Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season ...

Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program 

End of Season Report 

2008 

The Lake George Association

This program was funded through the Lake George Watershed Conference 

(LGWC) and the Lake George Association (LGA). Funding from the LGA is 

generously provided by the Helen V. Froelich Foundation. Funding from 

the LGWC is provided by the NYS Department of State with funds provided 

under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund.

Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program 

End of Season Report 2008 

by Emily DeBolt 

Program Coordinator, Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program 

Contributing writers: 

Justin Arzberger, Karlie Donlon, Lauren Ellmers, Jason Smith, 

Ben Strong and Samantha Zuhlke

The Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program would 

like to say thank you to its many supporters. Without their 

contributions and commitment to protecting Lake George, the 

program would not have been successful. 

Baldwin, Joan, Norowal Marina 

Belden, Dan, Town of Hague Supervisor 

Bennett, Linda, Norowal Marina 

Blanchard, Wayne, NYS DEC 

Bove, Ann, VTDEC 

Cusano, Mike, New York Bass Federation 

Decker, David, Lake George Watershed Conference 

DeGoosh, Katie, RI DEM 

Demung, Leo, NYS DEC 

Eichler, Larry, Darrin Fresh Water Institute 

Goehle, Michael, USFWS 

Hall, Tom, NYS DEC 

Holmlund, Eric, Adirondack Watershed Institute 

King, Maria, NYS DEC 

Kishbaugh, Scott, NYS DEC 

Kurth, Emily, NYS DEC 

Leeson, Hope, Rhode Island Natural History Survey 

Levy, Dan, NYS DEC 

Lowe, Betsy, NYS DEC 

Modley, Meg, Lake Champlain Basin Program 

Nierzwicki-Bauer, Sandra, Darrin Fresh Water Institute 

Parillo, Scott, Dunham’s Bay Marina 

Rawson, Bud, NYS DEC 

Raymond, Roberta, Island View Marina 

Reeps, Roslyn, CAES IAPP 

Robinson, Michelle, MA DCR 

Rourke, Daniel, NYS DEC 

Smagula, Amy, NH DES 

Smith, Hilary, Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program 

Starinchak, Joe, USFWS 

White, Mike, Lake George Park Commission 

Zollweg, Emily, NYS DEC 

The Lake George Association Staff 

All members of the Lake George Watershed Conference Invasive Species Task Force 

Cover photo: Lake George from First Peak, Samantha Zuhlke. 

Inside photos by Emily DeBolt, Ben Strong and Samantha Zuhlke (unless otherwise noted). 

Maps by Randy Rath, Project Manager and GIS Specialist, Lake George Association.

Table of Contents 

Abstract ................................................................................ 

Introduction and Background ............................................. 

Staff Biographies ................................................................. 

Key Findings ......................................................................... 

Lake Steward Launch Locations 

Norowal Marina ........................................................... 

Mossy Point Boat Launch ........................................... 

Dunham’s Bay Marina ................................................. 

Hague Town Launch .................................................... 

Rogers Rock Campground .......................................... 

Northwest Bay Cartop Launch ................................... 

Island View Marina ...................................................... 

Fishing Tournament Outreach ............................................ 

Educational Outreach Activities ......................................... 

Terrestrial Invasive Species ................................................ 

Recommendations and Future Considerations ................. 

Appendices ........................................................................... 

A: Data Collection Sheet ..................................................... 

B: Map of Launch Locations ............................................... 

C: Map of Zebra Mussel Locations in LG ........................... 

D: Map of Eurasian Watermilfoil Locations in LG .............. 

E: List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies ..................... 

F: List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies by State ...... 

G: List of All Invasive Species Removed from Boats ......... 

H: List of All Specimens Removed ...................................... 

I: List of All Invasives Found by Weekday .......................... 

J: Scientific and Common Names of Invasive Species ...... 

K: Invasive Species in Previously Visited Waterbodies ..... 

L: Steward Materials and Supplies ..................................... 

1 

3 

7 

9 

21 

31 

39 

47 

53 

59 

63 

67 

71 

73 

75 

80 

81 

82 

83 

84 

85 

87 

91 

93 

96 

98 

99 

101

P.O. Box 408 

2392 State Route 9N 

Lake George, NY 12845 

Phone: 518-668-3558 

Email: info@lakegeorgeassociation.org 

www.lakegeorgeassociation.org

DRAFT 

Abstract 

Lake George is located in northern New York, in the southeastern corner of the Adirondack 

Park. The lake is rated as AA-Special by the State of New York, meaning its best usage is as 

a drinking water supply. However the lake’s water quality is increasingly being threatened by 

human activities and pressures around the lake. One of the many threats to the lake’s water 

quality is the introduction of aquatic invasive species. To address this threat, an aquatic 

invasive species spread prevention and education program was started on Lake George in 

2006. The goal of the program is to prevent new introductions of invasive species into Lake 

George and to educate boaters. The Lake Stewards inspect boats at launches and collect 

quantitative data about the number of boats and last waterbody of boats entering Lake 

George. Such data can help determine the pathways of spread for aquatic invasive species 

between other regional waterways and Lake George. 

The Lake Stewards visually inspected 2,984 boats over the summer of 2008. Boats had 

previously been in 159 different waterbodies in 19 different states before coming to Lake 

George. Lake George itself was the most common previously visited body of water at 1,770 

boats. After that, the Hudson River was the most common, with 89 boats. New York was 

the state with the most waterbodies mentioned as previous boating locations at 57, while 

Massachusetts came in second with 19 and New Jersey third at 18. A total of 113 samples 

were removed from 5 of the 7 launches Lake Stewards were stationed at. Of the 113 

samples, a total of 61 specimens of invasive species were removed from boats, making 54% 

of all samples removed from boats invasive. 4 different species of invasives were found 

overall: Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweed, water chestnut, and zebra mussels. 9 

waterbodies were identified as possibly providing the source material of invasive species that 

hitchhiked on boats to launches at Lake George. 

Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008

DRAFT 


DRAFT 

Introduction and Background 

About the Program Sponsors 

The Lake George Association (LGA) 

The LGA’s mission statement is “Working together to protect, conserve and improve the 

beauty and quality of the Lake George Basin.” Since its inception in 1885, the LGA has 

evolved to incorporate and address the changing needs of the Lake George environment. 

The LGA advocates a reasoned, balanced approach to the management and conservation 

of the Lake George watershed through education, remediation, advocacy and broad-based 

community involvement. The goal is to ensure the long-term stability of the lake’s exceptional 

water quality and the economic viability of the region. 

The Lake George Watershed Conference (LGWC) 

Formed in 1999, the LGWC is a coalition made up of the municipalities, counties, state 

agencies, and non-profit organizations involved in protecting Lake George. The purpose of 

the LGWC is to provide a forum to identify the priorities for protecting the lake’s water quality 

and to coordinate the proactive use of resources to accomplish this mission. The Conference 

is chaired by the Secretary of State, the Honorable Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez. 

Introduction 

2008 was the third and final year of a three year pilot project lake steward program on Lake 

George. The program was initiated in 2006 by the Lake George Watershed Conference. One 

of the many threats to the lake’s water quality is the introduction of aquatic invasive species. 

The goal of the program is to help prevent new introductions of invasive species into Lake 

George by inspecting boats at launches and to collect quantitative data about the number 

and last location of boats entering Lake George and the possible pathways of spread for 

aquatic invasive species between other regional waterways and Lake George. 


DRAFT 

Invasive Species Background 

Invasive species are threatening ecological communities and impacting the economy 

nation-wide. They are estimated to cost the United States more than $100 billion annually 

in environmental losses and damages. Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to 

biodiversity, second only to direct habitat loss in many locations. Within the Adirondack 

Park, which includes part of the Lake Champlain Basin, invasive species are the number one 

threat to biodiversity. Aquatic invasive species disrupt aquatic food webs and habitats, outcompeting 

native species and altering the ecological function of lakes and rivers. Species 

such as zebra mussels clog water intake pipes, attach to dock pilings and the underside 

of boats, and litter beaches with sharp shells that cut bare feet. Dense mats of Eurasian 

watermilfoil on the surface make boating, swimming, and other recreation difficult. 

Lake George is rated as AA-Special by the State of New York, meaning its best usage is as 

a drinking water supply. However the lake’s water quality is increasingly being threatened 

by the introduction of invasive species. Eurasian watermilfoil was first documented in North 

America in 1942 in the District of Columbia. By 1985 it has made its way north, and was 

identified in Lake George. Zebra mussels were first discovered in Lake St. Clair in 1988 and 

were found in Lake George in 1999. 

Zebra mussel 

Curly-leaf Pondweed 

Eurasian watermilfoil 

To date, Lake George has been infested with three known invasive species: Eurasian 

watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), curly-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus), and zebra 

mussels (Dreissena polymorpha). Nearby, Lake Champlain has 48 invasive species, the St. 

Lawrence River has 87, the Hudson River 91, and the Great Lakes has 183 documented 

invasive species. These bodies of water surround Lake George on all sides, and boats can 

easily be trailered from one to the next. 

Hundreds of thousands of dollars have already been spent by local entities to manage 

the Eurasian watermilfoil and the zebra mussels in Lake George. The Lake George Park 

Commission is currently managing Eurasian watermilfoil. Their 2007 management report 

states that there are 160 identified locations of Eurasian watermilfoil in the lake “with high 

concentrations near human population centers and boat-use areas”. Over 19,000 plants 

were removed by hand harvesting and over 170,000 square feet of benthic barrier installed 

in 2007 (report available online at http://www.lgpc.state.ny.us/PDF/LG2007.pdf). 

Zebra mussels were first discovered in the lake in December 

of 1999. After ice out in April of 2000, scuba divers from the 

Darrin Fresh Water Institute (DFWI) and Bateaux Below removed 

over 19,000 zebra mussels from around the docks at a site near 

Lake George Village. Since this initial finding, 6 more locations 

have been found, although none nearly as large as the first 

colony. As of the end of the 2007 season, 24,624 mussels had 

been removed from the lake by divers. 5 of the 7 sites are boat 

launches/marinas and the other two sites are docks. 

Zebra mussels at DFWI. 


DRAFT 

In the last few years, as understanding of invasive 

species and their consequences has increased, efforts 

have increased to stop or slow their spread. For 

aquatic invasives, boats and trailers moving between 

waterways seem to be a clear mode of transportation 

for invasive and native species alike. Based on the 

locations of the highest concentrations of milfoil being 

at boat-use areas and zebra mussels being found 

mainly at boat launches, the connection between boats 

and the introduction and movement of invasive species 

in Lake George is clear. 

Lake George and its Watershed 

Bits of broken plants at the town 

launch entrance in Hague. 

Lake George is located in northern New York, in the southeastern corner of the Adirondack 

Park. It is a 32 mile long, oligotrophic lake formed by earthquakes and glaciers. The lake is 

classified as Class AA-Special by New York State, which means one of its best usages is as a 

drinking water supply. The lake is used as drinking water by many people around the lake. 

The maximum depth of the lake is just under 

200 feet deep, with an average depth of 

about 70 feet. The widest part of the lake is 

about 2 miles across, while the average width 

is 1.33 miles. There are over 170 islands 

dotting the lake’s surface. Lake George flows 

from the south to the north and drops 226 

feet into Lake Champlain through the LaChute 

River in Ticonderoga. 

Streams provide the lake with just over 

half of its water; the rest comes from 

precipitation directly on the lake’s surface and 

groundwater. There are over 100 streams 

in the watershed, with just 8 major streams 

providing about 2/3 of the total stream flow 

going into the lake. 

A watershed is an area of land that drains into 

a waterbody. The Lake George watershed is 

233 square miles, which is about five times 

the area of the lake’s surface. 

The lake’s elevation is 320 feet above sea 

level, while the highest point in the watershed 

is the peak of Black Mtn. at 2,646 feet. 


Program Description 

DRAFT 

The Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program is an aquatic invasive species spread 

prevention and education program on Lake George. Lake Stewards are hired to work at 

marinas and boat launches during the summer. Lake George is a large lake, with around 

20 marinas, and various yacht clubs, public launches, and many hotels which let customers 

launch boats. Lake Stewards cannot cover every entry to the lake at all times. However, 

they can work at some of the high traffic launches and help prevent introductions at those 

locations, as well as help spread awareness. The Lake Stewards provide boaters with 

educational information about the threats of aquatic invasive species that are ecologically 

and economically harmful to the waters of Lake George and other waterways. Stewards help 

stop the introduction and transport of invasive species via boats and trailers by conducting 

visual inspections of boats and removing and identifying any plant or animal material found. 

Stewards also interview boaters to find out which body of water their boat was last in and 

if they have taken any spread prevention steps before arriving to launch. The Lake Steward 

Program is a crucial step in protecting the water quality of Lake George and preventing the 

spread of invasive species between waterbodies throughout the Lake Champlain Basin and 

the Northeast. 

Staff and Training 

4 Lake Stewards were hired for the summer of 2008 as well as 1 Assistant Coordinator. 

Since the Program Coordinator had other work duties besides the Lake Steward Program, 

once the Lake Stewards were trained and working, the Assistant Coordinator oversaw their 

daily activities and was their key point of contact. Bi-weekly staff meetings allowed for 

constant communication and adjustments throughout the season as needed. 

Training began in mid-May with 2 days at Paul Smith’s College. We joined the Adirondack 

Watershed Institute’s training for their stewards. The Lake Champlain Basin Program 

(LCBP) stewards also come for a day of joint training as well. All the stewards had a chance 

to meet stewards from other programs and find out about those programs. The stewards 

learned about interpretation techniques, types of boats, invasive plant identification, and 

other related topics. Staff from the LCBP, Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, NYS 

Department of Environmental Conservation, Adirondack Park Agency and Paul Smith’s 

College was on hand to cover a variety of topics for training. 

Once back in Lake George, training continued at the LGA for the rest of the week. The 

stewards learned specifics about Lake George and the invasives found in the lake, as well 

as the lay of the land. Staff from NYS DEC, the Darrin Fresh Water Institute and the Lake 

George Park Commission helped out by covering various topics with the stewards. 

The stewards started work on Memorial Day weekend. They worked in pairs for the first 2 

weeks until they were comfortable, then they were split up and worked alone for the rest of 

the season. 


DRAFT 

Staff Biographies 

Emily DeBolt 

Program Coordinator 

Emily is the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Lake 

George Association (LGA). She is active in the Lake George 

Watershed Conference’s Invasive Species Task Force and 

the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program. She provides 

education to schools and the public about invasive species and 

water quality, as well as other Lake George-related topics. She 

joined the LGA in 2006 with a Bachelors degree from Cornell 

University and a Masters in Environmental Interpretation from 

SUNY-ESF. 

Benjamin Strong 

Assistant Coordinator 

Ben is a SUNY, University at Albany Senior majoring in Political 

Science and a former member of the United States Coast 

Guard. Having grown up in Lake George, Ben has a strong 

appreciation of the natural landscape and hopes to pursue a 

career in environmental protection. 

