While many of us are glad to see this strange year pass, we at the Upper Saranac Foundation (USF) know there was a lot of good that occurred. Reflecting back on some of what was accomplished in the Upper Saranac Lake (USL) watershed, here are just a few of the 2020 highlights:
- Updated web page to make it an interactive educational tool
- USL and Fish Creek Campground Watershed Stewards inspected over 3,750 boats and educated nearly 8,000 visitors about aquatic invasive species (AIS)
- Watershed Stewards preformed 192 boat decontaminations at the USF’s AIS decontamination station on USL
- Watershed Stewards intercepted 13 confirmed AIS on boats and trailers
- Expanded the USF’s AIS protection program with private launches that include outreach to convey preventive measures for launching compliance
- Received a $15,000 grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program to expand AIS management in Follensby Clear Pond
- Received a $19,000 grant from Parks & Trails NY to expand AIS management in Fish Creek upstream of the Campground
- A NYSDEC $68,000 grant is funding the development of an updated Lake Management Plan
- Reduced AIS on Upper Saranac Lake to record low levels — levels not seen since the discovery of milfoil in the early 1990’s
- Removed 675 pounds of milfoil from Fish Creek Campground
- Removed nearly 4,000 pounds of AIS from Fish Creek, upstream of the Campground
- Removed 6,600 pounds of AIS from Follensby Clear Pond
- Removed terrestrial invasive plants and established pollinator gardens at the USL Boat launch
- The percentage of boats found with AIS being taken out Fish Creek Pond was reduced to .05%, down from 7.2% just four years prior
- 20 volunteers participated in the annual Asian Clam survey, taking nearly 700 sediment samples assuring that these invasive mollusks are not present in USL
- Upgraded our access road to the Bartlett Carry Dam in preparation for the 2021 Dam improvements project
To learn more about the Upper Saranac Foundation, visit our web page.