Invasive plant pulled from Chateaugay Lake

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Entrepreneurs Tommy Thomson (left) and Andrew Lewis, founders of Aquatic Invasive Management, survey a week's harvest of Eurasian milfoil pulled from Chateaugay Lake. Their team of divers is working under contract to the Chateaugay Lake Foundation. Photo Provided

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August 1, 2010

Anonymous Press-Republican The Press Republican Sun Aug 01, 2010, 03:28 AM EDT

CHATEAUGAY LAKE — A dumpster full of Eurasian water milfoil is not pretty, but it is a welcome sight to those concerned for the future of Chateaugay Lake.

Over the past few weeks, scuba divers have removed 38 tons of the invasive weed from targeted areas of the lake.

"Eurasian milfoil is a threat to the health of the lake, as well as to the value of lakefront property, and thus a threat to the tax bases of Bellmont, Ellenburg and Dannemora, the three towns surrounding Chateaugay Lake," Mary Johnson, president of the Chateaugay Lake Foundation, said in a news release.

"The foundation has been in existence three years. We have attacked Eurasian milfoil in targeted areas. Matting has been installed to block weed growth, and scuba divers have hand-pulled the weed."

She said that while they certainly haven't eradicated milfoil, they have definitely made progress in controlling it.

Without control, Eurasian milfoil spreads furiously, crowding out more beneficial native plants.

For the Chateaugay Lake Foundation, the goal is to prevent it from taking over the shoreline waters to such an extent that it spoils boating, swimming and fishing and harms the water quality.

This is the third year the foundation has contracted with the Adirondack Watershed Institute of Paul Smith's College to install mats, hand-harvest around the mats and conduct scientific monitoring.

Some 300 mats, each measuring 17 feet by 20 feet, have been installed. They are moved each season to cover more area.

At the public boat launch on the Chateaugay Narrows, milfoil has been reduced to 10 percent of what it was before the start of treatment two years ago.

At the sand bar, a popular destination for day boaters, it has been reduced to less than half after one season.

This season, a 38-acre bay between these two sites has been targeted for intensive hand-harvesting by Aquatic Invasive Management, LLC. Founded by two young entrepreneurs from the Lake Placid area, the business has developed techniques to boost the efficiency of hand-harvesting.

An eight-person dive crew worked for two weeks in early July to remove two dumpster trailer loads of milfoil, which was transported to a local farm in Chateaugay for composting.

"We are very pleased by the progress made this season," Johnson said. "It has convinced us that hand-harvesting can be effective for clearing dense milfoil. The challenge now is to raise the funds so we can keep going."

The foundation has received some funds from government sources, including a $20,000 state grant obtained by Sen. Betty Little to launch the project. But state funding sources have since dried up.

"We depend on local sources to keep the project alive," Johnson said. "We have received support from the three surrounding towns and hope that continues.

"Meanwhile, private contributions from lakefront property owners and other local individuals and businesses have been our mainstay. Donations to the foundation are tax-deductible as charitable contributions."

Donations can be sent to: Chateaugay Lakes Foundation, P.O. Box 222, Lyon Mountain, NY 12952.