaneateles Lake (NY) 4 9 Cossayuna Lake (NY) 1 50 Sleepy Hollow Lake 1 10 Cranberry Lake (NY) 1 51 St. Lawrence River 5 11 Dyken Pond (NY) 1 52 Star Lake (NY) 1 12 Fulton Chain Lakes 1 53 Swinging Bridge Res. 4 13 Glen Lake (NY) 4 54 Trout Lake (NY) 3 14 Grafton Park (NY) 1 55 Tupper Lake (NY) 1 15 Great South Bay (NY) 3 56 Twin Lakes (NY) 1 16 Greenwood Lake (NY) 22 57 Warners Lake (NY) 1 17 Hadlock Pond (NY) 1 TOTAL 2146 18 Hessian lake (NY) 1 19 Highland Lake (NY) 1 20 Hinckley Res. (NY) 1 21 Hudson River (NY) 89 22 Indian Lake (NY) 3 23 Lake George 1770 24 Lake Champlain (NY) 51 25 Lake Flower (NY) 1 26 Lake Luzerne (NY) 1 27 Lake Mahopac (NY) 3 * Stewards did not always have the chance to ask for correct 28 Lake Pleasant (NY) 1 spelling from boaters. This results in occasional names of 29 Little York Lake (NY) 1 bodies of water which may be misspelled, named with local slang, or unidentifiable. 88 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix F: List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies by State contd.
NEW JERSEY TENNESSEE Previous Waterbody Frequency Previous Waterbody Frequency 1 Barnegat Bay (NJ) 9 1 Tennessee River (TN) 1 2 Clinton Res. (NJ) 1 TOTAL 1 3 Cranberry Lake (NJ) 1 4 Great Bay (NJ) 1 VERMONT 5 Great Egg Harbor River 2 Previous Waterbody Frequency 6 Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 54 1 Battenkill River (VT) 1 7 Lake Mohawk (NJ) 1 2 Harriman Reservoir (VT) 4 8 Manasquan River (NJ) 1 3 Lake Bomoseen (VT) 8 9 Marrow Creek (NJ) * 2 4 Lake Dunmore (VT) 4 10 Mullica River (NJ) 5 5 Lake Rescue (VT) 1 11 Navesink River (NJ) 2 6 Lake St. Catherine (VT) 1 12 New Jersey * 1 7 Waterbury Reservoir (VT) 1 13 Round Lake (NJ) 2 TOTAL 20 14 Round Valley Res. (NJ) 2 15 Sandy Hook Bay (NJ) 2 16 Shepherd Lake (NJ) 1 PENNSYLVANIA 17 Shrewsbury River (NJ) 1 Previous Waterbody Frequency 18 Spruce Run State Park 1 1 Beltsville lake (PA) 5 TOTAL 89 2 Blue Water Marsh (PA) 2 3 Lake Harmony (PA) 1 NORTH CAROLINA 4 Lake Marburg (PA) 1 Previous Waterbody Frequency 5 Lake Wallenpaupack (PA) 15 1 Jordan Lake (NC) 1 6 Lily Lake (PA) 1 2 Lake James (NC) 1 7 Raystown Lake (PA) 1 TOTAL 2 8 Ruisetumn Lake (PA) * 1 9 Upper Woods Pond (PA) 1 TOTAL 28 OHIO Previous Waterbody Frequency MULTIPLE STATES 1 Lake Sivi (OH) * 1 TOTAL 1 Previous Waterbody Frequency 1 Lake Erie 2 2 Lake Ontario 1 RHODE ISLAND 3 Ohio River 1 Previous Waterbody Frequency 4 Susquehanna River 2 1 Pawtucket River (RI) 1 TOTAL 6 2 Wallum Lake (RI) 1 TOTAL 2
* Stewards did not always have the chance to ask for correct spelling from boaters. This results in occasional names of bodies of water which may be misspelled, named with local slang, or unidentifiable.
89 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix F: List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies by State contd.
OCEAN Previous Waterbody Frequency 1 Atlantic Ocean 52 2 Gulf of Mexico 1 TOTAL 53
UNKNOWN LOCATION (STATE) Previous Waterbody Frequency 1 Quincy Lake * 2 2 Whalen Lake * 1 TOTAL 3
CANADA - ONTARIO Previous Waterbody Frequency 1 Buckhorn Lake (ONT) 1 TOTAL 1
CANADA - QUEBEC Previous Waterbody Frequency 1 Lake Mejantic (Quebec) 1 TOTAL 1
* Stewards did not always have the chance to ask for correct spelling from boaters. This results in occasional names of bodies of water which may be misspelled, named with local slang, or unidentifiable.
