Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo unveiled in March
an agreement among 53 state agencies, municipal
governments, property owners, lake
associations, conservation groups, sporting
groups and businesses to prevent the introduction
and spread of aquatic invasive species
in the Adirondack region.
The agreement will help preserve clean
water, increase recreation opportunities and
promote tourism in Upstate New York, he said.
State Sen. Betty Little of Queensbury
said the strength of the agreement is “in the
diversity of the many groups that have made
it a priority. The waters of our lakes, rivers
and streams impact the life of everyone who
lives in and visits the Adirondack Park. Preserving
clean water by preventing the spread
of invasives will save millions of dollars and
benefit the economy and environment for
many, many years.”
The agreement supports the Clean, Drain
and Dry standard for all boats entering and
exiting the region and its waters. Under the
agreement, a regional boat and trailer inspection
and decontamination program is planned
for 2015 that will build upon the successful
efforts undertaken on Lake George and other
lakes in the region.
A recent study by the Adirondack Park
Invasive Plant Program found that if invasive
species are allowed to spread, they could
cost the Adirondack economy up to $900 million.
This includes annual losses in visitor
spending, and agriculture and primary forest
production value as well as losses in property
value that will affect the tax base and
borrowing ability for property owners on an
ongoing basis.
To prevent this, the 53 parties pledge to
work together to develop a new region-wide
aquatic invasive species prevention pilot
program to proactively prevent the introduction
and spread of aquatic invasive species in
Adirondack waters. The program will include
stewardship, data collection, education, boat inspections and when necessary, decontamination
of boats and trailers. Additional
entities can sign onto the agreement going
forward.
To support this effort, the governor proposed
a $1 million increase to the Environmental
Protection Fund in the next fiscal year
to fight the spread of invasive species.
DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said,
“clean waters supporting healthy ecosystems
are important to anglers, boaters, paddlers,
swimmers and other recreationists who
visit the Adirondacks, as well as the residents
whose businesses depend on those visitors.”
Village of Lake George Mayor and Chairman
of the S.A.V.E Committee Robert Blais
said the 3,000 lakes and ponds 30,000 miles
of rivers and streams are the region’s “most
valuable assets. Using our initial success in
Lake George as a model and continued leadership
of the governor our S.A.V.E. Group looks
forward to working with all our neighbors in
the Adirondacks.”
“This historic call to action expresses the
unprecedented gravity of the threat posed
by invasives and the necessary resolve for
preventing them from ruining our precious
waters,” said Eric Siy, executive director of
The FUND for Lake George and founding
S.A.V.E. Lake George. “It is a testament to
what it will take to win, leadership at all levels
and from all sectors.”
Lake George Association Executive Director
C. Walter Lender said “the best way to
deter the introduction of aquatic invasive
species is to have a strong education program
coupled with convenient locations for boat
inspection and decontamination stations. Our
data from 2013 showed that boaters arriving
at LGA inspection stations at Lake George
boat launches had previously visited 163 different
water bodies – meaning that a regional
program is critical to protect the health of all
of the lakes in the Adirondacks.”
Signatories of the agreement include
the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce,
the Adirondack Park Agency, the
town of Bolton, the Adirondack Landowners
Association, the Adirondack Mountain Club,
Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, the
Fund for Lake George, the Lake George Association,
the Lake George Land Conservancy,
the Lake George Park Commission, the village
of Lake George, the Warren County Invasive
Species Committee, the Warren County Soil
and Water Conservation District and many
more.