Join the Lake Protectors

Since 2002, hundreds of volunteers have learned how to identify, survey, and record data about aquatic invasive plants and animals impacting Adirondack lakes, streams, and wetlands. To give our Lake Protectors volunteers the tools they need, APIPP hosts a number of trainings and orientations every summer, both in-person and online, so folks are ready to get out on the water. Follow us on social media, sign up for our email newsletter, or explore our events calendar to know when the next Lake Protectors training is taking place. Being a volunteer Lake Protector is a fun and easy way to protect Adirondack lakes, so join us today and adopt a waterbody to monitor for aquatic invasive species!

Interested in joining Lake Protectors? Here is an overview of what you will do:

  • Attend a training to learn how to identify and report aquatic invasive species (three hours).
  • Sign up online to monitor a lake.
  • Monitor the lake at least once between July and September. Most volunteers spend one to three hours monitoring for invasive species.
  • Report your findings back to APIPP via paper forms, online, or an app.

Below are all of the past trainings, identification guides, survey protocols, and adoption map tools you need to get involved.

Questions? Reach out to APIPP’s aquatic invasive species staff today!

General Volunteer Resources

2026 Training Video

Data Recording and Reporting Tools if Using Paper Datasheets

If Using Online Datasheets

If Downloading and Using Digital Tools in the Field