| January 2, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mary-Arthur Beebe
Executive Director
Lake George Association
Phone: (518) 668-3558
Fax: (518) 668-4702
LGA SUPPORTS SOUND SCIENCE WHEN IT
COMES TO MILFOIL CONTROL
LAKE GEORGE, NY : The Lake George Association (LGA) is dissatisfied
with the onerous conditions placed on the Lake George Sonar
Demonstration Project as a result of settlement discussions. What was
designed to be a scientifically based application of Sonar to eradicate
dense Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) beds in Lake George has been reduced
to a proposal that does not effectively make use of current scientific
knowledge about Lake George ecology, Sonar or milfoil.
The LGA is alarmed about significant changes in respect to the
ultimate goal of the project and according to the terms of the
settlement, can not in good conscience sign the settlement. The LGA will
support the proposed application of Sonar in Paradise Bay as the
proposed treatment is based on sound science and evidence in the record.
Although LGA maintains significant concerns with the revised project,
LGA feels that the project must be implemented in 2002 as at least a
start on the development of a cooperative, effective solution to the EWM
problem. Further postponement gives time for milfoil to grow stronger
and continue to establish itself in Lake George. The milfoil problem
multiplies with inaction.
LGA's mission is to "Work Together To Protect, Conserve &
Improve The Beauty & Quality Of the Lake George Basin." Since
the discovery of milfoil in the Lake in 1985, LGA has initiated invasive
species education programs, has gathered and consulted with experts in
aquatic plant management strategies, has successfully worked to receive
grant money to continue these efforts, and has promoted a cooperative,
united front in combatting the spread of milfoil in Lake George. The LGA
believes that science and not political compromise should be the
backbone of a comprehensive plan to eradicate EWM in Lake George. The
LGA believes that all interested parties should work tirelessly toward
the development of a revised action plan amenable to all parties.
Consider the following:
MILFOIL IS THE MENACE, NOT SONAR
Milfoil poses the greatest risk to native plant life in Lake George.
Eurasian Watermilfoil rapidly crowds out native plants, reduces
biodiversity, diminishes fish habitat and encroaches and takes over
wetland habitats. Milfoil is indiscriminate, spreading easily and
growing quickly. Milfoil forms thick, floating mats of vegetation,
clogging the water and hindering recreation like boating, swimming and
fishing. Milfoil adversely affects the local tourist-dependent economy
by decreasing overall recreational utility, aesthetics, and eventually
property values.
SONAR IS A PROVEN EFFECTIVE TOOL IN TARGETING
AND ERADICATING MILFOIL
Fluridone, trade name Sonar, is an aquatic herbicide developed in 1979
and registered in 1985 by the United States Environmental Protection
Agency. Sonar underwent intensive study for its effectiveness and
potential impacts on plants, animals, and people . Dr. Ken Wagner, an
expert in the control of EWM calls Sonar "a well-studied and safe
chemical." Sonar was made commercially available in 1986 and has
proven its effectiveness in locations throughout the United States.
Sonar, inhibits milfoil from producing pigments, (carotenes), that add
energy to chlorophyll and protect chlorophyll from strong sunlight.
Without carotene, food synthesis is impaired and the milfoil plants die
from malnutrition and exposure. The fluridone treatment was designed to
safely and effectively treat large areas of Eurasian Watermilfoil. The
great advantage of the use of Sonar is that it is designed to
selectively control milfoil beds among native plants.
PHYSICAL CONTROLS ARE NOT ENOUGH
Opponents of Sonar and the current project contend that physical
controls have not been adequately tested for effectiveness in Lake
George or similar areas. Physical methods including hand pulling,
benthic matting, and suction harvesting were, and continue to be,
utilized for years in concerted efforts to control spread of the
invasive weed. In 1985, there were 3 known dense beds of milfoil. Today,
there are ten times as many. This growth occurred in spite of lake-wide
remedial action with physical controls carried out by the Department Of
Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Lake George Park Commission (LGPC),
and LGA's extensive public education programs. Both the DEC and the LGPC
experienced significant practical difficulties and incurred significant
expenses in controlling the growth and spread of Eurasian Watermilfoil
in Lake George, particularly in areas where Eurasian Watermilfoil has
formed dense beds. Physical controls are not an effective means of
eradicating dense milfoil beds that cover large areas.
