This commentary is by Pat Suozzi of Hinesburg, president of the Federation of Vermont Lakes and Ponds.
With the recent announcement of the discovery of golden clams in Lake Champlain, the total number of known invasives in that lake rises to 52. This follows the recent announcement this summer that Eurasian watermilfoil, also an aquatic invasive, has now been found in Joes Pond — the second inland lake in the last three years to be added to the infested water bodies list. These were certainly disappointing announcements.
Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are biological pollutants. The US Fish and Wildlife Service notes that aquatic invasive species spread is “harming vital ecosystems and native wildlife and plants and impacting recreation, human, animal, and plant health, the economy, and infrastructure.”
The most widespread aquatic invasive in Vermont is Eurasian watermilfoil. This milfoil can seriously damage native aquatic habitats by outcompeting native species. Milfoil does not provide the food that native fish and amphibians need to survive and thrive. Once it crowds out native plants, the natural food web is broken, and the aquatic ecosystem begins to deteriorate. In addition, milfoil grows so vigorously and thickly that it can form mats on the surface of the water, leading to surface rot and encouraging algae growth.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that we have the tools to slow, if not stop the spread of Eurasian watermilfoil and to reduce or even eradicate existing infestations.
The most important and cost-effective tool available to stop the spread of aquatic invasives is prevention but there are barriers to effective prevention.
READ MORE
The main aquatic invasive species prevention effort at the state’s inland lakes and ponds is carried out by the greeter programs managed by volunteer lake associations. Greeters inspect and clean boats entering and leaving water bodies to ensure invasives are not transported.
However, there are fewer than 40 such programs at public accesses, many of them only staffed part-time yet there are several hundred public accesses in the state in over 800 lakes and ponds.
Why so few programs? And why are too many only part-time? In a word: money. The state provides very little funding (well under $1 million) for aquatic invasive species prevention and control programs. Although invasives are biological pollutants, these programs are not eligible for clean water funds.
As a result, not only the work of managing prevention and control programs, but also the work of raising the funds to make that work possible falls to volunteers.
Another issue is that there are hundreds of accesses to lakes and ponds spread around the state with nearly all open 24/7, 365 days a year. While additional funding is necessary to expand and staff current greeter programs at the busiest times, even with exponentially greater funding and hundreds more staff, it would be impossible to staff every access all the time.
Other challenges to prevention exist, yet despite these barriers, we believe that prevention is still the best option, but it will take every citizen and every visitor who uses Vermont’s public waters to be part of the solution.
Aquatic invasive spread is caused by human actions therefore changing our actions can help to solve the problem.
The first step is to be aware that every single piece of gear that touches the water — not just motorboats but also canoes, kayaks, fishing tackle, life vests, even children’s toys — has the potential to harbor invasives and carry them from one waterbody to another.
The second step is to always clean, fully drain and fully dry all aquatic gear before entering any water body. You can find much more information on aquatic invasives and how to prevent their spread at our website.
We are incredibly lucky here in Vermont to have abundant freshwater resources, with many clean, invasive-free, pristine lakes. However, human activities and climate change are putting more and more pressure on these fragile ecosystems. Yes, we need more funding, we need greater user education and commitment to lake and pond protection, and we need state officials to place a high priority on protecting our lakes from aquatic invasives and on reducing existing infestations. Our volunteer lake associations remain determined and dedicated to this work but it takes all of us working together to protect and preserve Vermont’s precious public waters.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Pat Suozzi: Aquatic invasives — ‘It’s like déjà vu all over again.’.