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July 26, 2007

Boat-launch stewards assist in invasive-species education

Boaters taught about perils of invasive-species import

By JEFF MEYERS

PLATTSBURGH "" Stewards stationed at three local boat launches on Lake Champlain this summer are helping boaters recognize the growing problems the lake faces from invasive species.

The stewards alternate between the Peru, Wilcox Dock and Point au Roche boat launches in an effort to reach as many boaters as possible about the dangers of inadvertently transporting such nuisances as zebra mussels, water chestnuts and Eurasian milfoil.

"We want to spread awareness of invasive-species spread prevention," said Meg Modley, aquatic nuisance species coordinator for the Lake Champlain Basin Program, who oversees the two seasonal stewards in New York, as well as those covering boat launches in Vermont.

"We're talking to anglers and recreational users about limiting the transfer of aquatic plants and animals to and from the Lake Champlain basin."

LESSENING THE IMPACT

The project does not involve any kind of enforcement but is simply being used as an educational opportunity.

"The human species leaves such a large impact on the environment," said Tyler Frakes, who spends most of his time as a steward at the Peru boat launch. "People don't always realize the impact they have."

Invasive species "" including non-natives such as water chestnuts and zebra mussels and native species like the sea lamprey "" have been causing problems in Lake Champlain for decades, but their assault on the lake's natural ecosystem has intensified of late.

"There are 48 known invasive species in Lake Champlain, but there are many more just on the horizon," Modley said. "The key is to keep them from jumping boundaries and keeping that number from growing."

DISRUPTION

Invasive species cause problems by disrupting the normal habitat of native varieties, quite often out-competing them for food and living space and forcing them out of the region.

The zebra mussel is a prime example, for it has decimated populations of fresh-water mollusks in the lake.

Zebra mussels first started appearing in North America about two decades ago, when they were transported to the Great Lakes in the bilge water of tankers from Europe. Their spread has been constant and overwhelming since then, causing tremendous economic and ecologic damage wherever they have turned up.

Yet, a potentially more dangerous invader, the quagga mussel, has also made it to North America from its native Ukraine and could someday reach the Lake Champlain basin.

"What we need is a coordinated effort from many agencies in both states (New York and Vermont) and Quebec," Modley said. "It's a basin-wide effort, and we need the support of a lot of people" to minimize the spread of invasives.

WILLING AUDIENCE

Frakes and fellow New York steward Karla Gratto are showing boaters the different ways invasives can "catch a ride" on their vessels and will help them with techniques to check for invasives when entering and leaving bodies of water.

"I have a passion for the environment," said Gratto, a biology teacher at Chateaugay High School who took the summer position to help protect the lake's ecosystem.

"People have been very responsive to what we're doing," she added. "The locals, especially, are very pleased that we're down here educating people about preventing the spread of invasive species."

Gratto is spending much of her time at Wilcox Dock but will also visit the Point au Roche launch.

SEES THE IMPACT

Frakes, who just graduated from Siena College with a political-science degree, grew up in Port Kent and has a long history with the lake.

"A lot of these issues have impacted me personally. Just within the past 10 years, it has become a really big problem."

The pilot program, being funding by the Basin Program and supported by agencies from both states, is modeled after a similar project at the boat launch at Paul Smith's College and will be used to determine what long-term projects may be beneficial to prevent further spread of unwanted plants and animals.

Gratto and Frakes are at one of the three boat launches on one weekend day each as well as one or two days during the week. They alternate those days, spending eight hours each day on site to meet as many new boaters as possible.

jmeyers@pressrepublican.com

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