90 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix G: List of all Invasive Species Removed from Boats Norowal Marina Date Invasive Last Waterbody When June 5 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Champlain < 1 week June 13 Water chestnut Hudson River last year June 14 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Champlain < 1 week June 21 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Champlain < 1 week June 27 Eurasian watermilfoil Candlewood Lake (CT) not recorded June 28 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George < 1 week June 29 Eurasian watermilfoil Candlewood Lake (CT) > 1 week July 3 Eurasian watermilfoil Candlewood Lake (CT) 2 days July 3 Curly-leaf pondweed Saratoga Lake 1 day July 4 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George 1 week July 4 Zebra mussel Lake George 1 week July 4 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George Leaving July 6 Zebra mussel Saratoga Lake same day July 16 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George last season July 18 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George last season July 18 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 1 month July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 4 days July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Hudson River 2 weeks July 19 Eurasian watermilfoil Hudson River 2 weeks July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Oneida Lake 3 weeks July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 2 weeks July 25 Eurasian watermilfoil Glen Lake < 1 week July 25 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 2 weeks July 26 Eurasian watermilfoil Saratoga Lake 1 week Aug 2 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 3 weeks Aug 10 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 1 week Aug 17 Eurasian watermilfoil Candlewood Lake (CT) 2 weeks Aug 17 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong (NJ) < 2 weeks
Mossy Point Boat Launch Date Invasive Last Waterbody When July 5 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George 1 week July 6 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Champlain 2 weeks July 16 Curly-leaf pondweed Saratoga Lake 1 week July 25 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George 2 weeks Aug 3 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George < 2 weeks Aug 9 Eurasian watermilfoil Saratoga Lake 1 day
Entries in red are specimens removed from boats leaving the lake. Entries in black are from boats launching. 91 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix G: List of all Invasive Species Removed from Boats contd.
Dunham’s Bay Marina Date Invasive Last Waterbody When June 13 Zebra mussels Saratoga Lake < 1 week June 21 Water chestnut Saratoga Lake 2 weeks June 25 Water chestnut Mohawk River < 1 week July 3 Water chestnut South Bay, Lake Champlain same day July 4 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George Leaving July 4 Zebra mussels Lake George Leaving July 5 Zebra mussels Saratoga Lake not recorded July 6 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George 1 day July 6 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 1 day Aug 8 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong < 1 week Aug 15 Eurasian watermilfoil Hudson River < 2 weeks
Hague Town Launch Date Invasive Last Waterbody When June 13 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George Leaving June 13 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George not recorded June 14 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George Leaving June 14 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George Leaving June 14 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George Leaving June 14 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George Leaving July 17 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George Leaving July 17 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George Leaving July 17 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George Leaving July 17 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George Leaving July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George Leaving July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George Leaving July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George Leaving July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 2 weeks ago Aug 9 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George Leaving
Rogers Rock Date Invasive Last Waterbody When July 26 Curly-leaf pondweed Twin Lakes (CT) 1 week
Entries in red are specimens removed from boats leaving the lake. Entries in black are from boats launching.
