Invasive species are almost impossible to eradicate and new ones keep threatening the welfare of the Adirondack Park

Let’s be part of the solution; not part of the problem

The 4 POINT PLAN MAY BE THE ANSWER

 Although the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has rules and regulations to prevent the spread of invasive species within the Adirondacks, the time of voluntary compliance with boat launching has come and gone.  Just as with our individual health needs, an ounce of prevention is worth more than a ton of remedial efforts.

Even though there has been a law in place instructing boaters to decontaminate their boats, many boaters just don’t.  Those who avoid compliance with the rule of “clean, drain & dry” have been breaking the law but there is no real enforcement.  The bottom line is that education and a law without enforcement are not enough to stop the spread of invasive species and as invasive species spread they become the continual problem of the new host waters and their taxpayers!  In the Adirondacks, millions of dollars are spent to remove invasive species and this will only continue to multiply until there are real teeth to prevent this trend.

The goal is not to prevent boaters from enjoying lakes in the Adirondack Park, but to prevent the spread of Invasive species in the Adirondack Park.  A state-wide campaign promoting the importance of decontamination (boat wash) stations when going from lake to lake is a critical part of this strategy.

The DEC and the Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) have created an excellent framework for preventing the spread of invasive species by hiring lake stewards at boat launches and boat decontamination stations. This partnership with lake associations and Adirondack municipalities is critical.  However there are some obvious gaps that need to be improved.  For some lakes, AWI offers lake steward coverage for 40 hours per week, but what happens during the other 128 hours of that week?  The following 4 point plan addresses these gaps and when implemented will curb the spread of invasives in the Adirondacks.

First of all, the time has arrived that lake stewards should have the authority that if they are convinced that a boat coming to launch (and has no proof of being decontaminated) and is coming from a body of water that has invasives, they should have the ability and authority to prevent that boat from launching and order that boat to be decontaminated.  Unfortunately decontamination stations are currently vastly underutilized, but they are one of the keys to combatting the spread of invasive species.  The DEC and AWI need to adopt this concept now and enforce it.

The Town of Schroon is one of the few municipalities that has a local law that gives its lake stewards the unequivocal authority to send a boat to a boat decontamination station before launching.  The local law states: if it is the opinion of the Lake Steward or Vessel Inspection Technician that the watercraft is coming from a waterbody contaminated with aquatic invasive species or from a waterbody with unknown aquatic invasive species status, the Lake Steward or Vessel Inspection Technician shall have the authority, at his or her discretion, to direct the boater to an official boat wash/decontamination station for decontamination of the watercraft.  However, AWI lake stewards when working in the Town of Schroon are not enforcing this local law.

To those who state that mandatory inspections and decontamination (if necessary) infringe upon the Fourth Amendment of our Constitution, enforced “clean, drain and dry” is really no more restrictive than buckling your seatbelt or stopping for a red light.

The emphasis on educating the public on how to prevent the spread of invasive aquatic species is critical piece of the solution, but until this becomes automatic behavior more communities need a local law similar to the Town of Schroon’s and the support of the DEC in order to protect their future. 

Second, communicating the proper message to all boaters is a key factor.  In New York State motorized boat registrations need to be renewed every 3 years.  When registration renewals are sent to boat owners this is an opportunity to inform boat owners of their obligation concerning the spread of invasive species (along with promoting the message that lake stewards have the authority to prevent launches for watercraft that have not been decontaminated as previously stated) and that boat owners need to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.  To take this one step further, perhaps during the renewal process boaters need to sign a pledge that they understand the rules of clean, drain & dry and when going from body of water to body of water the importance of having their watercraft decontaminated at a boat wash station.  This point was incorporated into the 2024 Blueprint for the Blue Line by the Adirondack Common Ground Alliance. 

Third, for the DEC and AWI there should be absolutely no differentiation between a DEC boat launch and a public boat launch owned by a municipality or another entity.  AWI must be provided with the resources to expand lake steward hours as well as manning all Adirondack decontamination stations.

Fourth, during the many hours that lake stewards are not on duty, the partners in the fight against aquatic invasives must collaborate and propose something like a gate type mechanism that could be solar powered and potentially use a Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) card as successfully used at ski centers and given to a boater for a single launch and a single retrieval after a boat has been decontaminated.  For the sake of our lakes we need to think outside the box with creative solutions.

When all boaters understand that the fate of an Adirondack lake, pond or river can be compromised by their lack of diligence, only then can we proudly state that we have succeeded in our mission.