The Lake George Park Commission released a press release this week, spotlighting the success they have had in fighting the spread of Milfoil. Here are some of the highlights:
A program to manage Eurasian Watermilfoil in Lake George, spearheaded by the Lake George Park Commission, eliminated more than 670,000 plants in 2010. 93% of the 183 sites where nuisance milfoil has ever been found in the Lake were clear of all milfoil at the conclusion of 2010.
The 2010 results are summarized in a report that has been posted to the Commission’s website www.lgpc.state.ny.us. The results indicate that the number of dense beds requiring future management has been steadily reduced in recent years. In 2010, for the first time, more bottom barriers were removed than added indicating that the program has reached a significant level of control.
The Lake George Park Commission has been the lead agency for the management effort for 25 years providing most of the funding from annual user fees paid by local boat and dock owners. Since 2006, State Senator Elizabeth Little has secured annual allocations of State funds from an invasive species program established that year. “It takes a tremendous effort to achieve a result like this,” said Senator Betty Little. “I’m pleased to have been able to play a small role in securing funding. The battle continues, but this level of success has implications beyond Lake George as other communities and organizations will no doubt look here to learn how to successfully fight invasive species that threaten water bodies throughout the state.”
Invasive species are now generally recognized as the most significant threat to the Lake. The Lake’s superior water quality, the signature characteristic for which Lake George is world renown, is in large part a function of complex biological interrelationships. Invasive species have the potential to alter these relationships, the web of life in the Lake, and thereby destroy the Lake’s most attractive qualities.