92 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix H: List of All Specimens Removed
Date Invasive/ Name Launch Entering/ Last body of water, When Native Leaving 1 24-May N Coontail MP L N/A 2 25-May N Robbins pondweed MP L N/A 3 25-May N Native watermilfoil MP L N/A 4 5-Jun I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Lake Champlain, < 1 week 5 5-Jun N Sarganium DB L N/A 6 12-Jun N Native pondweed DB L N/A 7 13-Jun I Water chestnut NM E Hudson River, last year 8 13-Jun I Curly-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 9 13-Jun I Eurasian watermilfoil HT E 10 13-Jun I Zebra mussels DB E Saratoga Lake, < 1 week 11 14-Jun I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Lake Champlain, < 1 week 12 14-Jun I Curly-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 13 14-Jun I Curly-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 14 14-Jun I Curly-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 15 14-Jun I Curly-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 16 15-Jun N Native pondweed HT L N/A 17 20-Jun N Threadleaf pondweed DB L N/A 18 21-Jun N Muskgrass DB E Saratoga Lake, 2 weeks 19 21-Jun I Water chestnut DB E Saratoga Lake, 2 weeks 20 21-Jun I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Lake Champlain, < 1 week 21 25-Jun I Water chestnut (29) DB E Mohawk River, < 1week 22 27-Jun I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Candlewood Lake, CT 23 28-Jun I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Lake George, < 1 week 24 28-Jun N Variable pondweed NM E Lake George, last season 25 29-Jun I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Candlewood Lake, <1 week 26 3-Jul N Coontail DB L N/A 27 3-Jul N Duckweed DB L N/A 28 3-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Candlewood Lake, 2 days 29 3-Jul N Southern naiad DB L N/A 30 3-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed NM E Saratoga Lake, 1 day 31 3-Jul N Duck celery DB L N/A 32 3-Jul N Bladderwort DB E Lake George, 2 weeks 33 3-Jul I Water chestnut DB E South Bay, L.C, same day 34 3-Jul N Unknown larvae DB E Lake George, 2 weeks 35 4-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil NM L N/A 36 4-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil DB L N/A 37 4-Jul I EWM/Zebra mussels NM E Lake George, 1 week 38 4-Jul I Zebra mussels DB L N/A 39 4-Jul N Pondweed NM E Lake Wallenpaupack, PA 40 5-Jul N Farewell’s milfoil DB L N/A 41 5-Jul N Water marigold DB L N/A 42 5-Jul I Zebra mussels DB E Saratoga Lake
93 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix H: List of All Specimens Removed contd.
Date Invasive/ Name Launch Entering/ Last body of water, When Native Leaving 43 5-Jul N Waterweed MP L N/A 44 5-Jul N Waterweed MP L N/A 45 5-Jul N Coontail MP E LG 46 5-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil MP E Lake George, 1 week 47 6-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil MP e LC, 2 weeks 48 6-Jul I Zebra mussel NM E Saratoga Lake, same day 49 6-Jul N Marine vegetation DB E Lake George, 1 day 50 6-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil DB E Lake George, 1 day 51 6-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed DB E Lake George, 1 day 52 6-Jul N Variable pondweed DB E Lake George, 1 day 53 10-Jul N Slender-leaf pondweed NM E Saratoga Lake, 2 weeks 54 11-Jul N Waterweed NM E Saratoga Lake, 2 weeks 55 11-Jul N Water marigold NM E Saratoga Lake, 2 weeks 56 11-Jul N Narrow-Leaf pondweed NM E Saratoga Lake, 2 weeks 57 11-Jul N Flat-Stem pondweed NM E Saratoga Lake, 2 weeks 58 11-Jul N Variable pondweed DB L N/A 59 16-Jul N Waterweed MP E Saratoga Lake, 1 week 60 16-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed MP E Saratoga Lake, 1 week 61 16-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Lake George, last season 62 17-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 63 17-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 64 17-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 65 17-Jul N Waterweed HT L N/A 66 17-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil HT L N/A 67 17-Jul N Variable pondweed HT L N/A 68 17-Jul N Narrow-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 69 17-Jul N Vasey’s pondweed HT L N/A 70 17-Jul N Duck celery HT L N/A 71 17-Jul N Variable pondweed NM E Lake George, last season 72 17-Jul N Vasey’s pondweed NM E Lake George, last season 73 18-Jul N Eelgrass NM E Lake George, 1 month 74 18-Jul N Unknown NM E Lake George, 1 month 75 18-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed NM E Lake George, last season 76 18-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed NM E Lake George, 1 month 77 19-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 78 19-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 79 19-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 80 19-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed HT E 81 19-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed NM E Lake George, 4 days 82 19-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed NM E Hudson River, 2 weeks 83 19-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Hudson River, 2 weeks 84 19-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed NM E Oneida Lake, 3 weeks
94 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix H: List of All Specimens Removed contd.
