The Upper Saranac Foundation (USF) is pleased to demonstrate another successful year of AIS management at Fish Creek Campground and upstream into the campground’s tributary. The 2022 Fish Creek Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Management Project Report, which is now available to the public, summarizes the data and program highlights for the Fish Creek AIS Management Project (FCAISMP) since its inception in 2016.
This project was made possible through funding from donations made to the Upper Saranac Foundation (USF) and through grants from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Adirondack Aquatic Invasive Species Spread Prevention Program, Parks & Trails New York, and the Cloudsplitter Foundation.
Removal and control of AIS in the Upper Saranac Lake watershed at Fish Creek protects the downstream waters of Upper Saranac Lake from infestation and helps prevent the export of AIS to non-infested waters. The program protects economic value through recreation, tourism, sportsmanship, and second home ownership by providing clear, weed-free waterways.
To view the complete report click here:
The report includes project activities that can be summarized in the following key points:
- To implement the FCAISMP, a fundraising campaign initiated by USF raised over $60,000 in donations. Additional funding was awarded to USF in the amount of $100,000 from the NYSDEC Invasive Species Rapid Response and Control Grant.
- Three years of initial intensive management in the campground (Upper Fish Creek Pond and Square Pond) concluded in 2019; 2022 was the third year of the maintenance phase of the FCAISMP funded entirely by USF.
- A total of $10,026 was invested into 220 diver work hours within the campground ponds (Upper Fish Creek Pond and Square Pond). The divers harvested 994.5 pounds of milfoil over eight days — 33.25 pounds of Eurasian watermilfoil and 961.25 pounds of variable-leaf watermilfoil.
- With the assistance of a grant from Parks & Trails New York in 2020-21, USF expanded upstream of the campground bridge. In 2022, an additional 234 diver work hours removed 2,787 pounds of milfoil. Over a three-year period, a total of $45,134 has been dedicated to 570 diver work hours to remove 10,763 pounds of milfoil upstream of the campground bridge.
- In 2019, AIS containment booms were placed just upstream of the Fish Creek Campground boat launch to prevent fragmented invasive plants from floating downstream and being introduced into managed areas within the campground and further downstream into Upper Saranac Lake. Since the booms were installed, an average of 3,000 pounds of milfoil has been removed annually.
- Since the inception of the FCAISMP, 59,917 pounds (29.96 tons) of milfoil has been removed from the campground and its tributary and, approximately, an additional 12,000 pounds (8 tons) of AIS has been removed from the containment booms.
The FCAISMP is part of a larger watershed protection program, developed by USF, that uses a combination of AIS prevention, monitoring, management, control activities, and education to inhibit AIS spread.