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New laws in the village and town of Lake George make it illegal to apply fertilizer containing phosphorus. Replacing turf with native plants, like those pictured here, benefits not only waterways, but wildlife as well.

With spring here at last, and the snow all but gone, area residents are finally getting outside to start spring yard work. As they do so, the Lake George Association (LGA) is reminding property owners in the Lake George watershed about lake-friendly actions they can take this spring to protect the Lake’s water quality.

“Most importantly, people need to know that it is now illegal to apply phosphorus fertilizer in the village and town of Lake George, and we have more complete information on the new laws here at the LGA,” said Emily DeBolt, director of education. “We generally do not recommend fertilizing at all until the fall, and then, we urge people to use only phosphorus-free fertilizer, no matter where a property is located within the watershed,” she said.

During the spring, property owners can follow these lake-friendly steps to keep the Queen of American Lakes at her best:

1. Minimize paved or impervious surfaces and bare soil areas to keep stormwater runoff under control. Consider installing a rain barrel, permeable pavers, a rain garden or native plants.

Controlling stormwater runoff is a key practice for lake-friendly gardeners. One way to do so is to install a rain barrel like the one pictured above, available for purchase at a discounted price at the Lake George Association.

2. Rake or blow leaves, clippings, winter debris, salt and sand away from paved surfaces, storm sewers, streams and the Lake. Leaves and clippings are loaded with phosphorus. Keep metals, pesticides, pet waste, household cleansers, and automobile fluids from entering the Lake as well.

3. Schedule septic system maintenance, so all will be well when summer visitors arrive.

4. To prevent polluted runoff, do not apply pesticides near wells, driveways, sidewalks and other impervious surfaces, and do not apply pesticides when heavy rains are expected or if the ground is already
saturated or frozen. Always follow the label and only use pesticides to treat an identified problem if absolutely needed. Many times there are other things you can do to avoid the use of these harsh chemicals all-together.

5. Minimize areas of lawn by planting more native plants, which provide benefits for water quality and wildlife. For areas of lawn you wish to keep, take the necessary steps to keep it dense and healthy. A healthy lawn will reduce surface runoff and will filter and purify water before it enters the soil and groundwater. Follow these tips from Dr. Frank Rossi of Cornell Cooperative Extension:

Avoid fertilizing if your lawn looks good, or if you fertilized last fall. Excess fertilizer in the early spring promotes top growth at the expense of root growth.

Weigh how much time, energy and money you want to spend on lawn care with what the lawn’s function will be. A plot of green lawn so the kids can play ball makes sense. Large expanses of turf that exist only to be mowed, probably not.

Grow the right type of grass. (Tall fescues and fine-leaf fescues, not Kentucky blue grass. Tall fescues have deep roots, tolerate shade and tolerate high foot traffic.)

Do not apply fertilizer before Labor Day. Nitrogen is all that grass needs to achieve dense vegetation. (Potassium can lead to an abundance of dandelions.) New recommended concentration levels are lower than before: 3/10 – 5/10 lbs per 1000 square feet. (NOT what the fertilizer bag says.)

Leave legumes, like white clover, in your lawn to add nitrogen, naturally.

For more information about how to create lake-friendly landscapes, or to receive on-site technical support, the public can contact the LGA at 518-668-3558. A Lake-friendly Living Open House, free to the public, will be held at the LGA on Saturday, June 4, 2011 from 10 am – 2 pm. In addition, the LGA’s new website has extensive information on the topic. Visit www.lakegeorgeassociation.org and search on “lake-friendly living.”

The Lake George Association (LGA) has issued a comment letter in response to proposed changes in baitfish regulations by the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC), urging the agency to maintain the current regulations, without change.

An organization with 125 years of experience in protecting and conserving Lake George, the Lake George Association supports maintaining the current New York State baitfish regulations. “Revising the laws to allow transportation corridors in the state is a mistake, and a disappointing step backwards in our fight to protect New York waters from invasive species,” said Walt Lender, LGA executive director.

“The best defense against invasive species is identifying the pathways of invasion and establishing spread prevention programs to address those pathways. Current regulations address baitfish transport as a major pathway. These laws must remain as strong and enforceable as possible,” said Emily DeBolt, LGA director of education. “Once an invasive species is established, the costs to control it far outweigh any preventative measures,” she said. Currently Lake George is estimating a cost of over $400,000 to combat a new invasive believed to have been in the Lake only two or three years – the Asian clam.

Baitfish are well documented vectors for spreading aquatic invasive species (AIS) from infected to uninfected waters (Litvak and Mandrak 1993; Ludwig and Leitch 1996; Litvak and Mandrak 1999; Goodchild 1999). Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), largemouth bass disease, and spiny waterflea are just a few of the known AIS threats that can move to new waters via the baitfish pathway.

In 2007, New York State (NYS) became a leader in addressing the baitfish pathway by instituting several regulations that control the use of baitfish. Since then, at least three other states, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Ontario, have followed New York’s example and instituted similar regulations. There is wide-spread agreement that if the regulations, as they stand, are followed and properly enforced, the chance is low for VHS and other AIS to spread to waters via the baitfish pathway.

Some people feel that restricting the overland transport of uncertified baitfish places an unfair burden on law-abiding anglers. However, the LGA believes that the DEC’s proposed revisions to current regulations will:
· Make baitfish regulation difficult to enforce in large areas of the state;
· Weaken prevention measures put into place to stop the spread of AIS via the baitfish pathway; and,
· Increase the likelihood of new AIS invasions into the waters of the state.

Said LGA Executive Director Walt Lender:
“New York State has the opportunity to continue to be a national leader in the prevention of aquatic invasive species from entering state waters. The baitfish regulations, in conjunction with several new policies under consideration, including ballast water initiatives, the four-tier invasive species regulatory list, and an aquatic species transport law, represent a powerful shield against further invasion. If the overland transport of baitfish were to be allowed, even in corridors, a huge gap would be created in an otherwise strong prevention strategy.”