Date Invasive/ Name Launch Entering/ Last body of water, When Native Leaving 85 19-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed NM E Lake George, 2 weeks 86 25-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil MP E Lake George, 2 weeks 87 25-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Glen Lake, < 1 week 88 25-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed NM E Lake George, 2 weeks 89 26-Jul N Pondweed MP E Lake George, 2 weeks 90 26-Jul N Pondweed RR L N/A 91 26-Jul N Pondweed RR L N/A 92 26-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed RR E Twin Lakes CT, 1 week 93 26-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Saratoga Lake, 1 week 94 30-Jul N Native waterweed NM E Bantham Lake, < 1 week 95 2-Aug I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Lake Hopatcong, 3 weeks 96 2-Aug N Native waterweed NM E Greenwood Lake, 1 week 97 2-Aug N Duck celery NM E Lake Hopatcong, 3 weeks 98 3-Aug I Eurasian watermilfoil MP E Lake George, < 2 weeks 99 8-Aug I Eurasian watermilfoil DB E Lake Hopatcong, <1 week 100 8-Aug N Native waterweed NM E Lake George, 1 day 101 9-Aug I Curly-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 102 9-Aug I Curly-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 103 9-Aug I Eurasian watermilfoil MP E Saratoga Lake, 1 day 104 9-Aug N Flat-stem pondweed NM E Lake George, 1 day 105 9-Aug N Duck celery NM E Lake George, 1 day 106 10-Aug N Native pondweed MP E Lake George, 1 day 107 10-Aug I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Lake Hopatcong, 1 week 108 15-Aug I Eurasian watermilfoil DB E Hudson River, < 2 weeks 109 16-Aug N Pondweed DB E Lake George, 1 week 110 16-Aug N Waterweed DB E Lake George, < 2 weeks 111 16-Aug N Coontail NM E Housatonic River, <1 week 112 17-Aug I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Candlewood Lake, 2 weeks 113 17-Aug I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Lake Hopatcong, <2 weeks
Key to Launch Abbreviations NM Norowal Marina MP Mossy Point Boat Launch DB Dunham’s Bay Marina HT Hague Town Launch RR Rogers Rock Campground NW Northwest Bay Cartop Launch IV Island View Marina
95 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix I: List of All Invasives Found by Weekday
Invasives found on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday are in red. Invasive found on a Wednesday or Thursday are in black. These findings are meant to help prioritize when planning the steward program in the future. Options to consider include whether it make sense to have fewer stewards that work 5 days a week or have a few more stewards and cover more launch locations and only have them each work three days a week. These decisions will be based on many factors, including available funding and steward applications. However, in terms of getting the best bang for your buck, it does appear that just staffing the launch locations on the weekends (for this purpose Friday is considered a weekend day) might be considered in the future.
Date Invasive Last Waterbody When Norowal Marina June 5 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Champlain < 1 week June 13 Water chestnut Hudson River last year June 14 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Champlain < 1 week June 21 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Champlain < 1 week June 27 Eurasian watermilfoil Candlewood Lake (CT) not recorded June 28 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George < 1 week June 29 Eurasian watermilfoil Candlewood Lake (CT) > 1 week July 3 Eurasian watermilfoil Candlewood Lake (CT) 2 days July 3 Curly-leaf pondweed Saratoga Lake 1 day July 4 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George Leaving July 4 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George 1 week July 4 Zebra mussel Lake George 1 week July 6 Zebra mussel Saratoga Lake same day July 16 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George last season July 18 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George last season July 18 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 1 month July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 4 days July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Hudson River 2 weeks July 19 Eurasian watermilfoil Hudson River 2 weeks July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Oneida Lake 3 weeks July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 2 weeks July 25 Eurasian watermilfoil Glen Lake < 1 week July 25 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 2 weeks July 26 Eurasian watermilfoil Saratoga Lake 1 week Aug 2 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 3 weeks Aug 10 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 1 week Aug 17 Eurasian watermilfoil Candlewood Lake (CT) 2 weeks Aug 17 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong (NJ) < 2 weeks
96 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix I: List of All Invasives Found by Weekday contd.