Justin Arzberger 

Lake Steward 

Justin is from Ticonderoga, New York, and currently attends The 

University of Vermont where he hopes to attain his Bachelors 

degree in Environmental Studies in 2010. Growing up in the 

Adirondacks, Justin learned to appreciate the beauty and 

pristine nature of the land around us. By becoming a Lake 

Steward he has learned more about the lake and invasive 

species as a whole. 

Karlie Donlon 


Karlie, originally from Rochester, NY has completed an Associate 

in Science. She is currently in her last year at SUNY College of 

Environmental Science and Forestry, completing her Bachelor of 

Landscape Architecture. She will be taking a semester abroad in 

New Zealand, studying the enclosures and habitats of Zoos and 

Nature Preserves. With her love a natural areas she is also very 

interested in preserving the Adirondacks for the future. 


DRAFT 

Lauren Ellmers 


A Fort Edward local, Lauren is a student at Hobart and William 

Smith College. After college, she plans to have a career in 

Environmental Regulations and help to protect the same 

Adirondack Park she grew up and enjoys spending time in. 

Volunteering to help clean up the Ohio River, she experienced 

the importance of clean waters and decided to help keep Lake 

George pristine. 

Jason Smith 


From Queensbury, New York, Jason is a student at Fredonia 

State University earning a degree in Environmental Science 

with concentrations in Limnology and Geographic Information 

Systems (GIS). As a resident of the Lake George area and 

frequent user of the lake and its watershed he has taken an 

interest in the impacts of recreation, specifically boating, on 

Lake George. 

Samantha Zuhlke 

Lake Steward Alternate 

In her second summer as the LGA’s Education and Outreach 

Intern, Samantha Zuhlke was the Lake Steward Alternate for the 

2008 season. After training with the stewards, she spent most 

of the summer fulfilling other duties but was able to make it to 

the launches on occasion. She is a Geography major and will be 

a junior at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY this fall. 

Justin Goodwin 

Lake Steward Volunteer 

For several weeks in July Justin volunteered at the Norowal 

Marina Launch Site to complete community service hours for 

school. Justin is from Texas where he attends high school at 

Lake Travis High School in South Austin. 


DRAFT 

Key Findings 

Number of Boats 

The Lake Stewards visually inspected 2984 boats 

over the summer. 1264 boats were inspected 

at Norowal Marina, 949 boats at Mossy Point 

Boat Launch, 437 at Dunham’s Bay Marina, 152 

at the Hague Town Launch, 126 at Rogers Rock 

Campground Launch, 31 at Northwest Bay Cartop 

Launch, and 25 at Island View Marina. While some 

launches were much busier than others, the Lake 

Stewards spent different amounts of time at different 

launches, so the total number of boats inspected 

is not necessarily an accurate measure of overall 

launch activity. 

The Lake Stewards worked between Memorial Day in May and mid-August. A steward was 

at Norowal Marina for 48 days during the summer, 49 days at Mossy Point, 37 days at 

Dunham’s Bay, 9 days in Hague, 8 days at Rogers Rock, 2 days at Northwest Bay, and 5 days 

at Island View Marina. By calculating the average boats launched by day at each location, 

we can get a better idea of the traffic at the various launches (figure 2). 

Avg. # boats inspected/day 

3 0 

2 5 

2 0 

1 5 

1 0 

5 

0 

Average Boats Inspected By Day at Each Launch 

N or o w a l 

26 

M o ssy Po in t 

19 

D un h m as B ay 

12 

17 16 16 

Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 

H ag u e 

R og e r s R ock 

Launch 

# boats 

Norowal Marina 1264 

Mossy Point 949 

Dunham’s Bay 437 

Hague 152 

Rogers Rock 126 

Northwest Bay 31 

Island View 25 

TOTAL 2964 

Figure 1: Summary of boats inspected at 

each launch site. 

N or th w e st B a y 

Isla n d V ie w 

Launch Location 

Figure 2: Average # of boats inspected by Lake Stewards at the 7 launches. 

5

DRAFT 

Norowal Marina and Mossy Point were the launches with the highest rate of traffic. Stewards 

had been located at these two marinas for the past two years, for this very reason. However, 

this year Dunham’s Bay was added on as a third major marina location. We thought it would 

have a similarly high traffic level. Based on these numbers, it actually appears to be the 

second slowest launch location. These results are based on the assumption that the Lake 

Steward spent the same amount of time, 8 hours, each day at each location. This is most 

likely not the case, as weather and occasional personal conflicts would sometimes affect the 

number of hours spent at a location. However, most of the time the Lake Stewards were at a 

launch for 8 hours each day. 

Time of year could also affect these results, especially for the launches that the Lake 

Stewards spent only a few days at. Some launches could be busy in July and not in August, 

while it could be the opposite for others. There is no way to correct for such seasonality in 

this data. We have to rely on local knowledge and coordination with marina owners to work 

out such fine details. 

We had also selected Dunham’s Bay since users must pass under a bridge to reach the lake, 

which limits the size of the boat that can be launched there. We thought that since smaller 

boats would most likely be trailered greater distance than larger boats, this marina might 

get more traffic from farther away, increasing the risk of the spread of an invasive species. 

28 samples were removed from 13 boats at Dunham’s Bay, for a total of 11 identified 

invasive species. This was the third highest number of invasive specimens removed from a 

launch. There are many more launch locations on Lake George than we can find funding for 

a steward for, so launches need to be prioritized in some way. This data about launch traffic 

rates will help us prioritize launch locations for 2009. 

Where are the boats coming from? 

2,489 boats were inspected that had been in 159 different waterbodies in 19 different 

states. Lake George itself was the most common previously visited body of water at 1,770. 

After that, the Hudson River was the most common, with 89 boats (figure 3). New York was 

the state with the most waterbodies at 56, while Massachusetts was second at 19 and New 

Jersey was third at 18 (figure 4). 

Waterbody 

Most Common Previously Vistited Waterbodies 

for all Launches (excluding LG) 

L o ng Is la nd S o und (NY ) 

G re e nw o o d L a ke (NY ) 

C a ndle w o o d L a ke (C T) 

C o nne c tic ut R iv e r (C T) 

S c hro o n L a ke (NY ) 

S a c a nda ga L a ke (NY ) 

S a ra to ga L a ke (NY ) 

L a ke C ha mpla in (NY ) 

Atla ntic O c e a n 

L a ke Ho pa tc o ng (NJ ) 

Huds o n R iv e r (NY ) 

22 

22 

22 

23 

24 

25 

47 

51 

52 

54 

89 

0 2 0 4 0 6 0 8 0 1 0 0 


Figure 3: Most common previously visited waterbodies. 

56 

# of Previously Visited Waterbodies by State 

1 11 

11 1 

9 

3 2 2 2 4 

Figure 4: Number of waterbodies by state. 

18 

7 

2 

8 

12 

19 

New Jers ey 

Rhode Is land 

Connec tic ut 

Mas s ac hus etts 

New Hamps hire 

V ermont 

Maine 

North Carolina 

Mary land 

Mic higan 

Florida 

Penns ly v ania 

Illinois 

Tennes s ee 

Ohio 

Delaw are 

Ontario 

Quebec 

New Y ork 

10 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008

DRAFT 

Maps showing previously visited waterbodies 

before launching at Lake George 

This map shows the 

2,489 boats that were 

inspected and the 

location of the 159 

different waterbodies in 

19 different states that 

they had previously been 

in. It also shows previous 

locations that were not 

state specific, such as the 

Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic 

Ocean, or Great Lakes. 

This enlargement of the 

above map shows the 

waterbodies that boats had 

previously been in that are 

in the Northeast. 


DRAFT 

 

 

Map showing previously visited waterbodies in New 

York State before launching at Lake George 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This map shows the 56 waterbodies in New York that boats had visited before arriving at a 

launch at Lake George (excluding Lake George itself). Lines that are red indicate lakes that 

are known to be infected with one or more invasive species. Lines that are black go to lakes 

that are not known to be infected or are unknown. Some ‘uninfected’ lakes might already 

have invasive species in them, and we just haven’t found them or recorded them yet. 15 out 

of the 56 lakes are not known to have invasive species in them or it could not be determined 

due to inability to pinpoint the correct body of water (map is shown enlarged on next page). 

Invasive species found in waterbodies that boats had previously been in include: swollen 

bladderwort, European frogbit, yellow floating heart, variable watermilfoil, Eurasian 

watermilfoil, alewife, zebra mussels, water chestnut, curly-leafed pondweed, spiny water 

flea, brittle naiad, starry stonewort, and many others. The Hudson River, Lake Champlain, 

and St. Lawrence have more invasive species then other bodies of water by far, at 91, 

48, and 87 respectively. After that, most lakes do not have more then 2 invasive species. 

However, some do. For instance, 2 boats had previously been in Oneida Lake, which has 

Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweed, starry stonewort, and spiny water flea. Of the 41 

waterbodies with invasive species, only 4 do not have Eurasian watermilfoil. Cranberry Lake 

has variable watermilfoil, the Oswego River has water chestnut, Sacandaga Lake has the 

spiny water flea, and Tupper Lake has variable milfoil. Based on these findingd, it appears 

that Eurasian watermilfoil is the most prevalent invasive species in waterbodies in New York 

State and also maybe commonly the first invasive species discovered in lakes as well. 


DRAFT 

 

 

Map showing previously visited waterbodies in New 

 

York State before launching at Lake George 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Map of the 56 waterbodies in New York that boats had visited before arriving at a launch at Lake George (excluding 

Lake George itself). Red lines indicate lakes that are known to be infected with one or more invasive species. Black 

lines go to lakes that are not known to be infected or are unknown. 


DRAFT 

Plants/Animals Removed from Boats 

After stewards had spoken with the boater about invasive species and spread prevention, 

they would request to visually inspect the boat for any hitchhikers. Boaters were encouraged 

to join the Lake Steward in the inspection so that boaters could learn to inspect their boats 

for themselves. Stewards mainly inspected boats on their way into Lake George, however 

they also inspected boats on their way out when possible. 

Stewards would collect any sample of foreign material they found attached to the boat or 

trailer. They would bag it and label the bag with the boat registration number the sample 

had come from, along with the date and launch location. Samples were delivered to the 

Darrin Fresh Water Institute in Bolton Landing for identification. Some samples would end 

up having more than one plant/animal species in it, which would result in a different number 

of specimens then number of boats found with plant/animal matter. 

Below is a chart of how many boats were found with foreign material and how many 

specimens were found at each launch location (Figure 5). The total number of boats and 

the number of boats that were entering the lake are shown. The difference between these 

numbers is the number of boats that were leaving the lake when a sample was removed 

from them. Boats leaving Lake George were sometimes found to be carrying hitchhikers out 

of the lake. This was happening frequently at the Hague Launch, which has invasive plants 

growing in the water at the launch. One of the main purposes of the Lake Stewards was to 

help prevent the additional introduction if invasive species into Lake George. However, since 

Lake George is an infected lake, we also do not want to spread our invasive species to other 

lakes. So inspecting boats on their way out is also important to regional efforts to slow the 

spread of invasive species between waterways. 

Launch Boats Total Boats Entering Samples Invasives 

Norowal 32 31 45 28 

Mossy Point 13 8 15 6 

Dunham’s Bay 13 11 28 11 

Hague 15 2 22 15 

Rogers Rock 3 1 3 1 

Northwest Bay 0 0 0 0 

Island View 0 0 0 0 

Figure 5: Summary of all samples and invasives removed from boats at all launches. 


A total of 113 samples were removed from 5 of the 

7 launches Lake Stewards were stationed at. No 

samples were collected from the Northwest Bay 

Launch or Island View Marina. Stewards were only 

at both of these launches for a few days, so that 

might be why no samples were collected. 

Of the 113 samples, a total of 61 specimens of 

invasive species were identified, making 54% of 

all samples removed from boats were invasive. So 

there was also a significant amount of native plants 

being moved (see Appendix H). 4 different species of 

invasives were found: Eurasian watermilfoil, curlyleaf 

pondweed, water chestnut, and zebra mussels 

(Figures 6 & 7). 

DRAFTTotal Invasive Species Removed 

Eurasian Watermilfoil 28 

Curly-leaf Pondweed 24 

Water Chestnut 4 

Zebra Mussels 5 

All Invasive Species Removed from Boats 

Norowal Marina 

28 invasive species were removed from boats at Norowal Marina, 27 were stopped from 

going into the lake and 1 was removed from a boat on its way out. All four invasive species 

found overall were also found at the Norowal launch. Eurasian watermilfoil was the most 

common by far. There were 17 samples of Eurasian watermilfoil, 1 water chestnut, 8 curlyleaf 

pondweed, and 2 zebra mussels. 

The 28 invasives came off boats from 8 different lakes, with Lake George being the most 

common. 2 of the 8 lakes were from outside of New York (figure 8). Boats appear to be 

moving invasives around within the lake as well as between lakes within New York and 

between states. Only 1 of the specimens was found leaving the launch, so that does not 

account for the high number of 10 for Lake George. This finding suggests that people that 

were in the lake on a previous day did not clean off their boat after leaving. If they just use 

their boat on Lake George, they might think they do not need to clean it. However, while 

they might not be introducing a new invasive species, they are spreading around a current 

infestation. This is a problem since time and money are being spent on managing that same 

infestation. 

39% 

7% 

8% 

E uras ian W aterm ilfoil 

W ater C hes tnut 

46% 

C urly -leaf P ondw eed 

Zebra M us s els 

Figures 6 &7: All invasive species 

removed from boats. 

# of boats from waterbody 

12 

10 

8 

6 

4 

2 

0 

Lak e C ham plain 

Boats at Norowal Marina found with Invasive Species 

3 3 

H uds on R iv er 

C andlew ood La ke (C T ) 

4 

Lak e G eorg e 

10 

Saratog a Lak e 

3 

Last Waterbody 

O neida Lake 

1 1 

G len La ke 

Lak e H opatc ong (N J) 

3 

Figure 8: The last waterbody that boats were in that had invasive species removed off them 

by a Lake Steward at Norowal Marina. 


DRAFT 

Mossy Point Boat Launch 

6 of the 15 samples found on boats at Mossy Point were invasive species. All of these 

specimens were removed from boats about to enter the lake. 5 specimens of Eurasian 

watermilfoil and 1 specimen of curly-leaf pondweed were removed from boats. 

The 6 invasive species came from boats that had last been in 3 different lakes, one of which 

was Lake George itself (figure 9). This is not surprising considering the large amount of 

Eurasian watermilfoil growing in the water right at the boat launch. 

Dunham’s Bay 

11 of the 28 samples from Dunham’s Bay were invasive species. All 4 different invasives 

were also found at this launch. There were 3 zebra mussels, 3 water chestnut, 4 Eurasian 

watermilfoil, and 1 curly-leaf pondweed. The water chestnut saves are especially important. 

Dunham’s Bay is the ideal habitat for water chestnut, and there is a historical record of the 

plant growing there from years ago. The population was removed and has not been seen in 

years and we certainly do not want it to make a come back. 