The application submitted to the Adirondack Park Agency by the Lake
George Park Commission proposes a Sonar Demonstration Project to
eradicate and control the spread of Eurasian Watermilfoil in Lake
George. The project's goal is to utilize the selective nature of
fluridone in four areas of Lake George overgrown with dense milfoil,
eradicating the dense beds and minimizing costs and damage to native
flora and fauna.
LGA STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE APPROPRIATE,
SCIENTIFIC USE OF SONAR TO ERADICATE AND CONTROL THE SPREAD OF MILFOIL
IN LAKE GEORGE
The LGA strongly supports the use of Sonar to control the spread of
Eurasian Watermilfoil in Lake George as presented in the application by
the Lake George Park Commission . This support is based on over 16 years
of success sotries and intensive scientific research and findings of
aquatic plant management specialists across the country. Sonar, when
applied at specific, scientifically recommended levels, has been
effectively used to eradicate and control the spread of milfoil in
ponds, lakes, rivers, canals and reservoirs.
LGA SUPPORTS THE ORIGINAL SITE
SELECTION PROCESS BASED ON SOUND SCIENTIFIC STANDARDS
The use of Sonar in Lake George continues to attract much attention.
Lake George will be the first lake within the Adirondack Park to receive
Sonar treatment. The original site selection was based on a careful,
scientific selection process that would provide the most representative
information of the effectiveness of Sonar on milfoil in the Lake George
environment while mitigating negative effects on rare, native aquatic
species at application sites. It is regrettable that the proposed
settlement does not emphatically support Sonar treatments have been
successfully used in lakes outside the Adirondack Park in New York State
and across the country without public health impacts while allowing most
native species to prosper.
THE SONAR DEMONSTRATION PROJECT HAS
BEEN CHANGED BEYOND RECOGNITION WHILE EFFICACY HAS BEEN SACRIFICED
The LGA is concerned about the dilution of the original Demonstration
Project by the terms of the settlement. The settlement stipulation
proposes to drop two of four representative bays from the 2002 permit
application ,(West Tongue Mountain Cove and Sawmill Bay), and alters the
treatment plan for Moonlight Bay. These alterations significantly change
the nature and intended goal of the demonstration project and will
result in a reduced amount of real, beneficial information gained on the
successfulness of Sonar application in Lake George. Of the four sites in
the original project, the Sawmill Bay site is the most representative of
the 30 dense beds of milfoil in Lake George. The newly reduced dosages
proposed for Moonlight Bay are doomed to demonstrate failure. The scope
of the project has been reduced from the intended treatment of 35
acres to less than 5 acres, while the cost has skyrocketed. For
these and other reasons, the LGA can not in good conscience sign the
settlement as it now stands.
PROJECT COST HAS SKYROCKETED
The original Demonstration Project proposed the treatment of 4 sites in
Lake George. The proposed settlement cuts this project in half,
proposing treatment for 2 sites and almost doubling the initial cost.
According to LGPC's expert, Dr. Ken Wagner, the initial cost of the
application for 4 bays was projected to be $184,600 for 35.4 acres, or
$5,214 per acre. A more recent estimate by Wagner determined a total
cost of $215,000 for 35.4 acres or $6,073 per acre. The latest estimate
provided to the LGA by LGPC for the project as now proposed in the
stipulation is $300,000 for 4.8 acres, or about $62,500 per acre!
LGA SUPPORTS SCIENTIFICALLY SOUND TREATMENT
OF PARADISE BAY
The Paradise Bay portion of the settlement details a scientifically
sound application of fluridone to eradicate milfoil. The stipulation
proposes to treat Paradise Bay in the same manner as was originally
proposed in the application and the Environmental Impact Statement. The
Paradise Bay section of the settlement is based on the recommendation of
LGPC consultant and aquatic plant management expert Dr. Ken Wagner. The
LGA supports the proposed treatment of Paradise Bay and feels that
valuable information will be gained from this treatment. The LGA would
like to see the Paradise Bay treatment move forward in 2002.
