APIPP News: Become a Lake Protector Volunteer; APA and NYSDEC Accepting Public Comments on Invasive Species Management

APIPP News: Become a Lake Protector Volunteer; APA and NYSDEC Accepting Public Comments on Invasive Species Management

Dear Partners,

Happy summer! I hope you are ready to jump into the water and onto the trails. Here at APIPP, our team is excited to kick-off the Lake Protector program next week with a virtual training for volunteers on June 28. We are not just busy on the water though, APIPP’s terrestrial invasive species Early Detection and Rapid Response team from Invasive Plant Control (IPC) started its work with us on Monday.

APIPP staff and the IPC team monitor and manage invasive species across the Adirondack Park, and two important public agency proposals now open for public comment would revise how invasive species management work is regulated. The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) is accepting public comments on the “Interagency Guidelines for Implementing Best Management Practices to Control Invasive Species” through July 11, and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is accepting comments on proposed glyphosate regulations through August 22. Read more about these topics below.

Lake Protectors Program Kicks-Off June 28

Help protect your local lake by looking for aquatic invasive species! This is an easy and fun way to give back to the lakes you love. To date, over 800 citizen scientists have surveyed over 400 lakes throughout the Adirondacks. Volunteers are asked to attend a virtual or in-person training and to commit to monitoring a lake of their choice one time between July and September. If you have questions, please reach out to Brian Greene, APIPP’s Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator (brian.greene@tnc.org).

June 28 Virtual Lake Protectors Training Option: Webinar from 9:00am-11:30am

The virtual Lake Protectors training webinar will give participants the skills they need to support local conservation while having fun out on the water. Participants will learn how to identify, survey, and record data about aquatic invasive species so they can join other volunteers protecting our Adirondack lakes. Register here for the June 28 webinar. Webinar recordings will be available after the event for volunteers who are not able to attend. 

  • 9:00am-10:15am: Aquatic Invasive Species Identification 
  • Break
  • 10:30am-11:30am: Survey Methods

July 9 In-Person Lake Protectors Training Option: Wilmington Town Beach 9:00am–12:00pm

APIPP is teaming up with the Ausable River Association to offer an in-person Lake Protectors training at the Wilmington Town Beach. The training will be similar to the virtual event, where participants will learn how to identify, survey, and record data about aquatic invasive species. During this event, there will also be an option to paddle on Lake Everest to learn how to apply the survey protocol and identify aquatic plants and animals while on the water. Participants are asked to bring their own boat to join this portion of the training. Register here for the July 9 training.

  • 9:00am-10:00am: Aquatic Invasive Species Identification 
  • 10:00am-11:00am: Survey Methods
  • 11:00am-12:00: Optional Paddle for Field Experience

August 5 In-Person Training Option: Speculator, NY

Registration details will be announced soon!

Adirondack Park Agency (APA) Accepting Public Comments on Invasive Species Management Guidelines through July 11

APA is accepting public comments on proposed changes to the “Inter-Agency Guidelines for Implementing Best Management Practices to Control Invasive Species on DEC-Administered Lands of the Adirondack Park” (Guidelines). The proposed revisions to the regulations recognize the serious impact invasive species have on native ecological communities in the Adirondack Park and the successful history of managing invasive species to restore natural communities. APIPP is restoring more than 200 small sites on NYSDEC-administered land, totaling approximately 11 acres. 

APIPP supports revisions to the guidelines to replace a static best management practices (BMPs) approach, which was not reflective of rapidly changing science and conditions on the ground, to an approach that uses site-specific BMPs. APIPP also supports streamlining the agencies’ application and review process to enable species-specific workplans for terrestrial and aquatic invasive species control projects. 

APA will accept comments through July 11, 2022. For more information, see the press release from APA.

Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Accepting Comments on Glyphosate Regulations through August 22

NYSDEC has issued proposed regulations to limit the use of pesticides containing glyphosate on state lands in accordance with a law passed last year. The law bans most uses of glyphosate on state properties but continues to allow its use for the control of invasive species and for other public safety measures. APIPP uses limited quantities of glyphosate to successfully control invasive species on public lands in the Adirondacks. Once the invasive species have been removed, the sites restore to natural plant cover which helps ensure critical habitat is maintained. 

The new regulations require those applying glyphosate to assess alternatives and to report on the use of the pesticide. The regulations also require a human exposure assessment and information about procedures that will be followed to limit human exposure. APIPP already maintains documentation to comply with the proposed regulations. In addition, APIPP will embark on a new research project this year to test the effectiveness of pesticides other than glyphosate for the control of knotweed species.

Read NYSDEC’s press release here. The press release contains information about how to submit a public comment before August 22 and how to attend a virtual public hearing on August 17.

New Adirondack “Clean, Drain, Dry” Regulations in Effect Starting June 8

Don’t forget, the state’s new Clean, Drain, Dry regulations went into effect in the Adirondacks on June 8. The following paragraphs are copied from the NYSDEC website.  

“Beginning on June 8, 2022, all boaters operating motorized watercraft in the Adirondack Park and within ten miles of the Blue Line are required by law to possess certification that, before launching, their vessel has undergone measures to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species by following the Clean, Drain, Dry standards described in NYS Regulation (6 NYCRR Part 576).

These certificates can be acquired by visiting a NYSDEC designated aquatic invasive species inspection station where boat stewards are present to inspect or decontaminate vessels and to provide boaters with a certification card. Alternately, boaters may perform Clean, Drain, Dry. steps themselves and then complete a self-issued certificate. A Self-Issued Certificate is available below to be printed and carried by boaters.

Hope to see you out on the water or in the woods!

Tammara 

P.S. Mark Your Calendars!

APIPP’s popular “Backyard Invasives—Identification and Management of Terrestrial Invasive Species” webinar will be held at 10:00am on July 20. Register here.