The 11 invasives came from boats that had last been in 6 different lakes. Once again, Lake 

George itself was listed. The 3 water chestnut samples came from 3 different waterbodies: 

Saratoga Lake, Lake Champlain, and the Mohawk River. 1 waterbody was from outside of 

New York and two of the waterbodies were rivers (figure 10). 



3 .5 

3 

2 .5 

2 

1 .5 

1 

0 .5 

0 

Boats at Mossy Point found with Invasive Species 

3 

1 

L a ke G e o rg e L a ke C h a m p la in S a ra to g a L a ke 


Figure 9: The last waterbody that boats were in that had invasive species removed 

off them by a Lake Steward at Mossy Point Boat Launch. 

4.5 

4 

3.5 

3 

2.5 

2 

1.5 

1 

0.5 

0 

Boats at Dunhams Bay found with Invasive Species 

3 

S aratoga 

Lak e 

1 1 1 1 

M ohaw k 

R iver 

Lak e 

C ham plain 

Lak e 

H opatc ong 


H uds on 

R iver 

2 

4 

Lak e 

G eorge 

Figure 10: The last waterbody that boats were in that had invasive species removed off them 

by a Lake Steward at Dunham’s Bay Marina. 


DRAFT 

Hague Town Launch 

15 of the 22 samples found at Hague were invasive species. 13 of the specimens were 

curly-leaf pondweed and 2 were Eurasian watermilfoil. 13 of the invasives were removed 

from boats leaving the lake, while only 2 were removed from boats about to launch. Curlyleaf 

pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil are both growing in the water at the boat launch, 

so it is not surprising that plants were on boats on their way out. This area needs to be a 

priority for plant management in the future, so that these invasives are not spread to other 

waterbodies. The Hague launch was the only location where more invasives were found 

on their way out then on their way in. 1 specimen of curly-leaf pondweed and 1 Eurasian 

watermilfoil were found on boats about to enter, but both of these boats had last been in 


All 15 of the specimens came from boats that reported they had last been in Lake George. 

Rogers Rock 

1 of the 3 samples found at Rogers Rock was invasive. The invasive sample was removed 

from a boat about to launch while the other 2 samples were removed from boats that were 

leaving the lake. The invasive was a sample of curly-leaf pondweed off a boat that had last 

been in Twin Lakes in Connecticut. 

Where are the invasives coming from? 

Besides looking at where boats that had invasive species on them were last before they 

launched on Lake George, we can also look at each of the 4 invasive species that were 

found and see which lakes might possibly be exporting these species and how often. 


both launching and leaving Lake George 

4 

5 


about to Launch at Lake George 

4 

4 

28 

24 

1 2 

2 5 





Figure 11: # of all of the 4 types of invasives found 

on all boats. 

E u ra sia n W a te rm ilfo il 

W a te r C h e stn u t 

C u rly-le a f P o n d we e d 

Ze b ra M u sse ls 

Figure 12: # of all of the 4 types of invasives found 

on all boats about to launch. 

Since we are looking at where invasives are coming from before the enter Lake George, 

these next numbers only include specimens removed from boats about to launch. So while 

there were 61 invasive species removed from boats overall, 16 of those samples were 

removed on their way out of Lake George, so they have been removed from these next 

charts. The figures on the next page only include specimens found on boats about to launch 

into the lake, not samples found on boats on their way out as well. The charts above show 

the differences (figures 11 & 12). 


DRAFT 

Possible Sources of Invasive Species Introductions to Lake George 

Lake George has three different invasives in it: Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweed, 

and zebra mussels. Based on the data collected by the Lake Stewards, boats are moving 

these infestations around. If management efforts and dollars are going to be spent on these 

current infestations, then an increased awareness by boaters needs to be part of the plan. 

Besides the movement of its own invasive species, 9 other lakes possibly provided source 

material of invasive species that hitchhiked on boats to launches at Lake George. Where 

are the different species coming from? The table and graphs below show which waterbodies 

were the probable sources. (These are only possible sources, as the invasive species could 

have gotten on the boat in a previous waterbody and stayed on the boat for a while.) 

Nearby Saratoga Lake was a possible source for all 4 invasive species, while the Hudson 

River was a possible source of 3 of the 4 (figure 13). 3 of the 9 waterbodies, or 1/3, were 

from outside of New York State. Knowing which waterbodies are the possible source “hot 

spots” might help coordinate regional efforts to prioritize spread prevention messages. 

Eurasian Watermilfoil 

Lake Champlain 

Candlewood Lake (CT) 

Lake George 

Hudson River 

Glen Lake 

Saratoga Lake 

Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 

Curly-leaf Pondweed 



Twin Lakes (CT) 

Hudson River 

Oneida Lake 

Water Chestnut 

Hudson River 


Mohawk River 

South Bay, Lake 

Champlain 

Figure 13: Possible waterbody sources for each of the invasive species removed from boats. 

Zebra Mussels 



# of EWM samples found 

9 

8 

7 

6 

5 

4 

3 

2 

1 

0 

L a ke C h a m p la in 

Sources of Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) 

4 4 

C a n d le w oo d L a ke (C T ) 

L a ke G e o rge 

8 

H u d so n R i ver 

2 

Waterbody 

G le n La ke 

1 

S a ra tog a L ake 

2 

L a ke H o p a tco ng (N J) 

Figure 14: Possible sources of Eurasian watermilfoil. 

4 

# of WC samples found 

2 

1.5 

1 

0.5 

0 

Sources of Water Chestnut (WC) 

1 1 1 1 

H uds on R iver S aratoga Lak e M ohaw k R iver S outh B ay , 


Waterbody 

Figure 15: Possible sources of water chestnut. 

# of CLP samples found 

8 

7 

6 

5 

4 

3 

2 

1 

0 

2 

S aratoga 

Lak e 

Sources of Curly-leafed Pondweed (CLP) 

7 

1 1 1 

Lak e G eorge Tw in Lak es H uds on R iver O neida Lak e 

Waterbody 

# of ZM samples found 

4 

3 

2 

1 

0 

Sources of Zebra Mussels (ZM) 

3 

1 

Lak e G eorge 

S aratoga Lak e 

Waterbody 

Figure 16: Possible sources of curly-leaf pondweed. 

Figure 17: Possible sources of zebra mussels. 


DRAFT 

Summary of Recreation User Data 

The Lake Stewards collected various data on their data sheets. The main focus of the 

program was on invasive species spread prevention, and so this report focuses on reporting 

the information related to these efforts. However, since the Lake Stewards were at the 

launch and able to collect additional types of data, they did. Vessel type, motor type, 

outboard engine type and LGPC boat registration are all summarized here. Additional 

information that is not included in this report was also gathered, such as number in boating 

group, horsepower of outboard engine, time spent at launch, and boat registration number. 

This data is available for further study into recreational users of Lake George. 

Vessel Types 

Motorboats made up over 80% of all boats at all launches except for the Northwest Bay 

launch (figure 18). This launch is cartop only - which is why there were no other types 

of boats launches there. Island View Marina seems to have the most variety in terms of 

motor boats, sailboats, and PWCs; however since a Lake Steward was only there for a very 

short period of time the data could be more affected by a few events and not the best 

representation of average vessel traffic at that launch. Additional details about the vessel 

types are provided in the individual launch reports. 

Vessel Type at Launches 

Motor Types 

1 0 0 % 

The Lake Stewards looked at 

9 0 % 

the motor on all motorboats and 

8 0 % 

recorded what type it was. Then, if 

7 0 % 

it was an outboard, they recorded 

6 0 % 

the horsepower and stroke if 

5 0 % 

possible. Northwest Bay is not 

4 0 % 

included in these graphs because 

3 0 % 

there were not motorboats at this 

2 0 % 

launch. All launches have similar 

1 0 % 

trends with Island View Marina 

0 % 

N M M P D B H T R R N W IV 

sticking out slightly again (figures 


19 & 20). The same reason as 

mentioned above makes this finding 

M o to rb o a t S a ilb o a t P W C C a rto p 

Figure 18: Summary of vessel types at all launches. 

most likely unimportant. Again, 

additional details are provided in the 

Inboards vs. Outboards 

individual launch reports. Such data 

1 0 0 % 

could be useful in a recreation user 

9 0 % 

study in the future. 

% of boats inspected 

% of all motorboats 

8 0 % 

7 0 % 

6 0 % 

5 0 % 

4 0 % 

3 0 % 

2 0 % 

1 0 % 

0 % 

NM M P D B HT R R IV 

Launch 

o u tb o a rd 

in b o a rd 

Figure 19: Summary of engine type of motorboats at all launches. 

Key to Launch Abbreviations in Graphs 

NM Norowal Marina 

MP Mossy Point Boat Launch 

DB Dunham’s Bay Marina 

HT Hague Town Launch 

RR Rogers Rock Campground 

NW Northwest Bay Cartop Launch 

IV Island View Marina 


% of all outboard engines 

120% 

100% 

80% 

60% 

40% 

20% 

0% 

2-stroke vs. 4-stroke 

NM MP D B HT R R IV 

Launch 

DRAFT 

Average Compliance with LGPC Boat Registration 

4 s troke 2 s troke 

Figure 20: Summary of stroke of outboard engines. 

% in compliance 

1 0 0 

8 0 

6 0 

4 0 

2 0 

0 

95 

76 

71 

77 76 76 

NM M P D B HT R R IV 

Launch 

Figure 21: Compliance with LGPC boat registration. 

Lake George Park Commission (LGPC) Boat Registration 

All vessels 18 feet or longer, or any vessel mechanically propelled by a motor 10 h.p. or 

greater, must register with the Lake George Park Commission and display a registration 

decal. Boats can pay for daily or weekly temporary registrations. If a boat is on Lake George 

for more than 21 days annually, then the boat must have an annual registration. 

Stewards checked for the registration decal on boats so that the information could be 

provided to the LGPC. The LGPC provided the Lake Stewards with a handout of what the 

different types of registration decals look like so they would know what they were looking 

for. Compliance was over 70% at all the launches - with Norowal Marina have the highest 

average compliance at 95%. The managers at Norowal sell the boat registrations at their 

marina and actively tell their customers about the regulation. Registrations are also 

available at Island View Marina. Boaters do not have the opportunity to register their boat 

at the other launches that stewards were at - they would have to have registered it prior to 

arriving at the launch. 

Conclusion 

The Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program had a very successful summer. The 

Lake Stewards inspected 2,984 boats that had come from 159 different waterbodies in 19 

different states. A total of 113 samples were collected off of 76 boats. 61 of the samples 

were identified as invasive species. 4 different invasives were found on the boats, 3 of 

which are already in Lake George. Eurasian watermilfoil, zebra mussels, and curly-leaf 

pondweed were all removed from boats that had both come from other lakes and that had 

also last been in Lake George. Water chestnut was also removed from boats on 4 different 

occasions, saving Lake George from another invasion. The Lake Stewards also collected 

other recreational user data that is valuable to the state agencies and private entities 

operating the launch facilities. Over 70% of boaters at all of the launches self-reported 

that they had taken spread prevention measures prior to arriving at the launch. It is hard to 

know how biased this finding is, however, it is still encouraging. 

The results of this summer’s program clearly 

show the need for continued invasive species 

education and spread prevention programs. 

They also show the effectiveness of the 

Lake Steward Program. Hopefully, we will 

have funding to continue and to improve this 

program in the future so we can continue our 

efforts to protect the waters of Lake George by 

slowing the spread of aquatic invasive species. 

% Yes 

Spread Prevention Measures Taken 

100 

85 

88 

92 

95 

78 

80 

72 

74 

60 

40 

20 

0 

N M M P D B H T R R N W IV 

Launch 

Figure 22: Summary of spread prevention measures. 


DRAFT 


Bolton Landing 

Introduction 

For the third consecutive summer a Lake Steward was stationed at Norowal Marina in 

Bolton Landing. Norowal Marina is owned by the Bolton Local Development Corporation 

and is launch site and parking facility with a close proximity to “The Narrows”, a closely 

spaced group of islands that is a popular camping destination only minutes from the launch. 

Norowal Marina provides an excellent opportunity to survey a high volume of lake users and 

present information about both the invasive species already present in Lake George and 

those that have not yet been introduced into the lake. While the Lake Stewards visually 

inspected the vessels as they entered and left the lake, stewards concentrated on educating 

the public about how to prevent the spread of invasive species. Due to the high volume of 

island campers using the launch, Norowal Marina also provides a good opportunity to inform 

campers of the invasive species that can be transported by firewood. A Lake Steward was 

stationed at Norowal Marina five days a week from May 23 to August 17, 2008. 

Methods 

The Lake Steward was stationed at Norowal 

Marina from 8 am to 4:30 pm Wednesday through 

Sunday. The Lake Stewards were initially trained 

with the Paul Smith’s College stewards in May, 

and later received training by the NYSDEC, the 

Darrin Freshwater Institute, and the Lake George 

Park Commission. Each Lake Steward was given 

a handbook, visual aids, handouts, dichotomous 

key for aquatic plant identification, and forms to 

record data from each party and accompanying 

vessel entering and leaving the lake. The Lake 

Steward recorded information such as boat type, 

horsepower (outboard only), stroke (outboard 

only), group size, state of registration, presence 

of a current Lake George Park Commission decal, 

time arrived and departed. 


DRAFT 

The Lake Steward also recorded where visitors had used their boats last and if they had 

taken steps to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as washing their boats and 

draining their bilge water. The Lake Steward typically set up a chair and a table with handout 

information about invasive species and other information pertaining to Lake George. The 

Lake Steward table was located at the convergence of the two entrance roads to the launch 

ramp. Due to the setup location it was difficult for the Lake Steward to inspect boats leaving 

the lake. The collected information was entered into an Excel database at the Lake George 

Association then later compiled and analyzed. 

Results 


Over the thirteen week period that a Lake Steward was stationed at Norowal Marina a total 

of 1264 boats were recorded entering Lake George by a Lake Steward. Information for each 

vessel was recorded and interpreted. The manager of Norowal Marina recorded 2,293 boats 

launching during the same time frame. A Lake Steward was at the marina for 48 days out of 

87 days from May 23 - Aug 17. 

The Lake Stewards intercepted 55% of boaters using Norowal Marina during 13 weeks of 

the summer. A steward was at the marina for 48 out of 87 days, which is also 55%. So it 

appears that the Lake Stewards were very effective in interacting with boaters when they 

were at the launch. This is important to know because this launch can get very busy at 

times. With the launch being so busy, boaters can become less willing to interact with the 

steward. However, it appears that the stewards did a great job of handing this situation. 

Boat launch use by week varied greatly 

throughout the summer (figure 1). 

Memorial Day at the end of May started 

the season off with over 100 boats 

launching over the long weekend from 

Friday to Monday. The busiest week 

(Wed-Sun) was over the 4th of July, with 

212 boats; 79 of which launched from 

8:00-4:30 pm on July 4th and were 

inspected by a Lake Steward. The end of 

July and beginning of August was also a 

busy time for a number of weeks. 

