Category: The Environment

Wall lettuce (Mycelis Muralis), one of the newer invasive species on a watch list for the Adirondacks, is now growing off of Rt. 9L near Dunham’s Bay in Lake George. The Lake George Association is gathering data to assess the spread of the species in the Watershed. Property owners who believe that this plant is growing on their land are asked to contact the LGA at 668-3558 or info@lakegeorgeassociation.org.

An invasive terrestrial plant, Mycelis muralis, commonly known as wall lettuce, has been identified growing alongside 9N near Dunham’s Bay in Lake George, the Lake George Association announced today. Wall lettuce is one of several newer species that was placed on a watch list earlier this spring by the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program. This is the first time that the plant has been known to exist within the Lake George Watershed, although it has likely been growing for a few years without having been identified. Citizens are asked to contact the LGA if they believe this plant may be growing on their property, so that the organization can assess the spread of its growth.

Wall lettuce is a slender herb with a smooth 3- foot stem that exudes a milky juice when broken. Leaves grow primarily near the base of the plant. The leaves are 2½ to 7 inches long and 1 to 3 inches wide. They are smooth with broad, terminal segments and earlike, clasping flanges at the leaf base. Tiny yellow flowers, with 5 strap-shaped petals, form rounded shapes at the very top of the plant. The plant dies back after flowering, and can act as either an annual or biennial.

A closeup shot of a wall lettuce leaf.

Due to a lack of natural predators, diseases and parasites, invasive species like wall lettuce can quickly become pervasive. When they do, these species can negatively impact the ecological balance of Lake George by out-competing native plants for light, nutrients, and space. Plants like purple loosestrife and common reed can alter hydrological processes, and can change drainage patterns, soil water holding capacity, and resistance to erosion.

The LGA ‘s Director or Education, Emily DeBolt, first noticed this new plant when she was working on a native landscaping project near Dunham’s Bay last year. The odd yellow flower was growing just off of Rt. 9L. She shared pictures of the plant with Dan Spada with the Adirondack Park Agency (APA), but at first they were unable to confirm the plant’s identity. Still suspicious, Ms. DeBolt photographed a larger plot of the plant this past Friday and sent the photos to Mr. Spada again. This time Mr. Spada determined that the plant was in fact wall lettuce; Steve Young, the head botanist with New York State’s Natural Heritage Program, confirmed the identification.

Jim Sears, who also lives near Dunham’s Bay, attended the LGA’s native plant workshop this past Saturday, and brought photographs of a yellow weed he has been struggling to remove on his property, explaining that it spread rapidly this year, and has been present for several years. Ms. DeBolt identified this plant as wall lettuce as well.

“Purple loosestrife, phragmites, shrubby honeysuckle, and Japanese knotweed are invasive species that have been targeted for management activities in the Adirondacks for several years now,” said Ms. DeBolt. “We already have more than our share of Oriental bittersweet, burning bush, and Japanese barberry around Lake George – but wall lettuce is one that I was not familiar with,” she said. “Additional newer species that are we need to be on the lookout for as they start to make inroads into Adirondacks are swallowwort, yellow iris, Japanese stiltgrass, flowering rush, and lesser celandine. We need to keep our eyes out for these as well,” she said.

LGA Lake Steward Monika LaPlante holds samples of three invasive species Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweed and zebra mussels. These were pulled off a boat at Norowal Marina during her first day on the job for 2010.

LGA lake stewards are once again on duty at boat launches around Lake George for the summer, inspecting boats and educating boaters on how to prevent the spread of invasive species.They began their work on Memorial Day weekend.

Coordinated by the LGA, the program seeks to contain the spread of three species already present in Lake George: Eurasian watermilfoil, zebra mussels, and curly-leaf pondweed, as well as a possible fourth – brittle naiad – which was found and removed from Dunham’s Bay last summer. The program also helps prevent new invasive species from being introduced, such as spiny waterflea and water chestnut, which are present in nearby water bodies.

On her first day out, Friday, May 28, Lake Steward Monika LaPlante removed three invasive species – milfoil, curly-leaf pondweed and zebra mussels – from one of the boats she inspected that day. Monika and fellow stewards Lee Peters, Mark Altwerger and Brendan Carberry, were trained in inspection, identification and data collection by the LGA and at the Adirondack Watershed Institute at Paul Smiths College, in cooperation with the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program and the Lake Champlain Basin Program.

LGA stewards will be located at Norowal Marina and other launches in the south end, and Mossy Point, Hague Town Launch, and Rogers Rock in the north end on weekends throughout the summer. In addition to inspecting the boats for aquatic invasive species, the stewards will also remind boaters of the DEC firewood regulation, new in 2009, which limits the transport of untreated wood to 50 miles, in an effort to protect forests from insect invaders, such as the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) and Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB), which have had a devastating impact on tree populations in the Great Lakes and the Northeast regions.

Emergency funding for the program this year was provided by the town of Hague, the town of Bolton’s Local Development Corporation, and the Lake George Park Commission. “In past years, the LGA has received funds from New York State through the Lake George Watershed Coalition to run this essential prevention model program, which is respected across New York and New England,” said Walt Lender, LGA’s executive director. “We are grateful to secure funding from other sources this year, including grant funding provided by the Helen V. Froelich Foundation. Without preventative measures like this, Lake George could suffer the kind of devastating impact, both ecologically and economically, that we’ve seen in other lakes,” Lender said.

Last summer, the stewards inspected 3,886 boats at launch sites around the lake between May 23 and August 28, and collected 162 samples, with 75 of those being invasive species. The invasive samples included 48 specimens of eurasian watermilfoil, 13 of curly-leaf pondweed, seven of zebra mussels, and seven of water chestnut (which is not currently found in Lake George). Eurasian watermilfoil was removed on 22 occasions from vessels entering at Mossy Point and 21 times from vessels entering at Norowal Marina. A total of 158 different water bodies were visited in the two weeks prior to their entrance into Lake George. Many of these water bodies are known to have invasive species.

The most common previously visited water bodies include the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Great Sacandaga Lake, and Lake Hopatcong (NJ). With 65 boats having last visited the Hudson River and 62 last on Lake Champlain, which contain 91 and 49 invasive species respectively, along with last year’s discovery of the invasive zooplankton the spiny waterflea in Great Sacandaga Lake, the importance of having Lake Stewards at our launches to help protect Lake George from new invaders is very apparent.

The Darrin Fresh Water Institute and the Historical Society of Bolton recently announced their 2010 summer lecture series.

These events are open to the public and free of charge. The programs are on Monday evenings at 7:30 PM. To learn more call 518-644-3541 or visit the website: www.rpi.edu/dept/DFWI.