With summer rounding a corner the Upper Saranac Foundation (USF) staff, dive crews, partners, and volunteers are working diligently to protect the Upper Saranac Lake (USL) watershed.
USF dive crews began harvesting aquatic invasive species (AIS) in early June and will continue into October. This is the second year of a grant from Parks and Trails NY purposed for harvesting AIS from Fish Creek, upstream of the campground bridge. So far this year, 2,550 pounds of milfoil have been removed.
It’s also the second season of the Follensby Clear AIS removal project. This project is supported by a grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program. So far this year, 3,975 pounds of milfoil have been removed. The crews will be returning to these tributaries after a six-week, mid-season maintenance harvesting on USL is complete.
Watershed Stewards have been on duty since Memorial Day weekend, greeting boaters entering the watershed. These trained stewards, stationed at the USL and Fish Creek Campground launches, perform free AIS inspections of watercraft entering and exiting the lake. So far this year, stewards have interacted with 4,429 visitors, inspected 2,272 boats, decontaminated 85 boats, and intercepted seven boats carrying AIS, including curly-leaf pondweed and zebra mussels.
Volunteers are participating in the annual invasive Asian Clam Survey. The purpose is to identify if there are any locations in the watershed where the invasive Asian Clams are present. Second to prevention, our best defense against Asian Clams is early detection for the greatest chance of eradication. Currently there are no known infestations of Asian Clam in the Upper Saranac Watershed.
For more information on the Upper Saranac Foundation programs visit our web page.