Date Invasive Last Waterbody When
Mossy Point July 5 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George 1 week 6-Jul Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Champlain 2 weeks July 16 Curly-leaf pondweed Saratoga Lake 1 week July 25 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George 2 weeks Aug 3 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George <2 weeks Aug 9 Eurasian watermilfoil Saratoga Lake 1 day
Dunham’s Bay June 13 Zebra mussels Saratoga Lake < 1 week June 21 Water chestnut Saratoga Lake 2 weeks June 25 Water chestnut Mohawk River < 1 week July 3 Water chestnut South Bay, Lake Champlain same day July 4 Eurasian watermilfoil Leaving July 4 Zebra mussels Leaving July 5 Zebra mussels Saratoga Lake July 6 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George 1 day July 6 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 1 day Aug 8 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong < 1 week Aug 15 Eurasian watermilfoil Hudson River < 2 weeks
Hague June 13 Curly-leaf pondweed Leaving June 13 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George June 14 Curly-leaf pondweed Leaving June 14 Curly-leaf pondweed Leaving June 14 Curly-leaf pondweed Leaving June 14 Curly-leaf pondweed Leaving July 17 Curly-leaf pondweed Leaving July 17 Curly-leaf pondweed Leaving July 17 Curly-leaf pondweed Leaving July 17 Eurasian watermilfoil Leaving July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Leaving July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Leaving July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Leaving July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 2 weeks Aug 9 Curly-leaf pondweed Leaving
Rogers Rock July 26 Curly-leaf pondweed Twin Lakes (CT) 1 week
97 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix J: Scientific and Common Names of Invasive Species
Bythotrephes cederstroemi spiny water flea Dreissena polymorpha zebra mussel Hydrocharis morsus-ranae European frog-bit Myriophyllum heterophyllum variable watermilfoil Myriophyllum spicatum Eurasian watermilfoil Najas minor brittle naiad, European naiad Nitellopsis obtusa starry stonewort Nymphoides peltata yellow floating heart Potamogeton crispus curly-leafed pondweed Trapa natans water chestnut Utricularia inflata swollen bladderwort Marsilea Quadrifolia European waterclover Corbicula fluminea Asian clam Cabomba caroliniana Fanwort Alosa pseudoharengus Alewife Cipangopaludina chinensis Chinese mystery snail
98 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix K: Invasive Species in Previously Visited Waterbodies By contacting colleagues in different states, we were able to determine some of the invasive species found in some of the 159 waterbodies that the 2,489 boats had previously been in. This list is by no means exhaustive. However, it does begin to provide a better picture of some of the threats that could be arriving at Lake George any day. Key to Abbreviations SWF spiny water flea AW alewife ZM zebra mussel FW fanwort EFB European frog-bit SS starry stonewort VWM variable watermilfoil YFH yellow floating heart EWM Eurasian watermilfoil CLP curly-leafed pondweed BN brittle/European naiad WC water chestnut EWC European waterclover SB swollen bladderwort AC Asian clam - No Known Invasives CMS Chinese mystery snail ? Unknown/Location Unclear New York Waterbodies Ballston Lake EWM Little York Lake EWM CLP Brant Lake EWM Long Island Sound - Canadarago Lake EWM ZM Loon Lake EWM Canandaigua Lake EWM ZM Mohawk River EWM Cassadaga Lake EWM Moreau Lake EWM Cayuga Lake EWM ZM VWM Niagara River - Chautauqua Lake EWM ZM Oneida Lake EWM CLP SS SWF Clark Pond - Oswego River WC Cossayuna Lake EWM Otsego Lake EWM WC Cranberry Lake VWM Paradox Lake EWM Dyken Pond - Peach Lake EWM Fulton Chain Lakes EWM SB Piseco Lake - Glen Lake EWM Putnam Pond EWM Grafton Park EWM Round Lake EWM BN Great South Bay ? Sacandaga Lake SWF Greenwood Lake EWM Saratoga Lake EWM ZM WC Hadlock Pond EWM Schroon Lake EWM Hessian lake - Schroon River - Highland Lake - Seneca Lake EWM Hinckley Reservoir - Skaneateles Lake EWM ZM Hudson River * EWM ZM Sleepy Hollow Lake EWM BN Indian Lake EWM St.. Lawrence River * ZM Lake George EWM ZM CLP Star Lake - Lake Champlain * EWM ZM EFB YFH Swinging Bridge Res. - Lake Flower EWM VWM Trout Lake - Lake Luzerne EWM Tupper Lake VWM Lake Mahopac EWM Twin Lakes ? Lake Pleasant - Warners Lake EWM * There are many more known invasives in these bodies of water. For our purposes, just a few are mentioned. 99 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix K: Invasive Species in Previously Visited Waterbodies contd.