SAWMILL BAY
Sawmill Bay is the most representative site of dense beds of milfoil in
Lake George. Sawmill Bay was originally proposed to be treated with
Sonar Slow Release Pellet formulation (SRP). Omission of Sawmill Bay
from the Demonstration Project eliminates the potential for evaluating
the effectiveness of Sonar SRP in Lake George for dense bed treatment of
milfoil. The removal of Sawmill Bay cripples the ultimate goal of the
Demonstration Project while milfoil continues to become well-established
throughout Lake George.
MOONLIGHT BAY
The proposed settlement recommends a lower-dose, high risk treatment of
Moonlight Bay which is not based on science, but on political
compromise. Moonlight Bay was selected as a treatment site for the
following reasons:
§ It is located within the Harbor Islands and is ~1 acre in size.
§ There is no development on the island and there are no water intakes
within a quarter mile of the site.
§ The history of past Eurasian Watermilfoil management at this site
includes unsuccessful physical control methods including suction
harvesting and hand harvesting. Harvesting was impeded by abundant woody
debris in the bay.
§ Re-growth of Eurasian Watermilfoil was rapid and quickly reached
densities not manageable by physical controls.
TREATMENT OF MOONLIGHT BAY
The treatment of Moonlight Bay as proposed in the application was
designed based on the characteristics of the Bay and are as follows:
§ The target concentration based on a scientific recommendation was to
be 10-20 ppb. This concentration level was determined following the
results of a dye test conducted under adverse wind and flow conditions
in late May of 1996 that indicated a possible dilution factor of tenfold
is possible over the course of a single day. It appears that with the
use of a sequestration curtain, Moonlight Bay could be effectively
treated with a single dose of Sonar. Sequential treatments would be held
in reserve if necessary.
The proposed settlement now recommends treating Moonlight Bay at
levels of about 4-8ppb. Based on scientific consultation, LGA does not
believe that treatment at such a low level will effectively control
Eurasian Watermilfoil given the characteristics of Moonlight Bay. LGA
does not believe that this sharp reduction in concentration will avoid
harm to threatened species of native vegetation as purported by other
parties and the settlement. LGA's consultation with knowledgeable
scientists indicates that treatment at these low levels is still almost
certain to cause harm to some of the threatened native species in the
treatment areas of Lake George and will not be an effective means of
controlling the Eurasian Watermilfoil problem. Therefore, the LGA feels
that the 4-8 ppb dose treatment will only waste limited available
funding and unnecessarily put Sonar into the Lake. This is an expensive
gamble, one that is not based on science or experience.
The expected failure of treating Moonlight Bay at this lower dose is
indicated in the stipulation. The stipulation calls for hand harvesting
immediately after treatment with Sonar Aqueous Suspension (AS). If the
objective of the treatment has been changed, the APA should expressly
recognize in its findings that treatment at these lower levels will
probably not effectively control EWM at this site and will most likely
kill the threatened species (water marigold) found there . This is
simply a lose-lose situation and a waste of time and money. More
importantly it represents gross negligence towards the health of the
Lake George ecosystem.
LAKE GEORGE IS LGA's #1 PRIORITY, MILFOIL IS THE
#1 PROBLEM, SONAR IS THE #1 SOLUTION
The LGA is saddened and alarmed that unwarranted blocks once again
threaten the health of the Lake George ecosystem. LGA urges all people,
businesses, and local governments to stand behind the original LGPC
permit application to demonstrate the use of Sonar against Eurasian
Watermilfoil in four Lake George Bays. The LGA will continue to work
toward the development of an action plan agreeable to all interested
parties. In 1987, LGA wrote the Environmental Impact Statement for the
Sonar Demonstration Project and updated it for the current demonstration
project application. This 2001 document substantiates the efficacy of,
and process for utilizing Sonar in Lake George. LGA stands ready to
contribute money for the appropriate use of Sonar and continues to
support a range of controls for Eurasian Watermilfoil in Lake George. A
reasonable, scientifically based solution to the infestation of Eurasian
Watermilfoil in Lake George is crucial in order to preserve and protect
the vitality of the Lake George Basin. Sonar is the solution. |
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