Saturday was the busiest day of the 

week, with Friday a close second (figure 

2). Wednesday and Thursday were not 

nearly as busy as the weekends as 

was expected. This data will help us 

to evaluate if stewards should work at 

launches for 5 days again next year or 

if working just Fri - Sun makes the most 

sense. 


200 

150 

100 

50 

0 

Boat Launch Use at Norowal Marina by Week 

5/ 23 - 5/26 

5/ 29 - 6/1 

6/ 05 - 6/08 

6/ 11 - 6/15 

6/ 18 - 6/22 

6/ 25 - 6/29 

7/ 02 - 7/06 

7/ 09 - 7/13 

7/ 16 - 7/20 

7/ 23 - 7/27 

7/ 30 - 8/03 

8/ 06 - 8/10 

8/ 13 - 8/17 

Figure 1: A summary of boat launches by week at Norowal. 

# of boats launched 

4 5 0 

4 0 0 

3 5 0 

3 0 0 

2 5 0 

2 0 0 

1 5 0 

1 0 0 

5 0 

0 

Date 

Boat Launch by Weekday at Norowal Marina 

95 

16 11 

79 

337 

397 

28 36 25 

W T H F S A S U 

day of the week 

a ve ra g e 

279 

to ta l 

Figure 2: A comparison of boat launch by day of the week. 


DRAFT 

Vessel Types 

A total of 1,136 motorboats make up 90% of the vessels 

entering the Lake George via Norowal Marina. Of the 

remaining 10%, 9% consisted of personal watercraft (PWC) and 

1% were sailboats. There was 1 canoe and 0 kayaks launched 

at Norowal while the steward was on duty. 

The manager of Norowal Marina provided us with records of 

vessels launched during the same dates a Lake Stewards was 

stationed there, May 23 - Aug. 17. The records show a total of 

2,293 boats launching, with 1,715 motorboats, 22 sailboats, 

124 PWC, and 19 cartops (canoes and kayaks). They also 

had 413 day pass launchers, of which type of boat is not 

recorded. Using the numbers provided by Norowal, 91% of 

the boats were motorboats, 7% were PWC, and both cartops 

and sailboats were 1%. This is very close to the percentages 

that the steward interactions amounted to as well. This shows 

that the data from the steward interactions is a representative 

sample of the boaters using the marina during the time they 

were there. 

While the majority of vessels launched at Norowal Marina were 

motorboats, 9% (figure 3) of vessels launched at this location 

were PWCs. The sailboats launched at Norowal Marina were 

often at the launch for longer periods of time due to the time 

needed to rig the boat. Since there is a fee associated with 

launching a vessel at Norowal Marina most canoes and kayaks 

are probably launched at the nearby Northwest Bay Car Top 

Launch which is free of charge. The low numbers of canoes 

and kayaks that do enter Lake George through Norowal Marina 

are often launched on another larger vessel and put into the 

lake after they have departed the launch. 

Motor Types 

Motor type for each vessel was recorded and vessels with 

outboard motors were categorized by stroke (2 or 4 stroke). 

Almost three-quarters of the motorboats that launched at 

Norowal Marina were inboard while the remaining one-quarter 

were outboard. Of the outboard motors observed, 72% were 

recorded to be 2-stroke while 28% were 4-stroke. 

M PWC 

S C 

Figure 3: A comparison of vessel 

types that launched at Norowal. 

Figure 4: Comparison of vessel 

types that launched at Norowal. 

Outboard 

30% 

Vessel Type 

1% 

9% 

0% 

Motor Type 

90% 

Vessel Type from Norowal's Records 

1 % 

7 % 1 % 

9 1 % 

m o to rb o a t sa ilb o a t p wc ca rto p 

Figure 5: Comparison of motor 

types. 

Outboard Engine Type 

Inboard 

70% 

F our S troke 

28% 

T w o S troke 

72% 

Lake Stewards learning how to identify motors during training. 

Figure 6: Comparison of outboard 

motor stroke. 


DRAFT 

Lake George Park Commission Decals 

Lake George Park Commission Decals are required by law for any vessel mechanically 

propelled by more than 10 horsepower and non-mechanically propelled greater than 18 feet 

in length. 

% Compliance 

100 

90 

80 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

5/ 23/0 8-5/2 6/0 8 

5/ 29/0 8-6/1 /08 

% Compliance with LGPC Decals 

6/ 5/08 -6/8/ 08 

6/ 11/0 8-6/1 5/0 8 

6/ 18/0 8-6/2 2/0 8 

6/ 25/0 8-6/2 9/0 8 

7/ 2/08 -7/6/ 08 

7/ 9/08 -7/13 /08 

7/ 16/0 8-7/2 0/0 8 

Date 

7/ 23/0 8-7/2 7/0 8 

7/ 30/0 8-8/3 /08 

8/ 6/08 -8/10 /08 

8/ 13/0 8-8/1 7/0 8 

Figure 7: Weekly comparison of Lake George Park Commission Decal 

compliance at Norowal Marina. 

Samples of a boat 

registration decal and a 

temporary registration decal. 

Lake George Park Commission decal compliance remained over 80% for each of the 

thirteen weeks that a Lake Steward was stationed at Norowal Marina. An average of 

95% compliance was found for the total thirteen weeks. A possible cause for the drop in 

compliance in July is the increased number of out of town tourists who are not familiar with 

the Lake George Park Commission regulations. Most locals are aware of the Lake George 

Park Commission decal, as they have been boating on Lake George in the past. 

Of the 1264 boats that entered Lake George via Norowal Marina 1184 displayed a decal 

while 64 vessels did not display a decal. There were 16 vessels that were not required to 

display a decal (figure 

7). The over 95% 

compliance throughout 

the thirteen weeks can 

be partially attributed 

to the Norowal Marina 

Managers. The Norowal 

Marina Managers made 

their customers aware 

of the decal if the vessel 

required one for use on 



DRAFT 

Previous Lake Steward Interaction 

It was recorded whether or not the boaters had a previous interaction with a Lake Steward. 

% Yes 

1 0 0 

9 0 

8 0 

7 0 

6 0 

5 0 

4 0 

3 0 

2 0 

1 0 

0 

5 /2 3/0 8 -5/2 6 /0 8 

5 /2 9/0 8 -6/1 /0 8 


6 /5 /0 8 -6 /8 /0 8 

6 /1 1/0 8 -6/1 5 /0 8 

7 /9 /0 8 -7 /1 3 /0 8 

6 /1 8/0 8 -6/2 2 /0 8 

6 /2 5/0 8 -6/2 9 /0 8 

7 /2 /0 8 -7 /6 /0 8 

7 /1 6/0 8 -7/2 0 /0 8 

7 /2 3/0 8 -7/2 7 /0 8 

7 /3 0/0 8 -8/3 /0 8 

8 /6 /0 8 -8 /1 0 /0 8 

8 /1 3/0 8 -8/1 7 /0 8 

Figure 8: Weekly comparison of boaters that have had a previous 

interaction with a Lake Steward. 

Throughout the thirteen weeks the percentage of boaters that had previous Lake Steward 

interaction fluctuated, which shows that many different boaters enter Lake George through 

Norowal Marina during the summer. There were many repeat users at the marina as well as 

a steady flow of vacationers in town for a few days. Another reason there was less repeated 

interaction with a Lake Steward is that several local marinas use Norowal Marina to launch 

boats as well as to launch rental boats. 

Date 

However, there still are a number of repeat users at the launch. 

With season-pass holders and multiple use boaters at Norowal 

Marina it was important that the Lake Steward note whether or 

not a previous interaction had taken place. Once an interaction 

had occurred the boater was given a trailer sticker to indicate 

that an interaction had taken place (sticker pictured on this 

page). The Lake Steward recorded “Y” for Previous Lake 

Steward interaction if a sticker was visible, or if during conversation it became apparent 

that an interaction had taken place in the past. Over time we can determine if there is any 

correlation between having a previous Lake Steward interaction and several other variables 

such as a decrease in invasive species entering Lake George, or an increase in Prevention 

Steps taken to prevent the spread of invasive species. 


DRAFT 

Previous Waterbodies 

The Lake Stewards recorded which waterbody boats had been in contact with immediately 

preceding their entry into Lake George. 

Previous Waterbody Frequency Waterbody 

Frequency 

Atlantic Ocean 29 Lake Sivi (OH) * 1 

Ballston Lake (NY) 2 Lake Sunapee (NH) 1 

Bantam Lake (CT) 2 Lake Walcott (NH) 1 

Barnegat Bay (NJ) 8 Lake Wallenpaupack (PA) 11 

Beltsville Lake (PA) 4 Lake Winnipesaukee (NH) 3 

Blue Water Marsh (PA) 2 Lake Winnisquam (NH) 1 

Boston Harbor (MA) 1 Lillinonah Lake (CT) 1 

Boston Lake (CT) 1 Little York Lake (NY) 1 

Brant Lake (NY) 2 Long Island Sound (NY) 22 

Buckhorn Lake (ONT) 1 Manasquam River (NJ) 1 

Buzzards Bay (MA) 1 Mansfield Reservoir (CT) 1 

Canandaigua Lake (NY) 1 Marrow Creek (NJ) * 1 

Canadarago Lake (NY) 1 Mohawk River (NY) 6 

Candlewood Lake (CT) 13 Navesink River (NJ) 2 

Cayuga Lake (NY) 1 Ohio River 1 

Chesapeake Bay (MD) 2 Onota Lake (MA) 6 

Connecticut River (CT) 18 Oswego River (NY) 1 

Connamessett Lake (MA) 1 Otis Reservoir (MA) 5 

Coventry Lake (CT) 1 Otsego Lake (NY) 1 

Cranberry Lake (NJ) 1 Phantom Lake (CT) 1 

Crystal Lake (IL) 1 Pawtucket River (RI) 1 

Delaware River (DE) 8 Peach Lake (NY) 1 

Glen Lake (NY) 1 Piseco Lake (NY) 1 

Great Egg Harbor River (NJ) 2 

Pontoosuc Lake (MA) 1 

Great South Bay (NY) 3 

Raystown Lake (PA) 1 

Greenwood Lake (NY) 9 

Round Valley Reservoir (NJ) 1 

Gulf of Mexico 1 

Ruisetumn Lake (PA) * 1 

Hamilton Reservoir (MA) 4 

Sacandaga Lake (NY) 11 

Harriman Reservoir (VT) 4 

Sandy Hook Bay (NJ) 2 

Highland Lake (NY) 1 

Saratoga Lake (NY) 25 

Schroon Lake (NY) 7 

Holland Reservoir (MA) * 1 

Seneca Lake (NY) 1 

Hudson River (NY) 35 

Shepherd Lake (NJ) 1 

Indian Lake (NY) 3 

Shrewsbury River (NJ) 1 

Jordan Lake (NC) 1 

Silver Lake (NY) 1 

Lake Champlain (NY) 6 

Skaneateles Lake (NY) 2 

Lake Congamond (MA) 1 

Spofford Lake (NH) 1 

Lake Erie 2 

Spruce Run State Park (NJ) 1 

Lake George (NY) 531 St. Lawrence River (NY) 4 

Lake Harmony (PA) 1 Stockbridge Bowl Lake (MA) 1 

Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 39 Susquehanna River 2 

Lake Housatonic (CT) 1 Swinging Bridge Reservoir (NY) 4 

Lake Kerr (FL) 1 Upper Woods Pond (PA) 1 

Lake Luzerne (NY) 1 Wallum Lake (RI) 1 

Lake Mahopac (NY) 3 Watatic Pond (MA) 1 

Lake Mohawk (NJ) 1 Webster Lake (NH) 2 

Lake Ontario 1 Whiteham Lake (MA)) * 1 

Lake Pleasant (NY) 1 Windsor Pond (MA) 1 

Lake Rescue (VT) 1 Zoar Lake (CT) 1 

* Stewards did not always have the chance to ask for correct spelling from boaters. This results in occasional 

names of bodies of water which may be misspelled, named with local slang, or unidentifiable. 

Figure 9: Name and frequency of previously visited waterbodies. 


DRAFT 

Boats launching at Norowal Marina had visited approximately 97 different water bodies before 

entering Lake George. The highest frequency of previous water bodies was Lake George with 531. 

The highest frequency of non-Lake George water bodies visited was Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey, 

which contains several invasive species, many of which were found by Lake Stewards on vessels that 

were last in its waters. 

Information about previous water bodies entered is important because it can be used to determine 

where outreach efforts should be focused in the future. Several of the highest frequency water bodies 

(Saratoga Lake, Lake Hopatcong (NJ), and the Hudson River) (figure 10) contain invasive species that 

have not yet been introduced into Lake George. 

Most Common Previously Visited Waterbodies 

(excluding Lake George) 

L a ke W a lle np a up a ck 

11 

S a ca nd a g a L a ke 

11 

C a nd le w o o d L a ke 

13 

Body of Water 

C o nne cticut R ive r 

L o ng Isla nd S o und 

S a ra to g a L a ke 

A tla ntic O ce a n 

18 

22 

25 

29 

H ud so n R ive r 

35 

L a ke H o p a tco ng 

39 

0 5 1 0 1 5 2 0 2 5 3 0 3 5 4 0 


Figure 10: Name and frequency of most common previously visited waterbodies (excluding Lake George). 

31 of the 97 bodies of water listed 

in Figure 9 are from NY. The rest 

are from a variety of states. After 

New York State, the most common 

states were Massachusetts and 

New Jersey with 13 different 

waterbodies and Connecticut 

with 10. There were also bodies 

of water which cover more than 

one state, and the Lake Steward 

was unable to collect the state. 

The Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of 

Mexico, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, 

the Susquehanna River, and the 

Ohio River were all also recorded 

as previous waterbodies visited. 

Previously Visited Waterbodys outside of 

2 % New York State 

2 % 

2 % 

2 % 

2 1 % 

3 % 

3 % 

1 0 % 

2 1 % 

1 2 % 

1 6 % 

M a ssa chuse tts 

N e w Je rse y 

C o nne cticut 

P e nnsylva nia 

N e w H a m p shire 

V e rm o nt 

R ho d e Isla nd 

M a ryla nd 

Illinio s 

F lo rid a 

N o rth C a ro lina 

D e la w a re 

O hio 

O nta rio 

Figure 11: Previous Waterbody Locations from outside of NY. 


DRAFT 

Plants/Organisms Found 

Each vessel entering the lake was inspected for any plant material/organisms. Samples 

were collected and then identified by either a Lake Steward or by Larry Eichler at the Darrin 

Fresh Water Institute. Boats were also inspected leaving the lake when possible. 

Plants/Organisms Going In 

2% 

% Native versus Invasive 

N o 

Y es 

N ative 

39% 

Invas ive 

61% 

98% 

Figure 12: Comparison of boats found 

with and without plants/organisms. 

Figure 13: Comparison of native vs. invasive 

specimens found. 