Connecticut Waterbodies New Hampshire Waterbodies Bantam Lake ? Cannaan Street Lake - Boston Lake ? Lake Nubanuist - Candlewood Lake EWM CLP BN Lake Sunapee VWM Connecticut River Lake Walcott ? Coventry Lake EWM CLP Lake Winnipesaukee VWM Highland Lake EWM VWM CLP Lake Winnisquam VWM CMS Lake Housatonic EWM CLP BN Spofford Lake - Lillinonah Lake EWM CLP BN Webster Lake - Mansfield Reservoir ? Phantom Lake ? Twin Lakes ? Rhode Island Waterbodies Zoar Lake EWM BN CLP EWC Pawtuxet River CLP VWM FW Wallum Lake - Massachusetts Waterbodies Boston Harbor ? Vermont Waterbodies Buzzards Bay ? Battenkill River RS Cape Cod ? Harriman Reservoir - Connamessett Lake - Lake Bomoseen EWM ZM Framingham Lake ? Lake Dunmore EWM Goose Pond ? Lake Rescue - Hamilton Reservoir VWM Lake St.. Catherine EWM WC AW Holland Reservoir * ? Waterbury Reservoir - Lake Congamond EWM CLP AC Long Pond ? Onota Lake EWM CLP WC BN Otis Reservoir EWM Plunkett Lake EWM BN Pontoosuc Lake EWM CLP BN WC Stockbridge Bowl Lake EWM Watatic Pond VWM Webster Lake EWM VWM FW AC Whiteham Lake * ? Windsor Pond EWM Key to Abbreviations SWF spiny water flea AW alewife ZM zebra mussel FW fanwort EFB European frog-bit SS starry stonewort VWM variable watermilfoil YFH yellow floating heart EWM Eurasian watermilfoil CLP curly-leafed pondweed BN brittle/European naiad WC water chestnut EWC European waterclover SB swollen bladderwort AC Asian clam - No Known Invasives CMS Chinese mystery snail ? Unknown/Location Unclear 100 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix L: Steward Materials and Supplies
The stewards had a number of references available for their use at the launch sites. Their training manuals included reference materials on Lake George and invasive species in addition to the logistics of their position and daily duties. They also had a supply of brochures and handouts available for interested boaters. Laminated maps and pictures of common invasives were used when talking to boaters, and stewards handed each boater an informational card to keep on their boat. Boaters who listened to the steward’s message were also given a sticker to put on their boat trailer to mark them as having interacted with a steward, which would help speed up the process the next time they used the launch. The training manual was adapted from the Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute Watershed Stewardship Program and the Lake Champlain Basin Program Boat Launch Steward Program. For additional information or a copy of the training manual, please contact the Program Coordinator.
Live Well Transom Well Hitch
Rollers Axle Lower Unit/Propeller Watercraft check Points o Anchor o Ladder o Spare tire o Axle o Landing net o Tackle o Bait bucket o License plate o Tow rope o Bunks o Motor o Trailer o Bow line o Wheels o Transducer o Fishing line o Live well o Transom well o Floor o Lights/wiring o Trolling motor o Hull o Rollers o Intake pipe o Prop
Prevent the spread of invasive species. Clean and drain your boat and all equipment before launching and when removing your boat from Lake George. 3” x 5” sticker handed out to This document was prepared for the New York State Department of State with funds provided under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund. boaters for their boat trailer. These are two invasive species that have already been introduced into Lake George. Sticker provided by US FWS. Zebra Mussels Eurasian Watermilfoil (Dreisssena polymorpha) (Myriophyllum spicatum) harmful invasive that interrupts aquatic food webs, harmful invasive that forms dense surface mats that outcompetes native mussels, and fouls boats and other structures can interfere with swimming and boating and outcompete native plants D. Jude Wisconsin DNR
Laminated 4’ x 6” Clean Boats Clean Waters card given to dark and light colored stripes blunt tip boaters. Card designed by Program • Yellowish or brownish “D” shaped shell • Leaves in whorls of 3-5 around stem • Often grow in clusters in shallow water • Usually 12-21 closely spaced leaflet pairs per leaf Coordinator. “Clean Boats Clean • Only freshwater mussel that attaches to solid objects • Generally grows in water 3-12 feet deep • Can be up to 2 inches long, but most are under 1 inch • Feather-like leaves collapse around stem when out of water Waters” logo provided by Michigan For more information on invasive species or to report a sighting in Lake George, call the Lake George Association at (518) 668-3558. Sea Grant.
101 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 Appendix L: Steward Materials and Supplies contd.
