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Invasive Plant Species of the Finger Lakes

Invasive Plant Species of the Finger Lakes Marissa Madej Finger Lakes Institute Hobart and William Smith Colleges March 29, 2005 What are invasive plants? Plants that are not native to the environment they exist in Introduced into a new environment most often by human activity

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Invasive Plant Species of the Finger Lakes

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  1. Invasive Plant Species of the Finger Lakes Marissa Madej Finger Lakes Institute Hobart and William Smith Colleges March 29, 2005

  2. What are invasive plants? • Plants that are not native to the environment they exist in • Introduced into a new environment most often by human activity • Become established in a new location and overtake native plant species, altering the ecosystem

  3. Invasive Plants of the Finger Lakes • Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) • Submersed rooted perennial plant that forms dense mats on the surface • Green or reddish brown branching stems and feathery leaves in whorls • Thrives in July and August

  4. Curlyleaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) • Submersed rooted perennial plant with reddish-green leaves that have distinct wavy edges • Forms dense vegetation mats • Emerges in early spring and peaks growth in mid-July

  5. Water chestnut (Trapa natans) • Submersed,rooted and floating annual plant that forms dense mats of floating “rosettes” • Floating leaves are triangular with “toothed” edges and are waxy on top and hairy on the underside • Produces thorny four pointed nutlettes in early summer

  6. Established in the Finger Lakes • Eurasian watermilfoil • Curlyleaf pondweed • May threaten the Finger Lakes • Water chestnut (Established in Lake Ontario, Oneida Lake, and Seneca River)

  7. How did they get here? • Introduced into the Great Lakes from foreign places • Traveled through connecting waterways or transported by humans into the Finger Lakes

  8. My Project • Researching the various types of invasive plants in the Finger Lakes • Researching the impacts of invasive plants on each of the Finger Lakes • Reviewing the existing strategies to control and eradicate invasive plants

  9. Purpose of the Project • To assess the impacts of invasive plants on the Finger Lakes • To determine what strategies are most effective in controlling and eradicating invasive plants • To determine where information is lacking • To make recommendations based on these findings

  10. What I have been doing • Conducting research about each Finger Lake’s situation with invasive plants and their related strategies, using resources in the Finger Lakes Institute clearinghouse, on the Web, and from various other sources • Contacting other agencies doing research and working to control the invasive plants in the Finger Lakes

  11. Current Findings • Lakes with an invasive plant problem: Conesus, Honeoye • Lakes without a problem: Cayuga, Keuka, Seneca, Skaneateles • Need more information: Canadice, Canandaigua, Hemlock, Otisco, Owasco

  12. Effective Strategies • Lake organizations • Watershed protection plans • Reduction of nutrients and sediments entering lakes • Plant harvesting • Herbivory by aquatic weevil and/or moth, Acentria ephemerella • Public education

  13. Recommendations • Update watershed protection plans • Ongoing water quality monitoring • Public education • Reduce nutrients and sediments entering lakes • Plant harvesting as temporary solution • Continue research about Acentria ephemerella and other potential biological controls • Remove and report any unestablished invasive plants

  14. Final Steps • Continue contacting other agencies conducting research and working to control invasive plants in the Finger Lakes • Research more about invasive plants in the Great Lakes and how they may threaten the Finger Lakes • Create a paper outlining my findings and recommendations • Create a brochure and slideshow for the Finger Lakes Institute outlining the types of invasive plants in the Finger Lakes

  15. What YOU can do • Get involved with your lake’s organization • Keep yourself educated about the topic • Remove and report any unestablished plants if you see them

  16. References Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance. The Lakes. New York’s Finger Lakes. Retrieved March 25, 2005, from http://www.visitfingerlakes.org/static/planner/aboutFL/lakemap.htm Gilman, Bruce A. (1992, Fall). A History of Aquatic Plant Distribution in Upstate New York. Canandaigua, New York: Finger Lakes Community College. Lake George Association. Eurasian Watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum). Lake George Association. Retrieved March 25, 2005, from http://www.lakegeorgeassociation.org/html/eurasian_watermilfoil.htm Natural Agricultural Library. (2004, December 28). Species Profiles: Water Chestnut. Invasivespecies.gov. Retrieved March 25, 2005, from http://www.invasivespecies.gov/profiles/waterchestnut.shtml NYSDEC Lake Services Section. (1997, October). Common Nuisance Aquatic Plants in New York State. Albany, New York: NYSDEC Lake Services Section. Weeds Watch Out. Weeds Watch Out: Stop Invasive Aquatic Plants. Retrieved March 3, 2005, from http://co.cayuga.ny.us/wqma/weedswatchout/index.html

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