A total of 45 samples were collected from 31 boats entering Lake George at Norowal Marina 

and 1 boat leaving. The 31 boats entering make up 2% of the total boats launching at 

Norowal Marina during the thirteen weeks a Lake Steward was stationed there. Norowal 

Marina’s 2% of boats entering with plants/organisms is the second highest among the 

launches visited by Lake Stewards this summer. Some boats had more than one type of 

plant on them, which resulted in more samples than the number of boats carrying the 

samples. For instance, 1 boat entering had 3 different species of native plants found on 

it, while another boat had both curly-leaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil on it, both of 

which are invasive aquatic plants. Zebra mussels were found on two different boats, 1 of 

which had been in the Saratoga Lake earlier that same day. 

Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha), 

curly-leaf pondweed (Potomogeton crispus), and water chestnut (Trapa natans) were all 

invasive species removed from boats about to enter Lake George. 28 of the 45 samples 

were invasive, so more than half of the samples turned out to be invasive species prevented 

from entering the lake (figure 13). 

A wide variety of native plants 

were found, including: slender-leaf 

pondweed, flat-stem pondweed, 

Vasey’s pondweed, coontail, water 

marigold, narrow-leaf pondweed, 

eel grass, duck celery, and a few 

other types of native pondweeds 

and waterweeds. Of the invasive 

plants found, Eurasian watermilfoil 

was the most common, followed by 

curly-leaf pondweed (figure 14). 

Number of Invasive Specimens Found 

8 

1 

2 

17 





Figure 14: Summary of invasive species removed from boats. 


DRAFT 

Of the 28 samples of invasives, 1 sample of Eurasian watermilfoil was removed from a boat 

leaving the launch. The other 27 were all removed from boats about to enter the lake. The 

date, species, last waterbody visited, and how long ago the boat was in that waterbody are 

listed below. It appears that Lake George is continually re-infecting itself by moving its own 

populations of Eurasian watermilfoil and curly-leaf pondweed around. Lake Champlain, 

Saratoga Lake, and the Hudson River are not surprising possible local sources of invasives, 

but Candlewood Lake in CT and Lake Hopatcong in NJ are interesting finds. 

Date Invasive Last Waterbody When 

June 5 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Champlain < 1 week 

June 13 Water chestnut Hudson River last year 



June 27 Eurasian watermilfoil Candlewood Lake (CT) not recorded 

June 28 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George < 1 week 

June 29 Eurasian watermilfoil Candlewood Lake (CT) > 1 week 

July 3 Eurasian watermilfoil Candlewood Lake (CT) 2 days 

July 3 Curly-leaf pondweed Saratoga Lake 1 day 

July 4 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George 1 week 

July 4 Zebra mussel Lake George 1 week 

July 6 Zebra mussel Saratoga Lake same day 

July 16 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George last season 

July 18 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George last season 

July 18 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 1 month 

July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 4 days 

July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Hudson River 2 weeks 

July 19 Eurasian watermilfoil Hudson River 2 weeks 

July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Oneida Lake 3 weeks 

July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 2 weeks 

July 25 Eurasian watermilfoil Glen Lake < 1 week 


July 26 Eurasian watermilfoil Saratoga Lake 1 week 

Aug 2 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 3 weeks 

Aug 10 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 1 week 

Aug 17 Eurasian watermilfoil Candlewood Lake (CT) 2 weeks 

Aug 17 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong (NJ) < 2 weeks 

Figure 15: List of invasives found on boats about to launch at Norowal Marina. 

Water chestnut nutlets that were 

removed off a boat at Norowal 

Marina on June 13 that had last 

been in the Hudson River the 

previous year. 


DRAFT 

Forest Pests 

Norowal Marina also provided an excellent opportunity to educate the public about other 

non-aquatic invasive species such as the Asian longhorn beetle, the emerald ash borer and 

the sirex woodwasp. These invasive insects are transported via untreated firewood, which 

is a concern at this launch site due to the high number of island campers transporting 

firewood from locations known to have infestations of these invasive insects. Norowal Marina 

is close to many of the Lake George Islands which are a very popular camping location. The 

stewards provided an interpretive message about firewood and invasive insects to boaters 

who appeared to be camping and had firewood with them. During the summer, emergency 

regulations were enacted by the NYS DEC making it illegal to move firewood more than 50 

miles. While not an enforcer, the Lake Stewards did make campers aware of these new 

regulations. When people who had brought firewood from more than 50 miles away were 

not willing to leave their firewood behind, they were instructed to please burn all of it or to 

bring whatever was not burned back on the boat with them. One group from Long Island 

actually did leave their firewood (which they had brought with them from Long Island) in their 

car after talking to the steward. The rest of the boaters seemed to appreciate the message 

and said they would buy local firewood the next time. 

Figure 17: % of boaters who self-reported 

having taken spread prevention measures. 

Conclusion 

%of Boaters who took 

Spread Prevention Steps 

No 

15% 

Y es 

85% 

Spread Prevention 

1072 of the boaters reported taking some sort of 

step to prevent the spread of invasive species prior to 

arriving to launch their boat. After asking the boater 

if he/she had taken any spread prevention steps, the 

Lake Steward supplied examples of what possible 

prevention steps are if needed, such as inspecting 

your boat, washing your boat, draining your bilge, bait 

bucket, or live well or disposing of your bait. 

Over the thirteen weeks that a Lake Steward was at Norowal Marina it became clear that this 

was an important location in educating the public about invasive species and how to prevent 

them from spreading. There were more Lake Steward-Boater interactions, 1264, at Norowal 

Marina than any other boat launch worked by a Lake Steward this summer. There were 

also a high number of boaters using the launch at this location coming from water bodies 

impacted by invasive species. In general the public response toward the Lake Stewards was 

positive and well received. Due to the high volume of boats being launched at this location 

there was often a limit on the amount of time given to interact with boaters. This time 

limit presented a challenge to the Lake Steward in that they must convey a message about 

preventing the spread of invasive species while not hindering business. Norowal Marina is 

a private marina in which the customers pay for launching and parking. Since this marina is 

private the Lake Steward must bear that in mind when interacting with the public, who are 

also customers of a business. Norowal Marina is an excellent location for the Lake Stewards 

to be interacting with, and educating, the public on ways to prevent the spread of invasive 

species. 


DRAFT 


Ticonderoga NY 

Introduction 

For the third year the Lake George Watershed Conference has stationed a Lake Steward at Mossy 

Point boat launch. This year Lake Stewards were posted there from May 24 to August 22 with Mondays 

and Tuesdays off. Mossy Point is state owned and operated under the New York State Department 

of Environmental Conservation. Located at the northern-most end of Lake George, Mossy Point in 

Ticonderoga provides local residents with a large, easily accessible, no cost boat launch. Also, with its 

ability to launch up to four vessels at a time, Mossy Point is one of the largest launch sites on the lake. 

Mossy Point does attract some out-of-state boaters, but a large number of launch users live nearby. 

Stewards stationed at Mossy Point provided information about the lake and invasive species to visitors as 

well as inspected all watercraft coming in or out of the lake for invasive plants. 

Methods 

The primary duty of the Lake Steward posted at Mossy Point boat launch was to talk to every boater 

and ask questions that corresponded to the Lake George Recreational Use Study Data Sheets. Some 

information such as boat type, horsepower, group size, registration number, and time arrived and left 

were able to be written down without asking any questions to the actual boater. Other information such 

as the last body of water, the prevention 

measures taken, and previous interaction 

with lake stewards needed to be asked 

to the boaters. After answers to these 

questions were attained the Lake Steward 

could proceed to inspecting the watercraft 

for any signs of invasive species or any 

plant matter. Usually boaters are interested 

enough in what the Lake Steward is doing 

that they will do this inspection along 

with them. This gives the Lake Steward 

additional time to inform the boater of 

good locations to inspect boats. 


DRAFT 

Also stationed at Mossy Point on some weekends is a temporary boat wash station. On 

days of higher activity, the Lake Steward(s) can operate the boat wash station. After a 

boater has been asked a series of questions and their boat is inspected it is up to the Lake 

Steward to assess whether or not this particular watercraft is “at risk”. “At risk” watercraft 

have recently come out of another body of water known to have invasive species or a boat 

where the boater has recently been in another body of water and has taken no spread 

prevention measures. If the watercraft is considered to be a threat the Lake Steward would 

highly advocate the boat be washed. From here, the boater can simply say no but on most 

occasions they are willing to help. The watercraft is towed onto a containment mat that 

holds all the water that is washed off the boat from the power washer. The boat washing 

component of the program is discussed in the Recommendations and Future Considerations 

section of this report. 

Results 


Over the course of the summer 949 watercraft were surveyed at the Mossy Point launch. 

This was the second busiest launch that a Lake Steward was stationed at during the 

summer. The week of the 4th of July was the busiest with 209 boats recorded by the 

steward from Fri - Sun at the launch. Other peak use times appear around Memorial Day 

in May at and the end of July. This use is relatively consistent with trend of boat use on the 

lake during the summer. 

Saturdays had the most 

traffic at Mossy Point, a 

total of 364 boats and an 

average of 30 boats per 

Saturday. Sunday was a 

close second, with a total of 

304 boats and an average 

of 28 boats per Sunday. 

Wednesday, Thursday, and 

Friday were all very slow, 

with Thursday having the 

least numbers of boats 

overall and on 

average. 

The boat by day trend is 

similar to that also found at 

Norowal Marina, with both 

launches having Thursday 

with the fewest boats and 

Saturday with the most. 

However, Fridays appeared 

to be more popular than 

Sundays at Norowal, and 

the opposite is true here. 


200 

150 

100 

50 

0 

Boat Launch Use by Week 

Figure 1: Summary of boat launch use by week. 


5 0 0 

4 0 0 

3 0 0 

2 0 0 

1 0 0 

0 

5/24 - 5/25 

5/26 - 6/01 

6/05 - 6/08 

6/11 - 6/15 

6/18 - 6/22 

6/25 - 6/29 

7/02 - 7/06 

7/09 - 7/13 

7/16 - 7/20 

7/23 - 7/27 

7/30 - 8/03 

8/06 - 8/10 

8/13 - 8/17 

Figure 2: A comparison of boat launch by day of the week. 

32 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008 

Date 

Boat Launch by Weekday at Mossy Point 

337 

397 

95 79 

16 11 28 36 25 


day of the week 

a ve ra g e 

279 

to ta l

Sailboat at Mossy Point launch. 

DRAFT 

Motor 

PWC 

Sailboat 

Canoe 

Kayak 

0% 

1% 

9% 

Figure 3: Vessel types coming in and out. 

Vessel Type 

0% 

90% 

Vessel Type 

Over the course of the summer 949 watercrafts were surveyed at Mossy Point launch. 

Of the watercraft surveyed 90% were motorboats, 9% were PWCs, and 1% were sailboats. 

Kayaks and canoes were counted in much smaller numbers and only consisted of a fraction 

of a percent. 

As the percentages show, the majority of use at Mossy Point comes from motor boats and 

PWCs. Sailboats, canoes, and kayaks were recorded in much smaller numbers mainly 

because of a small inlet just up the road that some canoers and kayakers seem to use. 

Motor Types 

The motorboats are divided into two categories: 

inboard and outboard. Outboards are then 

categorized into two types: two-stroke and fourstroke. 


20% 

Of the different types motors, approximately 

two-thirds were counted as inboards, with the 

remaining one-third being outboards. The 37% 

of outboards can then further be divided into 

2-strokes, 80%, and 4-strokes, 20%. 

The data shown in the graphs to the right 

makes it clear that the bulk of the boats coming 

into the launch were inboard boats. This could 

be due to the fact that Mossy Point is a large 

launch, which makes it more accommodating 

to larger, inboard engine boats. Of the outboard 

population, 2-stroke engines are definitely the 

more popular choice. 2-strokes are a cheaper 

engine that makes it appealing to most boaters; 

however they are not nearly as fuel efficient as 

4-stroke engines. 

2-Stroke 

Figure 4: Proportion of 2-stroke engines to 4- 

strokes 

Motor Type 

Figure 5: Proportion of inboard engines to 

outboard engines. 


37% 

Inboard 

80% 

4-Stroke 

63% 

Outboard

LGPC Decals 

Boaters are required to have Lake 

George Park Commission stickers on 

their vessels if their boat is longer than 

18 ft. or has an engine of 10 horsepower 

or greater. Lake Stewards simply noted 

if boats had them or not, they were not 

enforcing the use of them. 

Over time the percent of people who had 

Park Commission decals seemed to rise 

slightly. The average percent of people 

with LGPC decals was 76%. This is much 

lower than the average compliance of 

95% at Norowal Marina. This difference 

could be explained by the fact that there 

is no person manning the Mossy Point 

Boat Launch, informing boaters of the 

rules and providing the opportunity to 

purchase a decal on location. 

Although there is a slight upward trend 

in this graph it doesn’t necessarily 

prove that more and more people were 

purchasing decals. The spikes and dips 

in the graph could be attributed to the 

influx of tourists coming in from other 

places because they were unaware of 

the use of LGPC decals. 

DRAFT 

% Compliance with LGPC Decals 

% Compliance 

Figure 6: Percent of people who had LGPC decals on their 

boats over time. 

Percent Yes 

120 

100 


Figure 7: Percent of people who had previous contact with 

Lake Stewards. 


One of the first questions asked is whether or not they have previously interacted with a Lake 

Steward. This lets the Lake Steward know that they may be familiar with the information 

about to be presented. 

The average percent of people who had previous interaction with Lake Stewards was about 

59% with some weeks averaging more than 70%. 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

5/24 - 5/25 

5/26 - 6/01 

80 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

6/05 - 6/08 

6/11 - 6/15 

6/18 - 6/22 

6/25 - 6/29 

7/02 - 7/06 

7/09 - 7/13 

Date 

5/24 - 5/25 

5/26 - 6/01 

6/05 - 6/08 

6/11 - 6/15 

6/18 - 6/22 

6/25 - 6/29 

7/02 - 7/06 

7/09 - 7/13 

7/16 - 7/20 

Date 

7/16 - 7/20 

7/23 - 7/27 

7/30 - 8/03 

8/06 - 8/10 

8/13 - 8/17 

7/23 - 7/27 

7/30 - 8/03 

8/06 - 8/10 

8/13 - 8/17 

As the above graph shows, there 

appears to be an upward trend over 

time. Over the summer more and more 

people seemed to be people the Lake 

Stewards recognized as someone 

they had talked to many times before. 

However, like before, the spikes and 

dips in the graph are likely related to 

tourist activity and people coming in 

from out of state. 


DRAFT 


By the end of the summer there were a recorded 37 different lakes and rivers that boaters 

were coming into Lake George from. 

