Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo unveiled in March
\nan agreement among 53 state agencies, municipal
\ngovernments, property owners, lake
\nassociations, conservation groups, sporting
\ngroups and businesses to prevent the introduction
\nand spread of aquatic invasive species
\nin the Adirondack region.<\/p>\n
The agreement will help preserve clean
\nwater, increase recreation opportunities and
\npromote tourism in Upstate New York, he said.<\/p>\n
State Sen. Betty Little of Queensbury
\nsaid the strength of the agreement is “in the
\ndiversity of the many groups that have made
\nit a priority. The waters of our lakes, rivers
\nand streams impact the life of everyone who
\nlives in and visits the Adirondack Park. Preserving
\nclean water by preventing the spread
\nof invasives will save millions of dollars and
\nbenefit the economy and environment for
\nmany, many years.”
\nThe agreement supports the Clean, Drain
\nand Dry standard for all boats entering and
\nexiting the region and its waters. Under the
\nagreement, a regional boat and trailer inspection
\nand decontamination program is planned
\nfor 2015 that will build upon the successful
\nefforts undertaken on Lake George and other
\nlakes in the region.<\/p>\n
A recent study by the Adirondack Park
\nInvasive Plant Program found that if invasive
\nspecies are allowed to spread, they could
\ncost the Adirondack economy up to $900 million.<\/p>\n
This includes annual losses in visitor
\nspending, and agriculture and primary forest
\nproduction value as well as losses in property
\nvalue that will affect the tax base and
\nborrowing ability for property owners on an
\nongoing basis.<\/p>\n
To prevent this, the 53 parties pledge to
\nwork together to develop a new region-wide
\naquatic invasive species prevention pilot
\nprogram to proactively prevent the introduction
\nand spread of aquatic invasive species in
\nAdirondack waters. The program will include
\nstewardship, data collection, education, boat inspections and when necessary, decontamination
\nof boats and trailers. Additional
\nentities can sign onto the agreement going
\nforward.<\/p>\n
To support this effort, the governor proposed
\na $1 million increase to the Environmental
\nProtection Fund in the next fiscal year
\nto fight the spread of invasive species.<\/p>\n
DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said,
\n“clean waters supporting healthy ecosystems
\nare important to anglers, boaters, paddlers,
\nswimmers and other recreationists who
\nvisit the Adirondacks, as well as the residents
\nwhose businesses depend on those visitors.”<\/p>\n
Village of Lake George Mayor and Chairman
\nof the S.A.V.E Committee Robert Blais
\nsaid the 3,000 lakes and ponds 30,000 miles
\nof rivers and streams are the region’s “most
\nvaluable assets. Using our initial success in
\nLake George as a model and continued leadership
\nof the governor our S.A.V.E. Group looks
\nforward to working with all our neighbors in
\nthe Adirondacks.”<\/p>\n
“This historic call to action expresses the
\nunprecedented gravity of the threat posed
\nby invasives and the necessary resolve for
\npreventing them from ruining our precious
\nwaters,” said Eric Siy, executive director of
\nThe FUND for Lake George and founding
\nS.A.V.E. Lake George. “It is a testament to
\nwhat it will take to win, leadership at all levels
\nand from all sectors.”<\/p>\n
Lake George Association Executive Director
\nC. Walter Lender said “the best way to
\ndeter the introduction of aquatic invasive
\nspecies is to have a strong education program
\ncoupled with convenient locations for boat
\ninspection and decontamination stations. Our
\ndata from 2013 showed that boaters arriving
\nat LGA inspection stations at Lake George
\nboat launches had previously visited 163 different
\nwater bodies – meaning that a regional
\nprogram is critical to protect the health of all
\nof the lakes in the Adirondacks.”<\/p>\n
Signatories of the agreement include
\nthe Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce,
\nthe Adirondack Park Agency, the
\ntown of Bolton, the Adirondack Landowners
\nAssociation, the Adirondack Mountain Club,
\nAdirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, the
\nFund for Lake George, the Lake George Association,
\nthe Lake George Land Conservancy,
\nthe Lake George Park Commission, the village
\nof Lake George, the Warren County Invasive
\nSpecies Committee, the Warren County Soil
\nand Water Conservation District and many
\nmore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[53,66,118],"yoast_head":"\r\n