In the Adirondacks, a Battle Against an Aggressive Green Invader from the Deep

NY Times ^ | June 12, 2007 | LISA W. FODERARO

[neverdem]

SCHROON, N.Y. — Nosing into a shallow bay on Schroon Lake, Steve LaMere peered over the side of his pontoon boat. He was on an unusual reconnaissance mission, looking for signs of an aggressive aquatic invader, a stringy herb from Eurasia that once adorned American aquariums but has no business here in the Adirondacks — or anywhere in North America.

“I’m a fifth-generation Adirondacker, and I take this stuff personally,” said Mr. LaMere, a certified lake manager and ecologist who is on the front lines of the fight against invasive species. “The Adirondack Park is where I’ve drawn my line in the sand. There’s no reason we can’t get it under control.”

The plant he was after, Eurasian watermilfoil, is not new. First found in the United States in the 1940s in a pond in Washington, D.C., it has since spread to almost every corner of the country, endangering swimmers, boaters and other aquatic plants. Since the 1970s, its growth — along with that of many other invasive plants and animals — has exploded.

Like other invasive species, Eurasian watermilfoil is spread from continent to continent by ballast water from ships, and locally by recreational boaters and fishermen who unwittingly introduce plant fragments to clean lakes from infested ones. Until recently, it was an infrequent sight in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York, where many of the more than 3,000 mountain lakes and ponds are relatively inaccessible.

But as the park’s popularity has risen, so has the presence of Eurasian watermilfoil. By far the most widespread of a half-dozen nonnative aquatic plants in the park, Eurasian watermilfoil is now in more than 45 Adirondack lakes, including giants like Lake George and Saranac Lake. It threatens their biodiversity by muscling out native plants and can grow so thick that it...

[neverdem]

Nancie Battaglia for The New York Times
Steve LaMere holds Eurasian watermilfoil found near the Schroon Lake Marina in Schroon Lake, N.Y. The plant has infested more than 45 lakes in the region.

Nancie Battaglia for The New York Times
Helen D. Wildman in the driver's seat of a boat scanning Schroon Lake in the Adirondacks for Eurasian watermilfoil. Organizations in the region are working to control invasive aquatic species.

Nancie Battaglia for The New York Times
A sign at Schroon Lake Marina warns boaters to look out for Eurasian watermilfoil and help prevent its spread.

[SIDENET]

These plants aren't invaders.

They're merely undocumented.

[Cacique]

Another illegal alien.

[Dumpster Baby]

This is probably easier to get rid of:

[JSteff]

“Another illegal alien.”

Ted says they deserve amnesty and benefits.

[Jimmy Valentine]

Schroon Lake is really a beautiful place.

One good thing about the decline in population in New York, is that many of these wonderful places are relatively undisturbed.

[Clioman]

These plants aren’t invaders.
They’re merely undocumented

Start checking out the local churches for aquariums, er, sanctuaries...

[TADSLOS]

Just clogging the lakes that American aquatic plants won’t clog.