Previous Waterbody Frequency 

Atlantic Ocean 7 

Annabessacook Lake (ME) 1 

Onota Lake (MA) 1 

Bantam Lake (CT) 1 

Beltsville Lake (PA) 1 

Brant Lake (NY) 2 

Candlewood Lake (CT) 4 

Cassian Lake (NY) * 1 

Chesapeake Bay (MD) 2 

Clarke Pond (NY) 1 

Connecticut River (CT) 2 

Delaware River (DE) 1 

Fairview Lake (FL) 1 

Framingham Lake (MA) 1 



Key West (FL) 1 

Lake Bomoseen (VT) 6 

Lake Champlain (VT) 37 

Lake Dunmore (VT) 3 

Lake George (NY) 812 

Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 4 

Lake St. Catherine (VT) 1 

Lily Lake (PA) 1 

Mohawk River (NY) 2 

Paradox Lake (NY) 2 

Putnam Pond (NY) 2 

Plunkett Lake (MA) 1 

Round Lake (NJ) 2 




St. Lawrence River (NY) 1 


Waterbury Reservoir (VT) 1 

Whalen Lake * 1 

Webster Lake (MA) 1 

* Stewards did not always have the chance to 

ask for correct spelling from boaters. This results 

in occasional names of bodies of water which 

may be misspelled or named with local slang. 

Table 1: List of every previous waterbody visited 

along with its frequency. 

Of the 37 water bodies listed, most are located in 

New York, Vermont, or New Hampshire. Second 

to Lake George in last body visited was Lake 

Champlain at 37. 

The most common last body of water was Lake 

George. This can be attributed to the fact that 

many people who live in or around the area stay 

loyal to Lake George and never visit other lakes. 

The next most visited lake is Lake Champlain. 

This makes sense because of Mossy Point’s close 

proximity to a Lake Champlain launch. Because 

of the closeness there is an inherent problem; 

many boaters are pulling out of Champlain and 

launching into Lake George within a relatively 

short period time. This makes boats coming out 

of Champlain of significant interest to the Lake 

Steward because of Lake Champlain’s notoriously 

high invasive species count of 48. 

# of boats 

40 

35 

30 

25 

20 

15 

10 

Most Common Previous Waterbodies 


Waterbody 

Figure 8: Summary of most common previous waterbodies. 

It is alarming to find that all of the most common 

previous freshwater waterbodies have invasive 

species. The Hudson River has over 90 invasive 

species. Both Saratoga Lake and Lake Bomoseen 

have Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussels, 

and Saratoga Lake also has water chestnut and 

curly-leaf pondweed. Schroon Lake only has 

Eurasian watermilfoil. Greenwood Lake has 

Eurasian watermilfoil as well, and is located in the 

same county where hydrilla and snakehead have 

recently been discovered. 


5 

0 

37 

Lake 

Champlain 

10 

Saratoga 


8 

Hudson 

River 

8 

Schroon 


7 

Atlantic 

Ocean 

6 

Greenwood 


6 


Bomoseen

5% 

16% 

11% 

Previous Waterbody Locations 

outside of New York State 

11% 

5% 

5% 

11% 

20% 

16% 

Figure 9: Summary of Previous Waterbody Locations 

outside of New York State. 

DRAFT 16 of the 37 bodies of water listed in Table 

Maine 


C onnec tic ut 

P enns ylvania 

New Jers ey 

Verm ont 

Maryland 

F lorida 

D elaw are 

1 are in New York State. The rest are from 

a variety of other states shown in figure 

9. There was also a record for the Atlantic 

Ocean, which was unable to be assigned 

to a state. Massachusetts was the most 

common state, with 4 different bodies of 

water. Both Connecticut and Vermont had 

3 bodies of water that boats had previously 

been in, while surprisingly Florida tied New 

Jersey and Pennsylvania with 2 bodies 

of water each. Maine, Maryland, and 

Delaware all finish off the list with 1 body 

of water each. 

It should be noted that one waterbody has been left out of this analysis. Lake Whalen was 

recorded as the last body of water for a boat launching on June 7th. However, the state was 

not recorded, as it turns out there is a Lake Whalen in Texas, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The 

boat was registered in Mississippi, so it might have been the one in Texas, but there is no 

way to know for sure. This sample illustrates the importance of gathering complete data as 

well as the reality of trying to do so. 


One of the main goals of the Lake Steward program is to inspect all incoming vessels for any 

plants or organisms. Outgoing vessels are also inspected when possible. 

Of all the boats launched at Mossy Point only 2%, or 15 boats, 

were found to have plants or organisms attached to them. 

Of these 15 samples collected there were 6 specimens of 

2 different invasive species found, Eurasian watermilfoil (5) 

and curly-leaf pondweed (1). Although Lake George is known 

to contain both of these invasives, the aim is to deter further 

colonization and to prevent new types of invasive species 

from contaminating the lake. The best way to achieve this is 

to catch the plants/organisms before they have a chance to 

enter the lake and multiply. 

Plants/Organisms found on Watercraft 

1 

Plants/Organisms on Watercrafts 

98% 

2% 

Figure 10: % of boats with or 

with out plants/organisms 

attached. 

%Native versus Invasive 

Yes 

No 

5 

1 

Figure 9: Summary of plants found on boats. 

3 

3 

1 

Coontail 

Nativ e pondw eeds 

Nativ e w atermilf oil 

Nativ e w aterw eed 

Curly -leaf pondw eed 

Euras ian w atermilf oil 

In va s ive 

4 3 % 

Figure 11: Comparison of native 

versus invasive specimens found. 


N a tive 

5 7 %

DRAFT 


Boaters were asked by the steward if they had taken spread 

prevention steps such as washing their boat, draining their 

bilge, etc. 542 boaters reported taking spread prevention 

while 264 said they had not. A unique addition to the Mossy 

Point Launch site was a Nuisance Invasive Species Disposal 

Station. This station was built by the NYSDEC and the 

stewards helped out by installing the signage on the station. 

The drop box is provided for boaters to place plant material 

removed from their boat on the rocks to dry and desiccate. 

The box keeps the plant matter contained so that it does not 

wash back into the lake. 

% of Boaters who took 


Yes 

72% 

No 

28% 

Figure 12: % of boaters who 

self-reported taking spread 

prevention steps. 

Eurasian watermilfoil growing 

next to the Mossy Point boat 

launch dock. 

Conclusion 

Eurasian watermilfoil washed up 

on the Mossy Point boat launch 

ramp. 

Nuisance Invasive Species Removal 

Station at Mossy Point. 

Due to the high volume of boats coming into Mossy Point launch it was an essential launch 

to have a Lake Steward stationed. Mossy Point is located in a unique location in that it 

gets visitors from various regions. There is a large population of returning boaters who are 

local to the area and easy for Lake Stewards to remember. These locals are usually some of 

the more receptive people the Lake Stewards get to associate with. There are also a good 

number of boats coming in from Lake Champlain and other parts of Vermont considering 

the closeness to the area. The danger that comes with being so close to Lake Champlain, 

as stated previously, is that there are multiple invasive species such as water chestnut, 

alewives, and European frog-bit that could enter Lake George via boats. In addition, there 

are a lot of tourists coming into Lake George from other places. This results in multiple 

boaters bringing their boats from other lakes straight to Lake George. Many of these tourists 

may not have any idea what invasive species are and may be unaware that they can transfer 

them from one lake to another. When you bring together these three aspects one can see 

how Mossy Point State Boat Launch is a high-use launch with plenty of potential to be an 

introduction point of invasive plant/organisms into Lake George. 


DRAFT 


DRAFT 

Dunham’s Bay Marina 

Lake George, NY 

Introduction 

For the first season, a Lake Steward was stationed at Dunham’s Bay Marina. This launch 

site is a private boat launch, located at the southern end of Lake George. Due to private 

ownership, being conscientious and respectful of customers’ time was important. For 

the high-use marina that it is, Dunham’s Bay has a few challenges. In order to reach 

Lake George from the bay area (which is where the launch ramp is located) boats and 

boaters have to go under a low bridge; this limits the launch to smaller boats. Also, due 

to the location, boaters originating from Dunham’s Bay Marina are often headed out to 

campgrounds, requiring the steward to be prepared to address other environmental issues. 

The Lake George Watershed Steward is responsible for educating boaters on the threat of 

invasive species, as well as prevention steps to stop the spread into other water bodies. 

They visually inspected boats and removed any weeds or organisms found. The Steward was 

also to inform visitors on other environmental issues, such as runoff pollution and invasive 

insects which spread by the movement of firewood to different locations. The Lake Steward 

was located at Dunham’s Bay boat launch, providing this educational program throughout 

the summer. 

Methods 

Lake George Watershed Stewards 

participated in a week long training session 

at Paul Smith’s College as well as a week 

long training in Lake George. Throughout 

their training they learned about invasive 

species, interpretation and interaction with 

visitors. 

A Lake Steward was placed at Dunham’s 

Bay, five days a week, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm 

between the dates of June 5, 2008 through 

August 17, 2008. 


DRAFT 

The Steward would be located at the launch ramp and would take down visible information 

such as the boat registration number, the motor type, and the number of people. Once 

outside their vehicle the Lake Steward would approach the boater, greet them, give a brief 

introduction as to why they are there and state general information about invasive species. 

The boater is then asked a series of questions relating to the cleanliness of their boat, such 

as if they have cleaned their boat, drained their bilge, and if they have drained their live 

wells. They are also asked what water bodies the boat had been in the previous two weeks. 

Finally the Lake Steward would visually inspect the boat and remove any organisms or plant 

fragments found. Samples would be removed from boats, which would then be placed in a 

bag partially filled with lake water and taken to Darrin Fresh Water Institute for identification. 

Results 


A total of 437 vessels were inspected before entering Lake George by way of Dunham’s 

Bay Marina. Information from each vessel was recorded and interpreted. Boat launch use 

by week varied throughout the summer, with an expected peak around the Fourth of July 

holiday with 121 boats launching from July 2-6. 


1 2 5 

1 0 0 

7 5 

5 0 

2 5 

0 

6 /0 5 /08 - 6 /0 8 /0 8 

Figure 1: Summary of boat launches by week. 

# of boats 

2 0 0 

1 5 0 

1 0 0 

5 0 

6 /1 1 /08 - 6 /1 5 /0 8 

0 

6 /1 8 /08 - 6 /2 2 /0 8 

6 /2 5 /08 - 6 /2 9 /0 8 

Boat Launch Use by Week 

7 /0 9 /08 - 7 /1 3 /0 8 

7 /0 2 /08 - 7 /0 6 /0 8 

7 /2 3 /08 - 7 /2 7 /0 8 

7 /1 6 /08 - 7 /2 0 /0 8 

Date 

7 /3 0 /08 - 8 /0 3 /0 8 

8 /0 6 /08 - 8 /1 0 /0 8 

Boats by Weekday at Dunhams Bay 

56 

46 

Figure 2: Comparison of boat launch use by day of 

the week. 

113 

8 /1 3 /08 - 8 /1 7 /0 8 

Vessel Types 

A total of 396 motorboats made up a total 

of 91% of vessels going through the launch. 

The remaining 9% of vessels consisted of 

6% personal watercrafts, ~0% sailboats, 1% 

canoes and 2% kayaks. There was not a 

significant number of non-motorized vessels; 

the majority being motorboats and the minority 

were canoes and kayaks (figure 3). Though 

it seems that 

the canoes and 

kayaks were 

not prevalent 

at this location, it is important to note that this marina has a 

separate entrance for car-top boats out of view of the launch, 

which is reserved only for the use of non-motorized boats. 

Also, there is very little use of sailboats at Dunham’s Bay; this 

is due to the bridge boats must clear to get out of the launch 

site and reach Lake George. This makes it impossible for tall 

vessels to launch from this site which explains the absence of 

sailboats from this location. 

185 

8 7 14 21 13 

W TH F S A S U 

Weekday 

a ve ra g e 

to ta l 

93 

Based on Lake Steward interactions by day of 

the week, Saturday seem to be the busiest day 

at the Dunham’s Bay Launch with 185 boats 

total and 21 boats on average each Saturday 

that a steward was there. Saturday was 

followed by Friday and then Sunday for highest 

use, with both of thee days averaging about the 

same use. 

Vessel Types 

Figure 3 Overall comparison of 

vessel types. 


6% 

1% 

0% 

2% 

91% 

M PWC S C K

DRAFT 

Motor Types 

Looking closer at the total 91% of motorboats, there was enough information to compare the 

different types of motors. 

23% 

Motor Type 

31% 


77% 

69% 

Inboard 

Outboard 

Figure 4: Overall comparison of inboard 

and outboard motors. 

Figure 5: Overall comparison of outboard motors. 

Approximately three-quarters of motorboats were noted to be inboards and one-quarter were 

outboards. Of the outboards, approximately two-thirds were 2-stroke motors (figures 4 & 5). 

LGPC Decals 

LGPC Decals are required for entry into Lake George. Although there was no regulating body 

at the launch, the presence of a decal was noted by the Lake Steward. 

% compliance 

100 

90 

80 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

6/ 05 - 6/08 

6/ 11 - 6/15 

6/ 18 - 6/22 

2-Stroke 

LGPC Decals % Compliance 

6/ 25 - 6/29 

7/ 02 - 7/06 

7/ 09 - 7/13 

date 

7/ 16 - 7/20 

7/ 23 - 7/27 

7/ 30 - 8/03 

4-Stroke 

8/ 06 - 8/10 

8/ 13 - 8/16 

Figure 6: Week-by-week comparison of Lake George Park Commission decals compliance. 

Compliance with LGPC decals was only below 50% for the first week of data collection, and 

even then it was very close at 48%. There appears to be no real pattern to compliance. 


DRAFT 

One might have guessed that it would decrease around a major holiday, like the 4th of July, 

with a big influx of tourists, but the data shows the opposite with a 93% compliance over the 

holiday weekend, which is also the second highest week in terms of % compliance. (figure 6). 


When talking to boaters it was noted whether there had been previous interaction with a 

Lake Steward. 

% Yes 

100 

90 

80 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 


6/05 - 6/08 

6/11 - 6/15 

6/18 - 6/22 

6/25 - 6/29 

7/02 - 7/06 

7/09 - 7/13 

7/16 - 7/20 

7/23 - 7/27 

7/30 - 8/03 

8/06 - 8/10 

8/13 - 8/16 

Date 

Figure 7: Week-by-week % comparison of boaters with previous Lake Steward interaction. 

There was an overall increase of people who had had previous interaction with a Lake 

Steward. With multiple-use boaters at Dunham’s Bay Marina it was important to note if 

the users had previous interaction with a Lake Steward. After an encounter with a Lake 

Steward many boaters were given a sticker to place on their boat trailers as an indication 

of interaction. The Steward recorded whether a sticker was visible, or if during conversion 

it was apparent they had previous communication. From this data we can infer that 

throughout the summer the outreach has been successful, with an increase of boaters who 

have had previous contact with a Lake Steward (figure 7). 


DRAFT 


It was found that there were 41 different bodies of water that boats had been in contact with 

immediately preceding their entry into Lake George (Table 1). 








