n1 fAdirondack Watershed Institute Stewardship AdirondackProgram Summary Watershed of Programs Institute Stewardshipand Research Program 2014 Summary of Programs and Research 2014 Adirondack Watershed Institute Report # PSCAWI 2015-02 ADIRONDACK WATERSHED INSTITUTE THE YEAR IN REVIEW 2 STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM The Year in Review Aquatic invasive species (AIS) continue to be a great concern all across the Adirondack region, demanding increasing attention and resources from communities and agencies far and wide. The Adirondack Watershed Institute Stewardship Program (AWISP) is part of coordinated efforts at the local, regional and statewide levels to detect and arrest the spread of AIS. The Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) works year-round with partner organizations, communities and government agencies to understand and manage a range of environmental quality issues through research and education. 2014 marked the fifteenth field season for the AWISP. 2014 highlights: Clean, Drain, Dry! AWISP stewards provided coverage at 31 launches on 26 lakes and ponds this season sharing the message of “Clean, Drain, and Dry!” New Education Program! The AWISP launched an off-site environmental education program called the Water Shield Workshop. The program integrates land-based exercises with on-water activities for participants of all ages. Water Shield Workshops were held at Lake Pleasant, Schroon Lake, and Lower Saranac Lake in 2014. Finding Bythotrephes! Survey efforts by AWISP staff confirmed the presence of spiny waterflea (Bythotrephes longimanus) in Lake Pleasant and Piseco Lake for the first time. See it! Touch it! Learn it! The AWISP purchased an Enviroscape watershed model for education and outreach activities. Round-up of accomplishments, by the numbers: AWISP stewards confirmed and removed 834 AIS from inspected watercraft across the Adirondack region. Stewards educated 63,471 visitors and inspected 25,033 watercraft. The AWISP employed 28 full-time stewards, 4 part-time stewards and 2 regional supervisors. The AWISP was funded by 7 lake associations, 1 state authority, 1 tax district, 1 federal agency, 1 private foundation, and 1 college. While 94 waterbodies in the Adirondack Park are confirmed AIS sites, there are still 235 waterbodies which remain free of invasive species and need protection! This is just a sample of the work conducted by the AWISP. What else have we done in 2014, and what is to come? Read on to find out! The AWI Team ADIRONDACK WATERSHED INSTITUTE TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction and Program Findings ................................................................................................ 8 Program Description ..................................................................................................................... 23 Overview of Steward Locations .................................................................................................... 31 Location Descriptions and Program Details .................................................................................. 34 Special Project Reports ................................................................................................................. 40 Aquatic Invasive Species Surveying and Management ............................................................. 40 Aquatic Invasive Species Illustration Project ............................................................................ 43 Education and Outreach ........................................................................................................... 49 Loon Monitoring ........................................................................................................................ 60 Management of Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) on the St. Regis Lakes ....................... 66 Monitoring Lyme Disease in the Adirondacks .......................................................................... 72 Road-Salt Effects on Ecosystem Structure and Function in Headwater Streams in an Intact Forested Landscape ................................................................................................................... 74 SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Ranger School Arboretum ................... 89 Terrestrial Invasive Species Monitoring and Management ...................................................... 90 Boat Launch Use Data Summaries ................................................................................................ 92 Chateaugay Lake ....................................................................................................................... 92 Cranberry Lake .......................................................................................................................... 95 Stillwater Reservoir, Eighth, First, Fourth, Limekiln, Seventh, and White Lakes ...................... 98 Fish Creek Pond ....................................................................................................................... 101 Forked Lake, Lake Eaton, Meacham Lake and Osgood Pond .................................................. 104 Fourth Lake .............................................................................................................................. 107 Great Sacandaga Lake ............................................................................................................. 110 Lake Flower ............................................................................................................................. 113 Lake Placid ............................................................................................................................... 116 Long Lake ................................................................................................................................. 119 Rainbow Lake .......................................................................................................................... 122 Raquette Lake .......................................................................................................................... 125 Saratoga Lake .......................................................................................................................... 128 ADIRONDACK WATERSHED INSTITUTE TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM Second Pond ............................................................................................................................ 131 Stillwater Reservoir ................................................................................................................. 134 Tupper Lake ............................................................................................................................. 137 Upper St. Regis Lake ................................................................................................................ 140 Upper Saranac Lake ................................................................................................................. 143 White Lake ............................................................................................................................... 145 Appendices .................................................................................................................................. 147 Appendix B: Quality Assurance Project Plan, Lake Ontario Headwaters ................................ 160 Appendix C: Quality Assurance Project Plan, Lake Champlain Basin ...................................... 168 The 2014 Adirondack Watershed Institute Stewardship Program was funded by: Adirondack White Lake Association Lower Saranac Lake Association Great Sacandaga Lake Advisory Council Rainbow Lake Association Upper Saranac Lake Association Please cite this report as: Simek, Z.D., K.A. Wiley and E.R. Holmlund*. 2015. Adirondack Watershed Institute Stewardship Program: Summary of Programs and Research 2014. Adirondack Watershed Institute of Paul Smith’s College. Report No. PSCAWI 2015-02. 168p. *Contact information: Dr. Eric Holmlund, Director Adirondack Watershed Institute Stewardship Program Paul Smith’s College, Box 265 Paul Smiths, New York, 12970. Telephone: (518) 327-6341. Email [email protected] ADIRONDACK WATERSHED INSTITUTE LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES 5 STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM List of Tables and Figures Table 1. Abbreviation List ....................................................................................................................................................... 6 Table 2. Comprehensive data summary, 2014 ..................................................................................................................... 11 Table 3. Comprehensive data summary, boat types, 2014 .................................................................................................. 12 Table 4. Summary of organisms removed from watercraft, 2014 ........................................................................................ 13 Table 5. Organism transport rates and AIS spread prevention steps taken by type of watercraft ...................................... 14 Table 6. AIS transport rates by type of watercraft ............................................................................................................... 15 Table 7. AIS spread prevention information, 2014 ..............................................................................................................