| Lake George Association E-news August 2011 |
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Additional Asian clam infestations discovered at Norowal Marina, Treasure Cove. Lake-wide survey underway.
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See YNN story on Lake George Stewards program
- Still not too late for a half-price septic pumpout
August's Wednesday FLOATING CLASSROOM programs are filling up fast! August 17 is now full, but we still have room available on August 24 and 31. See reservation info here!
Two additional sites infested with Asian clam have been discovered on the west side of the Lake near Bolton -- one at Norowal Marina, found by Darrin Fresh Water Institute scientists, and the other at Treasure Cove, found by the LGA staff. These infestations appear to be significantly smaller than the nearly six-acre site at the village. (Hear the WAMC story here.)These discoveries drove home the urgent need to immediately survey the entire Lake to better evaluate the extent of the problem and to prioritize the next steps. (Lake Tahoe’s population quickly grew to over 200 acres, and they spend over $1 million a year just to manage it.)
One very surprising finding from our recent discovery: the Treasure Cove population was not found in a shallow sandy location, but instead in a location with vegetation and mucky sediment. (So far, over 60 clean sites have been surveyed. See today's full press release on survey efforts here.)We urgently need to raise additional funds to fight this threat. (See Tuesday's story in the Post-Star.) Even with over $500,000 raised to combat the infestation in the village, the task force has serious concerns about how to finance the September removal of the mats and the rebar, as well as additional matting and suction harvesting that may be necessary. Current costs to monitor and manage the mats already in place are running $5,000 per week.
On Friday, July 29, LGA Executive Director Walt Lender and other task force members made a presentation to an executive briefing called by Bolton Supervisor Ron Conover and led by NYS Senator Betty Little. Representatives from the offices of Senator Gillibrand, Congressman Gibson and Assemblywoman Sayward were also in attendance. On Monday evening, Walt gave a presentation to the Lake George Town Board, and he gave another presentation to the finance committee of Warren County on Wednesday. 
How can you help?1. Volunteer an hour or two of your time to survey the shoreline to look for the clam. Use a snorkel if you have one, and check areas up to six feet in depth, both sandy, and with vegetation. (See more info on how to identify them here.) We need as many eyes on the Lake as possible right now.
2. If you find something suspicious, e-mail the Darrin Fresh Water Institute (DFWI) with your name, location where you looked, photo if you have one. We need to confirm any possible sightings, so we need a photo and sample if you think it might be an Asian clam. Or call DFWI at 518-644-3541 with this information.
3.Share information with your friends and neighbors about the threat this clam poses to our Lake. We will need to as many people as possible to understand the situation, because the funds to combat it will need to come from local government or the state -- small, non-profit organizations like the LGA will not be able to do it on their own.
For more updates on the Asian clam eradication effort, visit the STOP the ASIAN CLAM website.
An informative story on the LGA's 2011 Lake Steward program aired recently on YNN, featuring Lake Steward Aly Birch and Assistant Coordinator Monika LaPlante. Check it out here. As of July 16, the lake stewards had inspected 4,025 boats and removed 60 samples. Of those, 30 contained Eurasian watermilfoil, 13 had curly-leaf pondweed, 4 contained water chestnut, and two contained zebra mussels.
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www.lakegeorgeassociation.org
People protecting the Lake since 1885
