Warren County’s new road signs will alert travelers to their new county invasive species transport law.
Warren County started posting signs this week to remind the public about the new county invasive species transport law.
The county law, a first of its kind for New York State, makes the introduction and transport of aquatic invasive species into any Warren County waterbody illegal. People can transport aquatic invasives into the county on a boat, trailer, personal watercraft, in an aquarium, on fishing equipment or in a bait bucket. If a person transports aquatic invasive species on a public road, releases invasives into a stream, pond or lake, or launches an infested boat, they are violating the law.
Violators can be fined as much as $5,000 and sentenced to as many as fifteen days in jail.
Washington County, where Huletts Landing is located, does not have a similar law.
“The LGA worked for weeks with the county supervisors to help draft this law, which is based on a law that is still pending at the state level,” said Lake George Association Executive Director Walt Lender.
“We are very excited that the county is being so proactive and leading the fight against invasive species, said LGA Education Director Emily DeBolt. “Now we hope Washington and Essex will consider passing similar laws to further help protect the Lake because we don’t know when something will get passed at the state level. We can’t afford to wait,” she said.
The Lake George Association and the Lake Champlain Lake George Regional Planning Board worked together to design the sign. The county is printing the signs. LCLGRPB is working with the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation to coordinate posting the sign on state launches on other sites in the county. LCLGRPB is also working with the Adirondack Lake Alliance to identify launch locations in the county.
A few of the aquatic invasive plants that people need to be on the alert for, because they are highly invasive, include: Eurasian watermilfoil, water chestnut, curly-leaf pondweed, hydrilla, and Brazilian elodea (waterweed), which is still sold in local aquarium shops.
The public can also learn more about these invasives at an upcoming Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) plant identification workshop. The workshop will be held from 10am – 2pm at Darrin Fresh Water Institute in Bolton Landing on Thursday June 21. After attending the workshop, volunteers can work for the LGA Invaders Watch Citizen Science program, to lookout for non-native, invasive species along Lake George’s shorelines, and help prevent their spread.