List of Handouts for the Public The Clean Boats Clean Water Watercraft Checkpoints Card and the Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers Trailer Sticker (both pictured on the previous page) were given to every boater. A supply of the following publications were displayed on the Lake Steward’s table. However, these brochures were not actively handed out to every boater, but were rather made available for boaters to pick up if interested. • Snail or Zebra Mussel ID Tip Sheet • Clean Boats Clean Waters Sticker • Zebra Mussel Watch Card • Don’t Move Firewood, bookmark, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation • Keep Fishing Great! Use Certified Bait!, VHS brochure, NYSDEC • Don’t let New York Rivers get slimed!, Didymo brochure, Au Sable River Association • Invasive Plants of the Adirondacks, brochure, Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program • Protect Lake George - Stop Aquatic Invaders, brochure, Lake George Park Commission • Lake George Special Navigation Rules, brochure, LGPC • Boating Safety, Lake George, NY, brochure, LGPC
List of Reference materials available for Steward use These publications were in the steward’s training manual as reference materials. They did not have a supply of these to hand out to the public, but could refer to them as needed. General • Lake George Boaters Map • New York State Boaters Guide, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation • New York State Freshwater Fishing Regulations 2006-2008 Revised, NYS DEC Aquatic Invasives • Native vs. Eurasian watermilfoil, ID card, Minnesota DNR • Aquatic Invaders of the Lake Champlain Basin, brochure, Lake Champlain Basin Program • Zebra mussels: Aquatic Nuisance Species, fact sheet, Lake Champlain Sea Grant • Zebra mussels in North America: The invasion and its implications, fact sheet, Ohio Sea Grant • Zebra mussels: Questions and Answers for Inland Lake Managers, fact sheet, Illinois Sea Grant • Map of zebra mussel locations in Lake George 2008 • Lake George Integrated Aquatic Plant Management Program 2007 Report, LGPC • Eurasian watermilfoil Plant Profile, fact sheet, APIPP • Recognizing Eurasian watermilfoil and Native look-a-likes, fact sheet, Wisconsin DNR • Common Look Alike Plants, fact sheet, APIPP • Eurasian vs. Native watermilfoil, ID card, Wisconsin DNR • Curly-leaf Pondweed Plant Profile, fact sheet, APIPP • Curly-leaf Pondweed Look-a likes, fact sheet
102 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 • Quick Key to ruling out Maine’s Eleven Most Unwanted Invasive Aquatic Plants, Maine Center for Invasive Aquatic Plants • Maine Field Guide to Invasive Aquatic Plants and their common native look-a likes. Maine Center for Invasive Aquatic Plants, Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program. Pdf copy available online at www.mainevolunteerlakemonitors.org/publications/FieldGuide/ Terrestrial Invasives • Distribution of Terrestrial Invasive Plants in the Adirondack park, 2005 Map, APIPP • Terrestrial Invasive Plant Inventory and Analysis for the Lake George Watershed, New York, 2007, Lake George Land Conservancy • Terrestrial Invasive Plants of the Lake George Watershed, brochure, Lake George Land Conservancy Insect Invaders and Firewood • Pest Alert: Sirex woodwasp, fact sheet, USDA Forest Service • Pest Alert: Emerald Ash Borer, fact sheet, USDA Forest Service • Pest Alert: Asian Long-horned Beetle, fact sheet, USDA Forest Service • Emergency Firewood Regulations, June 3, 2008, FAQs, fact sheet, NYS DEC
Basic Supplies for each launch • Chair • Table • Tent • Bucket with brochures for handout and display • Training Manual • Laminated handouts for display • Ziploc bags and sharpies for samples • Data Forms • Pen • Clipboard • First Aid Kit • Cell phone • Steward on Duty Sandwich Board
There were laminated handouts made up for the stewards to use while talking to boaters. They are printed on the following pages.
