LAKE PLACID - Representatives of several watershed protection groups and experts in the management of aquatic invasive plants met with the village Board of Trustees Monday to discuss how to prevent another infestation of invasives in Paradox Bay on Lake Placid.
The panel discussion, which was requested by Lake Placid Shore Owners Association President Mark Wilson, focused on steps the village could take to prevent the spread of invasives through the village boat launch on the lake. The invasive plant variable-leaf milfoil was found in Paradox Bay last summer.
Located on Victor Herbert Road, the village launch is the lesser used of the two public boat launches on the lake and has not been staffed in the summer with lake stewards to inspect boats and talk with boaters about the threat of invasives. Stewards from the Watershed Stewardship Program at Paul Smith's College have been paid by the Shore Owners Association to staff the nearby, and much busier, state Department of Environmental Conservation boat launch on the lake.
The options discussed during the nearly two-hour meeting for managing the village launch ranged from doing nothing, which most agreed was not a viable option for protecting the lake, to shutting down the boat launch for the season, which village officials are reluctant to do.
The solution may involve a combination of several other ideas that were presented, such as staffing the village launch with a paid or volunteer steward, limiting the boat launch to use by canoes and kayaks only, only opening the launch when it's staffed with a steward, creating a boat washing station at the site or improving education and signage.
"As we go forward, what we'll do is outline the range of options and try to come up with a response so that we're prepared for the beginning of lake season, which is coming up in about a month," village Mayor Craig Randall said.
Representatives of the Lake Placid, Mirror Lake, AuSable River and Mill Pond watershed groups attended. Carol Treadwell, executive director of the AuSable River Association, noted that those waterways are connected and face the same threat.
"Our concern is that leaving an uncontrolled boat launch would lead every waterway in the AuSable watershed and adjoining watersheds open to invasion," said.
Eric Holmlund, director of the Watershed Stewardship Program, said college students and volunteers have been manning the DEC boat launch on Lake Placid five days a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day. He said they were in a "heightened state of vigilance" after variable-leaf milfoil was found in the lake last summer.
"They're looking at every boat as closely as they can," he said. "Not every boat is going to carry a problem or introduce an invasive species, but the exposure is there. This is a clear and present problem."
Holmlund admitted there are gaps in their coverage at the DEC boat launch that could be tightened with the use of volunteers or split shifts. He said the village needs to determine how often the village boat launch is being used so stewards are used "in a way that's feasible and effective."
Tyler Smith of the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program urged the board to involve the community in its decision-making process.
"We believe that something should be done in this instance, but it should be a community decision," he said.
Andrew Lewis of Aquatic Invasives Management, an invasive plant control company that helped remove milfoil from Paradox Bay last summer, suggested the village hire a waterkeeper to "map out the muck in Lake Placid" or survey areas of the lake where milfoil could take hold.
"I do see Paradox Bay as the fertile starting point for a future infestation," said Lewis, who also recommended improved signage at the village launch.
Holmlund suggested better public education along with "some sort of personal consequence" such as a small fine for those found to be transporting invasive species on their boats. Wilson recommended a special workshop be held for the contractors who use the boat launches on the lake.
Asked if motorized boats are more likely to introduce an invasive species to a lake than a canoe or kayak, Smith couldn't say for certain. His personal experience, however, has led him to believe that a boat on a trailer, simply because it has more angles and "hideaway spots" for plants than a canoe or kayak, is more likely to introduce an invasive.
Randall said access to the lake is "cherished in the community." While closing the village boat launch would not be an option, he said the site needs to be managed in a way that protects the lake from invasives. Randall also said the village needs to have a better understanding of who is using the site, and why. The use of stewards is a good idea, but if they're not there when people are using the launch, they would be ineffective, Randall said.
"I think what we're looking at here is going to be baby steps moving forward," he said. "I'd like to have a better knowledge of how our site is used."
After the meeting, Wilson called the session "very productive."
"Having me presenting this to the board, as I have been for months, is one thing, but having the experts address the board is much more important," he said.
Wilson said he's hopeful he will be able to work with the village to implement at least a short-term solution, such as putting a paid steward at the village launch, in time for the start of the boating season.
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Contact Chris Knight at 891-2600 ext. 24 or cknight@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.
