Hydrilla

By Liz Kreitinger, Steward/Executive Director, Cayuga Lake Watershed Network

Managing invasive Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) in Cayuga Lake requires a combination of sustained chemical treatments, public education, and cooperative efforts from lake users to prevent further spread. Since its discovery in the inlet in 2011, each Hydrilla infestation location has been targeted with herbicide treatments which have reduced plant density and slowed its spread.

However, preventing the spread of Hydrilla by local boat traffic remains a significant challenge. In June, for the first time this year, Hydrilla was detected by a Finger Lakes Partnership for Invasive Species Management (FL-PRISM) Watercraft Steward at Cayuga Lake State Park who was inspecting a motorized kayak exiting the lake. This is the furthest point north in Cayuga Lake that Hydrilla has been detected to date. Preventing Hydrilla from spreading into the shallow northern shelf of Cayuga Lake and the canal  system is a top priority due to its vigorous growth which can choke waterways for recreation and crowd out other species.  In response to the finding, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and FL-PRISM have put additional effort towards surveys in areas surrounding the park. As of the beginning of August, no established fragments of Hydrilla have been found in the area.

Public awareness campaigns urging lake users to “Clean, Drain, Dry” boats and equipment, along with voluntary inspections by Watercraft Stewards, rely heavily on public cooperation, especially at private docks and informal launch sites. The Cayuga Lake Watershed Network’s education activities continue to focus on these activities and invasive species awareness.

Coordination with local partners is facilitated through the Cayuga Lake Hydrilla Task Force which now includes members from Tompkins, Cayuga and Seneca Counties. As part of an ongoing effort to manage Hydrilla in Cayuga Lake, herbicide treatments administered by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and DEC continue this summer in all three lakeshore counties. Surveys to monitor treatment effectiveness, plant community response, and possible new patches are ongoing. For details on treatment schedules and extent, water monitoring for herbicide levels, and herbicide information sheets visit our website: https://www.cayugalake.org/resources/hydrilla-information-action/.

 

New York State Invasive Species Awareness Week 2024

New York State’s annual Invasive Species Awareness Week is from June 3 to June 9, 2024. This is an annual campaign to promote knowledge and understanding of invasive species and the harm they cause by providing a wide range of activities across the state and showing people how to stop the spread of invasive species. To get more information on invasive species, and a schedule of Invasive Species Awareness Week events visit https://fingerlakesinvasives.org/nyisaw24/ and   https://nyis.info/events/month/2024-06/ .

Hydrilla in Cayuga Lake

The Cayuga Lake Watershed Network will be hosting the Hydrilla in Cayuga Lake 2023 Annual Updates and Panel Discussion via zoom on December 18, 2023 from 12:00-2:00 pm.  Please join us to learn and ask questions about Hydrilla and the challenges it presents to Cayuga Lake, as well as the current management strategies.  Presenters include Sam-Beck Anderson from the Finger Lakes Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management, Richard Ruby from the United States Army Corps of Engineers and Cathy McGlynn from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.  To register, click here .

2023 End of year Hydrilla Public Session
2023 End of year Hydrilla Public Session Image

 

 

iMapInvasives Training and Invasive Species Walk

Due to issues with the iMapInvasives app and the smoke from the Canadian wildfires, the iMapInvasives training that was scheduled as part of New York State Invasive Species Awareness week was cancelled.  However, Michele Wunderlich was able to provide an impromptu iMapInvasives training earlier in the week to Ann Robson, OWLA president and Ally Berry, Owasco Lake Watershed Inspector.  They learned how to use the iMapInvasives app and were given a brief invasive species identification training in the field.

If you would like iMapInvasives app training, please contact Michele Wunderlich at mwunderlich@cayugacounty.us.

Photo is of common buckthorn, an invasive species.

Hydrilla Hunt 2019

This is an urgent request – please reply if you can assist!

The Cayuga Lake Watershed Network needs your help checking shoreline and dock areas for hydrilla, around Cayuga Lake, from October 19 – 31.

Hydrilla Hunter

In recent weeks, hydrilla infestations have been found at new sites around the southern third of the lake, most recently at the marina in Lansing and near the mouth of Cayuga Inlet in Ithaca.

Right now is the time hydrilla makes its presence known visibly at the water surface. They need a team of people checking the shoreline, around their docks and launches, and in shallow water from October 19-31 (or later, if interested).

Could you help? It would take one to two hours of your time on one or two dates of your choice.  The Cayuga Lake Watershed Network will provide you with lake rakes and hydrilla i.d. kits and collection bags and give you simple instructions on how to report suspects to invasive plants experts.

If you are interested, please let them know – quickly! Contact Jenn at programs@cayugalake.org 

This is a serious situation – hydrilla is beginning to show up in new and unexpected places. We do not want to it to spread. Help find it early, before it takes hold and expands rapidly.

PLEASE help – just this once, or on a regular basis.

More information about hydrilla, the top aquatic invasive plant: http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/hydrillafs.pdf

For more information on the Cayuga Watershed Nework:  www.cayugalake.org

Invasive Species Field Guide and Fact Sheets now available

The Finger Lakes Institute and Finger Lakes PRISM have now published an invasive species field guide with over 100 pages of resources to help you identify invasive and native species in the region. This guide was created in response to the growing threat of invasive species in the Finger Lakes region, with the intention of helping members of the public identify local flora and fauna and learn to distinguish between invasive species and native species.

This guide is applicable to the counties within the Finger Lakes Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM): Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Onondaga, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Tompkins, Tioga, Steuben, Wayne, and Yates.

To view the guide and fact sheets, visit http://fingerlakesinvasives.org/finger-lakes-prism-field-guide-and-fact-sheets-are-here/.