103 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 * 51 infested lakes as of 2007 * 51 infested Jenny Lake Jenny Lake Hunt Pond Taylor Meacham Lake Lake Seventh Sixth Lake Pond Long Middle Lake Saranac Lake Saranac Lower Clear Pond Follensby Pond Floodwood Pond Little Square Pond Creek Fish Pond Copperas Lake Algonquin Mill Pond Falls Franklin Flow Union Falls Lake Flower Lake Fifth Deer River Flow Pond Putnam Minerva Lake Lampson Falls River at Grasse Chazy Lake North Pond Oseetah Lake Lake Colby Kiwassa Lake Lake Upper Saranac Horseshoe Pond Indian Lake Mountain View Lake Lake Chateaugay Lower Lake Upper Chateaugay Lake Champlain Lake Augur Pond Lincoln Bartlett Pond Lake Schroon Eagle Lake Lake Brant Lake George Lake Loon Daggett Lake Lake Luzerne Sacandaga Lake Great Lake Mayfield Lake Caroga West Lake East Caroga Effner Lake Lakes with Aquatic Invasive Plants in the Adirondack Park in the Adirondack Plants Invasive with Aquatic Lakes
104 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 .Bluelabelsaresitesthatarecl ngDFWIsites(N=1)temporarilyset6 edwithbenthicbarrierbutarenotyetclea oilsitesattheconclusionof2007 PROGRAM REPORT eedoffuturemanagedeffortincludi asideforresearch(seete xtandFigure4fordetails). owlabelsaresitesthatareactivelymanag MapofallknownEurasianwatermilf EURASIAN WATERMILFOIL MANAGEMENT INLAKEGEORGE2007 MANAGEMENT EURASIAN WATERMILFOIL redofmilfoil;redlabelsaresitesinn earofallvisiblemilfoil;yell Figure1. Mossy Point e g location r o Ticonderoga e G Indicates Zebra Mussel Zebra Indicates
e Huletts Huletts Landing k a Rogers Rock Hague L Zebra mussels removed by
volunteers from Bateaux Below n Darrin Fresh Water Institute and I Sandy Bay Sandy Castaway Marina Castaway
s l e s s u M 12 32 17
377 377 1,369 1,557 21,260 24,624 a r Cleverdale b Number Removed e Z Bolton Landing Site Total Cleverdale Sandy Bay Mossy Point Mossy Rogers Rock Yankee Marina Castaway Marina Lake George Village King Neptune's Pub King Neptune's * As of the end 2007 * As Yankee Marina Neptunes
105 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 106 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 2x
107 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 AquaticAquatic InvasiveInvasive PlantsPlants inin NewNew YorkYork StateState
Water Lettuce Starry Stonewort Brittle Naiad Brazilian Elodea Pistia stratiotes Nitellopsis obtusa Najas Minor Egeria densa Not in NYS Yet
Water Hyacinth Parrotfeather Hydrilla Eichhornia crassipes Myriophyllum aquaticum Hydrilla verticillata AquaticAquatic InvasiveInvasive PlantsPlants inin thethe AdirondacksAdirondacks
Eurasian Watermilfoil Curlyleaf Pondweed Yellow Floating Heart Myriophyllum spicatum Potamogeton crispus Nymphoides peltata
Fanwort Water Chestnut European Frog-Bit Cabomba caroliniana Trapa natans Hydrocharus morsus-ranae 108 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 rus Vi AquaticAquatic InvadersInvaders ofof NYNY ish S F VH
Tench Spiny Waterflea
Didymo – “Rock Snot”
Snakehead Round Goby AquaticAquatic InvadersInvaders inin thethe AdirondacksAdirondacks
D. Jude
Alewife Zebra Mussels •Cause dramatic changes in the lake’s •Clog water pipes zooplankton community, potentially leading •Attach to boats, docks, & equipment to increased algae blooms •Outcompete native mollusks •A diet rich in alewives leads to reproductive failure in landlocked salmon and lake trout •Interrupt the lake’s food web by selectively filtering and consuming good algae and •Probably cause decline in: smelt, yellow leaving blue-green algae in the water perch, walleye and various minnow species •each mussel can filter approx. 1 quart of water per day •Increase water clarity – which can increase rooted aquatic plants
109 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 91 in the N = 48 LAKE (Marsden (2005) ) Exotic species 87 CHAMPLAIN Lake Champlain, Champlain, Lake 2002 Levinton and Waldman (2005) Exotic species in the Hudson River, N = Park N = ?? (Strayer, in: Adirondack Exotic species in the de Lafontaine and Costan ( St. Lawrence River, N = ) 183 Exotic species in the Great Lakes, N= Mills et al. 1993, 1996, 2006 (
110 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 word cloud showing the bodies of water that 5 or more boats had previously visited in the 2 weeks before launching at Lake George. image obtained from www.wordle.net/. Help Stop the Spread!