Cossayuna Lake (NY) 1 

Cranberry Lake (NY) 1 


Fulton Chain Lakes (NY) 1 

Glen Lake (NY) 3 

Goose Pond (MA) 1 

Great Bay (NJ) 1 


Hadlock Pond (NY) 1 

Higgins Lake (MI) 1 

Hinckley Reservoir (NY) 1 







Lake Marburg (PA) 1 

Lake Mejantic (Quebec) 1 

Long Lake (MI) 1 

Long Pond (MA) 1 

Marrow Creek (NJ) * 1 


Maine (2 unnamed lakes) 2 

Otis Reservoir (MA) 1 

Potomac River ( MD) 1 

Sabattus Lake (ME) 1 




Skaneatles Lake (NY) 1 

Star Lake (NY) 1 

Tennessee River (TN) 1 

Wallenpaupack Lake (PA) 2 

Warners Lake (NY) 1 

Table 1: Listing and frequency of previously entered waterbodies. 


names of bodies of water which may be misspelled or named with local slang. 

Boats utilizing this launch had visited 41 different water bodies before entering Lake George. 

The majority of previous water bodies visited were freshwater lakes and rivers from New York 

(i.e. Lake George, Saratoga Lake, and the Hudson River). 

Based on frequency, the most common water body previously visited was Lake George. This 

high number of 254 vessels that were previously in Lake George may be attributed to the 

fact that Dunham’s Bay Marina caters to locals as well as has many multiple-use customers. 

The other most common 

freshwater bodies were 

Most common waterbodies previously visited 

the Hudson River, and the 

Saratoga Lake (Figure 8). The 

proximity of these bodies of 

S a ca nd a g a L a ke 

L a ke C ha m p la in 

4 

4 

water to Lake George makes 

them common frequented 

locations. These places also 

A tla ntic O ce a n 

L a ke H o p a tco ng 

S chro o n L a ke 

6 

6 

6 

raise concern; both locations 

S a ra to g a L a ke 

9 

contain invasive species that 

H ud so n R ive r 

22 

are not yet found in Lake 

0 5 1 0 1 5 

George. 

number of boats 

2 0 2 5 

Figure 8: Name and frequency of most common previously visited waterbodies (excluding Lake George). 

waterbody 


DRAFT 

Of the waterbodies noted, there was a 

much greater percentage of people who 

came from New York State water bodies 

most recently, than people coming from 

out of state. The New York State water 

bodies contains 18 different lakes and 

rivers. Although there is less frequency 

of boaters from non-New York State water 

bodies, it consists of 22 different water 

bodies (from approximately 9 different 

states (and Canada). Given the large 

variety of freshwater bodies boats are 

originating from, there should be concern 

for the threat of invasive species at 

Dunham’s Bay Boat Launch. 

22% 

6% 

Previous Waterbody Locations outside 

of New York State 

8% 3% 17% 

Atlantic Ocean 

Canada 

6% 

11% 

8% 

Figure 9: Previous waterbody locations from outside of NY. 

3% 

8% 

8% 

Connecticut 

Delaware 

Maine 

Massachusets 

Maryland 

Michigan 

New Jersey 

Pennsylvania 

Tennessee 

Plants or Organisms Found 

Each vessel was inspected for invasive plants and organisms. A total of 13 boats were found 

to have plant material or organisms on them, 11 were entering and 2 were exiting Lake 

George. This produced 28 samples, as some of the boats had more than one species of 

plant/animal on it. 11 of the specimens from boats were found to be invasive. 

Yes 

3% 


No 

97% 

Inv as iv e 

39% 

Boats with Plants/Organisms going 

into Lake George at Dunham's Bay 

Figure 10: Comparison of boats found 

with and without plants/animals. 

Figure 11: Comparison of native vs, 

invasive specimens found. 

Eurasian watermilfoil, water chestnut, and zebra mussels were found on boats at Dunham’s 

Bay. 4 samples of Eurasian watermilfoil were found, all of which were on boats that had 

Number of Invaisve Specimens Found 

3 

3 

1 

Figure 12: Summary of invasive species 

removed from boats. 

4 

Curly-leaf pondweed 


Water chestnut 

Zebra mussels 

last been in Lake George. 3 samples of water 

chestnut were found, from boats that had last 

been in Saratoga Lake, Lake Champlain, and the 

Mohawk River. 3 samples of zebra mussels were 

found. 2 of the samples were from boats last in 

Saratoga Lake, and 1 of the samples came off a 

boat that had last been in Lake George. It cannot 

be determined if the zebra mussel had come from 

Lake George or if it had come from a previous body 

of water and had been on the boat for some time. 


Nativ e 

61%

DRAFT 

Water chestnut is not currently in Lake George, although Dunham’s Bay would provide 

it with ideal habitat. In a relatively short amount of time, invasive species like these 

could completely inhabit Dunham’s Bay, out-compete native species and alter the natural 

ecosystem. There was a historical water chestnut infestation in the bay but it was eradicated 

in the 1990s. 

Zebra mussels on Eurasian watermilfoil 

found on a boat about to enter Lake George. 

29 Water chestnut nutlets were removed 

on June 15 from a boat about to launch 

at Dunham’s Bay that had last been in the 

Mohawk River less than a week ago. 

28 samples were removed from a total of 13 boats. 11 of the boats were entering Lake 

George and 2 of the boats were exiting the lake. Some boats had more than one species of 

plant/animal material on them, which created more than one sample per boat. Of the 28 

samples, 11 were invasive species. These samples are shown below. 


August 8 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong < 1 week 

August 15 Eurasian watermilfoil Hudson River < 2 weeks 

June 13 Zebra mussel Saratoga Lake < 1 week 

June 21 Water chestnut Saratoga Lake 2 weeks 

June 25 Water chestnut Mohawk River < 1 week 

July 4 Water chestnut South Bay, LC same day 

July 4 Eurasian watermilfoil exiting Lake George -- 

July 4 Zebra mussel exiting Lake George -- 

July 5 Zebra mussel Saratoga Lake -- 

July 6 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George 1 day 

July 6 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 1 day 

Table 2: List of invasive removed from boats at Dunham’s Bay Marina. 

Most of the sources of invasive species on boats using the Dunham’s Bay launch came from 

neighboring waterbodies, including South Bay on Lake Champlain, the Hudson River, and 

Saratoga Lake. It is unclear if the two invasive species found on their way out were missed 

going in or were picked up in Lake George. 

Native plants removed from boats included variable pondweed, threadgrass pondweed, 

muskgrass, coontail, duckweed, bladderwort, duck celery, and water marigold among others. 


DRAFT 


265 boaters reported taking spread prevention steps while 35 did not. This results in 88% 

of the boaters that the Lake Steward talked with as taking spread prevention steps before 

launching their boat. 



N o 

1 2 % 

Ye s 

8 8 % 

Figure 13: % of boaters who self-reported that they had 

taken spread prevention measures. 

Conclusion 

Throughout the duration of the summer there were a total of 437 vessels inspected by a 

Lake Steward before entering Lake George at this location. The majority of users at this 

launch were repeat users and welcomed the Lake Steward to inspect their vessel; they also 

encouraged the continued effort to educate people about Lake George. 

Since the bridge the boats must go under limits the size of boats launched, smaller boats 

launch here than at some other launches. Smaller boats are often easier to trailer, so this 

launch was a concern because it might possibly have had lots of boats coming from longer 

distances bringing invasives with them. While boats came from 41 different waterbodies, 

which is just higher than the 37 from Mossy Point, most of the infected boats were local, 

and 41 is not a relatively high number compared to the 86 of Norowal Marina. It appears 

that there were more repeat users than thought, which makes this marina less of a threat 

to introduce invasive species into the lake than originally thought. Although, having said 

that, 11 invasives were still found and removed from boats, and this marina actually had the 

highest percentage of boats found with plants/organisms on them at 3%, higher than the 2% 

at Norowal. This should be kept in mind when planning for future efforts. 


DRAFT 



Introduction 

Due to the relatively small size of the boat launches at Hague, Roger’s Rock Campground, 

Northwest Bay, and Island View Marina, a Lake Steward was not positioned at these launch 

as frequently as some of the higher volume launches. Following the same procedure, the 

Lake Steward approached the boater and gave a brief interpretive message on preventing 

the spread of invasive species as well as some background about invasive species in Lake 

George. After the interview, the Lake Steward recorded some visual information including 

time of arrival, time of departure, type of watercraft, motor type, and size of group. The Lake 

Steward then asked the boater whether or not they took any preventative measures, as well 

as recorded any waterbodies that the boat had been in during the previous two weeks. The 

Lake Steward would then continue to complete a visual inspection to look for any weeds that 

could be attached to the boat and trailer. 

Methods 

A Lake Steward was located at the Hague Town Launch for one weekend in June, July, and 

again in August. The launch is owned and operated by the Town of Hague and a small fee of 

ten dollars is required except for Hague residents. Since the boat launch was located in the 

center of town, parking was restricted to one small lot. The restricted parking area limited 

the number of boats that could launch and often created a congested launch ramp. In 

addition, the town did not allow 

boaters to park their trailers. This 

made it difficult for those who did 

not live or were not staying nearby. 

Located next to the launch 

ramp was the town beach and 

park. This oftentimes provided 

the steward with more pedestrian 

traffic and concerned residents 

rather than boaters. 


Results 

DRAFT 


152 boats were inspected by a Lake Steward at the Hague Town Launch. Since the steward 

was only at the launch a few times, it does not make sense to try to compare boat launch 

use by week. However, we can look at use by day. It just needs to be kept in mind that the 

sample size is very small, as a steward was only at the launch for 9 days total, including 

only 1 Wednesday and 1 Sunday. Even with a very small sample, when averaged, the launch 

appears to follow the same weekly use pattern as other launches on the lake that more data 

was gathered from. Saturday has the highest use and Sunday is second, which is the same 

as at Mossy Point. The launches in the southern end, Norowal and Dunham’s Bay, had 

Friday as the second highest use day. All 4 launches had Wednesday with more traffic than 

Thursday, which was an unexpected finding. 

# of Boats Launched 

8 0 

7 0 

6 0 

5 0 

4 0 

3 0 

2 0 

1 0 

0 

Boats by Weekday at Hague Town Launch 

10 10 12 

6 

Figure 1: Comparison of average boat launch by day of week. 

17 

34 

73 

24 23 23 


Weekday 

a ve ra g e 

Figure 2: % of vessel types launched 

at Hague. 

Vessel Types 

From June 11th until June 15th, July 17th through the 19th and August 9th, 144 boaters 

interacted with a Lake Steward at Hague. Of these boaters 123 (81%) were motor boaters, 

16 (11%) were personal watercraft, 3 canoes (2%), 8 kayaks (5%) and 2 sailboats (1%) 

(figure 2). 

Motor Types 

Of the motorboats recorded, 79 (64 %) were inboard motors and 45 (36%) were outboard 

motors. Outboard motors were then differentiated between four-stroke and two-stroke 

engines. 31 two-stroke engines (69%) and 14 four-stroke engines (31%) were observed 

(figure 3,4). 

Although two-stroke and four-stroke data could only be collected for outboard motors, in 

general the majority of inboard motors are four-stroke engines. The Lake Steward did not 

collect any data regarding inboard engines since the information could not be observed. 

The motor type information for only one year is not significant because not enough data was 

recorded to measure any trends. After several years of collecting data, the information could 

be used to determine whether the use of four-stroke engines has changed. 

to ta l 

11% 

1% 

2% 

Vessel Type 

5% 

81% 

M PWC S C K 


Motor Type 

DRAFT 


36% 

31% 

64% 

69% 

Inboard 

Outboard 

Figure 3: Comparison of motor type. 

2-stroke 

4-stroke 

Figure 4: Comparison of outboard motor stroke. 

Lake George Park Commission Decal: 

For most boats to launch on Lake George, it is 

required to have a Lake George Park Commission 

registration decal. Lake George Park Commission 

registration is not required for boats shorter than 

18 feet and for motors with a horsepower less 

than 10. 

The Lake Steward recorded the presence of a 

Lake George Park Commission (LGPC) decal. Of 

the 141 boats recorded, 97 had decals (68%), 

29 did not (21%), and 15 did not need decals 

(11%) (See Figure 5). Out of boats that did need 

a decal, boaters were in compliance 77% of the 

time. 


43 of the boaters at the Hague Launch reported 

having previously spoken with a Lake Steward. 

In June, only 13 boaters said yes, but when the 

steward was there in July, 26 did. This implies 

that the Hague launch had some repeat users 

during these two months. 101, or 70%, or 

the boaters, reported not having had a prior 

interaction with a Lake Steward. Since a Lake 

Steward was only at this launch for a total of 9 

days during the summer, it is not surprising that 

many boaters did not have repeat interactions 

with the Lake Steward. 


Observed 

11% 

21% 

68% 

Yes No Not Needed 

Figure 5: Overall compliance of LGPC decal. 

n o 

7 0 % 

Previous Lake Steward 

Interaction 

ye s 

3 0 % 

Figure 6: % of boaters who had previously 

interacted with a Lake Steward. 


DRAFT 


The Lake Steward asked the boater to list any bodies of water that the boat had been 

in during the previous two weeks. This question generated a wide range of answers, 

approximately 21 different bodies of water (figure 7). 

Previous Waterbody 

Frequency 


Frequency 


Barnegat Bay (NJ) 1 

Candlewood Lake (NY) 2 

Cannaan Street Lake (NH) 1 

Cape Cod (MA) 1 

Cassadaga Lake (NY) 1 

Clinton Res. (NJ) 1 





Lake Flower (NY) 1 



Niagara River (NY) 1 

Oneida Lake (NY) 2 

Otsego Lake (NY) 1 

Round Valley Res. (NJ) 1 


Sleepy Hollow Lake (NY) 1 

Stockbridge Bowl Lake (MA) 1 

Figure 7: Listing and frequency of previously entered waterbodies. 



Waterbody 

Figure 8: Name and frequency of most common 

previously visited waterbodies (excluding Lake George). 

13% 

Previously Waterbody Locations outside 

of New York State 

25% 

Most Common Waterbodies Previously Visited 


S aratoga Lake 

O neida Lake 

Lake C ham plain 

C andlew ood Lake 

Lake Hopatc ong 

Huds on R iver 

0 1 2 3 


49% 

New Jers ey 

New Ham ps hire 



13% 

Figure 9: Summary of previous waterbody locations 

from outside of NY. 

2 

2 

2 

2 

2 

3 

The most common previously visited 

waterbodies besides Lake George were 

all from New York except for one, which 

was Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey (figure 

8). The most common previously visited 

waterbody was the Hudson River, which 

is nearby. This waterbody has over 90 

known invasive species in it. 

8 of the waterbodies recorded came from 

outside of New York, while 12 came from 

New York. This demonstrates that most of 

the boat launch users were not traveling 

from long distances to launch their boats. 

One drawback of closer previous water 

bodies is that the shorter distances may 

allow for an easier spread of invasive 

species on a boat where the owner did not 

take all necessary prevention steps. For 

example, if a boat is coming from a lake 

in another state that is five or more hours 

away there is less of a chance that a weed 

or zebra mussel would survive the entire 

drive, as compared to a lake that is only an 

hour away. 


DRAFT 

Plants of Organisms Found 

The final step of interaction between the Lake Steward and the launch user was to complete 

a visual inspection of each boat. The inspection includes removing any weeds that were 

found attached to any part of the boat or trailer. 


Ye s 

1 % 


Native 

32% 

N o 

9 9 % 

Figure 10: Comparison of boats about 

to launch found with and without plants. 

Invas ive 

68% 

Figure 11: Comparison of native vs. invasive 

plants for all 22 specimens found. 

The Lake Steward found plants on 15 boats at the Hague Town Launch. 13 of these boats 

were inspected on their way out of the lake. Plants were found on 2 out of 101 boats about 

to launch, which is 2% of boats inspected before launching (figure 10). So the majority of 

boats were found to be bringing plants out of Lake George rather than taking them in. 

The 15 boats produced 22 different specimens, including 15 invasive specimens (figure 

11). 13 of these were curly-leaf pondweed and 2 were Eurasian watermilfoil. Eurasian 

watermilfoil and curly-leaf pondweed are both growing in the water right at the launch, 

which is why they were often found on boats leaving the launch. Hague is very close by to 

neighboring Schroon Lake, which does not currently have curly-leaf pondweed. Schroon 

Lake does not appear on the previously visited waterbodies list, so it is unknown how much 

boat movement there is between the lakes. But it only takes 1 boat. It is recommended that 

efforts are made in the future to manage the curly-leaf pondweed problem at the Hague 

Town Launch before it is spread to other lakes. 


The Lake Steward asked the boat owner whether 

or not they had taken any preventive measures. 

Draining the bilge, washing the boat, inspection the 

boat/trailer, draining the live well and bait buckets 

were considered to be preventive measures. Of 

the 122 participants asked, 112 (92%) said that 

they had taken preventive steps and 10 (8%) said 

that they had not. This question is significant for 

determining the number of boaters that the Lake 

Steward needs to target. Although 8% is not a 

high percentage of boaters who have not taken 

any steps, it still is represents a large portion who 

need to be reminded by a Lake Steward to take 

preventions steps. 

Invasive plants in water at Hague Town Launch. 


DRAFT 

With the invasive plants growing in the water at the 

Hague Town Launch and the launch’s proximity to other 

nearby bodies of water, removal of plants at this launch 

will should be a priority for next year. A general permit 

can be received from the Adirondack Park Agency to 

pull some of the plants to help prevent their spread out 

of Lake George and to other nearby lakes. As the map 

below shows, bodies of water such as Schroon, Brant, 

and Paradox are nearby. Eurasian watermilfoil was just 

in Paradox Lake this summer. 

 

 



No 

8% 

Yes 

92% 

Figure 12: % of boaters who selfreported 

that they had taken spread 

 

prevention measures. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion 

 

 

 

 

A Lake Steward 

 

was only stationed at the Hague Town Launch for 9 days 

 

during the summer. 

 

 

This was a smaller launch, and we were interested in gathering 

some information 

about it, 

however we did not have enough staff and it does not 

 

have enough traffic to have a steward 

there full time. The most obvious finding 

is that this launch appears to be more of a threat to 

other lakes than to Lake George, since most of the invasive species and plant matter were 

found on boats leaving the lake. This launch also has an attendant from the Town of Hague 

to collect $10 from boaters to use the launch. The Steward Assistant Coordinator met with 

this attendant and reviewed invasive species spread prevention info. Since there is already 

a paid person at the launch, in the future it would make sense to provide additional training 

and have the town attendant collect data and inspect boats at this launch. 

 


DRAFT 

Rogers Rock Campground 


Introduction 









as recorded any water bodies that the boat had been in during the previous two weeks. The 



Methods 

The boat launch a Roger’s Rock Campground is a state operated campground and launch. 

Located above the town of Hague at the northern end of lake the launch provides access 

for those staying at the campground. Boaters were informed about the spread of invasive 

species and asked whether or not they 

take any prevention steps and the last 

body of water that their boat had been 

in. Many of the boats had been in a 

variety of lakes previous to launching in 

Lake George. This was most likely due 

to the fact that boaters often frequent 

several bodies of water when in the 

Adirondack region. A Lake Steward was 

located at the campground for two weeks 

during the summer. 


Results 

DRAFT 


From June 25th until June 29th, and July 23rd through 

the 27th, 126 boaters interacted with a Lake Steward 

at Roger’s Rock campground. Of these boats there 

were: 103 (81%) motor boats, 19 (15%) personal 

watercraft, 2 canoes (2%), and 2 kayaks (2%) (See 

figure 2). 

15% 

2% 

2% 

Vessel Type 

# of Boats Launched 

5 0 

4 5 

4 0 

3 5 

3 0 

2 5 

2 0 

1 5 

1 0 

5 

0 

Boats by Weekday at Rogers Rock 

4 4 4 4 

Figure 1: Comparison of boat launch by week day. 

2 1 

4 1 


Weekday 

While a steward was only at the launch for 8 days, it is 

still clear that the weekends were more popular, which 

is the same as at other launches. Also, the numbers 

were much higher for July than June, with only 38 

boats launching from Fri-Sun at the end of June and 87 

launching from Fri-Sun at the end of July. 

2 3 

4 6 

1 9 

3 8 

a ve ra g e 

to ta l 

Figure 2: % of vessel types launched at 

Rogers Rock. 

Outboard 

35% 

M PWC C K 

Motor Type 

81% 

Inboard 

65% 

Vessel Types 

Of the motorboats recorded, 67 (65 %) were inboard 

motors and 36 (35%) were outboard motors. Motor 

type was differentiated between four-stroke and twostroke 

engines. 26 two-stroke engines (72%) and 10 

four-stroke engines (28%) were observed (figure 3, 4). 

Lake George Park Commission Decal 

For most boats to launch on Lake George, it is required 

to have a Lake George Park Commission registration 

decal. Lake George Park Commission registrations 

are not required for boats shorter than 18 feet and 

for motors with a horsepower less than 10. The Lake 

Steward recorded the presence of a Lake George Park 

Commission decal. Of the 130 boats recorded, 93 had 

decals (71%), 31 did not (24%), and 6 did not need 

decals (5%) (figure 5). 


4-Stroke 

28% 


Figure 4: Comparison of outboard motor 

stroke. 

2-Stroke 

72% 


DRAFT 

Lake George Park Commission 

Decals Observed 

5% 


Interaction 

24% 

ye s 

2 9 % 


71% 

Figure 5: Overall compliance of LGPC decal. 

no 

7 1 % 

Figure 6: Summary of previous lake steward 

interaction. 

Previous Lake Steward Interactions 

37 users reported having previous Lake Steward interactions while 92 reported not having 

a prior interaction with a Lake Steward. While the number of “yes’” increased from June to 

July, so did the number of “no’s” . So that probably shows an increase in use of the launch 

and not an actual increase in users who had previously interacted with a Lake Steward. 


Boats came from 22 other waterbodies before arriving at the Rogers Rock Campground 

to launch. 12 of the waterbodies recorded came from outside of New York, while only 10 

came from New York. The variety of lakes demonstrates that many of the launch users were 

traveling from farther distances. This is probably the result of campground users who are 

on vacations instead of local residents like some of the other boat launches. Event though 

many of launch users came from a variety of lakes, Lake George was still the most frequent 

answer. This may be the result of boaters launching several days in row. 

Previous Water Bodies Frequency 


Ballston Lake (NY) 1 


Chautauqua Lake (NY) 1 



Highland Lake (CT) 1 



Lake Cogamond (MA) 1 





Lake James (NC) 1 

Wallenpaupack Lake (PA) 1 

Mullica River (NJ) 5 


Piseco Lake (NY) 1 

Sacanadaga Lake (NY) 7 



Twin Lakes (CT) 1 

Twin Lakes (NY) 1 

Figure 7: Listing and frequency of previously entered waterbodies. 


DRAFT 



L a ke Ho p a tco n g 

3 


G re e n wo o d L a ke 

M u llica R ive r 

A tla n tic O ce a n 

S a ca n d a g a L a ke 

3 

5 

6 

7 

Hu d so n R ive r 

9 

0 2 4 6 8 1 0 


Figure 8: Name and frequency of most common previously 

visited waterbodies (excluding Lake George). 

Previously Waterbody Locations outside of 

New York State 

8% 

17% 

8% 

8% 

25% 

34% 


New Jers ey 


North C arolina 

Verm ont 

P enns ylvania 

Figure 9: Summary of previous waterbody locations from 

outside of NY. 

The Hudson River was the most 

common previously visited body of 

water, followed closely by Sacandaga 

Lake and then the Atlantic Ocean and 

the Mullica River in New Jersey. Half 

of the most common previously visited 

waterbodies were from New York, 

while half were not (figure 8). Those 

that were not from New York were 

from New Jersey or the Atlantic Ocean. 

While we can not know for sure, it is 

very possible that many of the Atlantic 

Ocean data points are from the coast 

of New Jersey. Of those from New 

York, all three of the waterbodies are 

infected with invasive species. While New Jersey was the state besides New York with the 

most commonly previously visited waterbodies, Connecticut had the most number of bodies 

of water in its state that were visited before arriving to launch. Boats had previously been 

in 4 different bodies of water in Connecticut, while only in 3 from New Jersey. The boat that 

had come the longest distance was last in North Carolina (figure 9). 


Overall, the Lake Steward visually inspected 127 

vessels. Of those vessels, only three were found 

transporting plant material which could be invasive. 

One boat was about to launch and two were on their 

way out of the lake. The boat on its way in had curlyleaf 

pondweed removed from it, while both boats on 

their way out had native pond weeds. So 1 invasive 

plant was prevented from entering the lake through 

the Rogers Rock Campground Launch in the 8 days 

that a steward was stationed there. The boat had 

last been in the Twin Lakes in Connecticut. 


Figure 10: Comparison of boats about to 

launch found with and without plants. 


Y es 

1% 

N o 

99%

DRAFT 


The Lake Steward asked the boat owner whether or not they had taken any preventative 

measures. Draining the bilge, washing the boat, inspection the boat/trailer, draining the live 

well and bait buckets were considered to be preventative measures. Of the 114 participants 

asked, 89 (78%) said that they had taken preventative steps and 25 (22%) said that they 

had not. This question is significant for determining the number of boaters that the Lake 

Steward needs to target. Although 22% is not a high percentage of boaters who have not 

taken any steps, it still is represents a large portion who need to be reminded by a Lake 

Steward to take preventions steps. As with data recording engine type, this data could be 

used in future years to record the change in the number of boaters who take prevention 

steps. 

% of Boaters who took Sread Prevention Steps 

No 

2 2 % 

Conclusion 

Figure 11: % of boaters who self-reported that they had taken 

spread prevention measures. 

While there was only a steward at this launch for 8 days, they still interacted with 127 

boaters and gained some valuable information. The Rogers Rock launch is different from 

other launches that the stewards were stationed at because it is also a state campground. 

So there is state staff there that can provide information as well. There was only 75% 

compliance with the LGPC decal for boats that should have one, which seems a bit low. 

Since the launch is a campground, people are most likely not from around here, and maybe 

do not know about the LGPC regulations. Since there is staff at the campground, maybe this 

compliance could be increased through 

future efforts. Even though a Lake 

Steward was only briefly at the launch, 

they still stopped an invasive plant from 

entering the lake. This launch is already 

a site of zebra mussels in the lake, so it 

is clearly at risk for additional invasive 

species introductions. Future efforts 

at this launch on weekends should be 

considered for following years, especially 

since the most common waterbodies 

previously visited are infected waterways 

or from out of state. 


Y e s 

7 8 %

DRAFT 


DRAFT 

Northwest Bay Launch 

Introduction 












Methods 

A steward was positioned at the Northwest Bay car-top launch for two days, July 3rd and 

4th. This launch site is unique when compared to other launches for a few reasons. It is one 

of the few state-run boat launches on Lake George that does not charge a usage fee. The 

launch can only by used by smaller vessels which limits boat type to canoes and kayakers. 

As a result, the launch is used less frequently when compared to other launches that the 

Lake Stewards are stationed. Secondly, it is 

not located right on Lake George, but rather on 

Northwest Bay Brook. The brook allows for a 

short paddle, about one mile, before reaching 

Northwest Bay of Lake George. Since the 

brook is a swamp it also provides boaters with 

far more wildlife than usually seen on Lake 

George. The same interpretive message was 

given to boaters about preventing the spread 

of invasive species. 


DRAFT 


Of all the boats that were launched the majority were kayaks. There were 23 kayaks 

launched (74%) and 8 canoes launched (26%) (figure 1). 

Since there were no motorboats launched at Northwest Bay, no data could be collected 

on inboard, outboard motors, four-stroke versus two-stroke engines, or Lake George Park 

Commission decal compliance. 

Vessel Types Launched at Northwest Bay Vessel Type 

Given the nature of the boat launch, as a car-top launch, the 

26% 

number of boats launched does not necessarily represent the 

number of launch users that the Lake Steward interacted with. 

As opposed to the larger boat launches, where the users were 

only launching a single boat, many of the survey participants 

were launching multiple canoes and kayaks. Therefore, 31 

74% 

does not represent the number of users that the Lake Steward 

interacted with, but rather the number of boats launched. 

C 

K 

Figure 1: % of vessel types launched at Northwest Bay. 


28 of the 31 boaters has no prior interaction with a Lake Steward, 

while 3 said they had. While only 12.5% of boaters had heard a 

steward’s message about spread prevention, 23 out of the 31 

boaters, or 74% had taken spread prevention measures. One 

explanation for these results is the possibility that the type of 

boater who uses canoes or kayaks is more aware of issues such as 

invasive species. 


14 water bodies were recorded as sites of previous use. 

Frequencies of use range from 1 to 7. Sites with multiple uses 

were most likely the result of launch users with several boats. 



Battenkill River (VT) 1 

Dyken Pond (NY) 1 

Grafton Park (NY) 1 



Loon Lake (NY) 2 

Moreau Lake (NY) 2 

New Jersey * 1 

Quincy Lake* 2 

Round Lake (NY) 3 


Schroon River (NY) 1 

Trout Lake (NY) 3 

Tupper Lake (NY) 1 



Interaction yes 

10% 

Figure 2: % of previous 

interactions with Lake 

Stewards. 

Figure 4: Name and frequency of most common previously 

visited waterbodies (excluding Lake George). 

Figure 3: Listing and frequency of previously entered waterbodies 




no 

90% 



T ro u t L a ke 

R o u n d L a ke 

Hu d so n R ive r 

0 1 2 3 4 5 


3 

3 

4

DRAFT The most common previous waterbodies were all 


nearby locations. It appears that this type of boat user 

spread prevention steps 

does not travel as much as motor boat users. Only two 

boats had last been in waters outside New York State. N o 

26% 


During the two days that a Lake Steward was present 

at the Northwest Bay boat launch, July 3rd and 4th, the 

steward recorded 31 boats. One of the questions asked 

was whether or not the boater took any prevention 

steps. 

Of the 31 boaters that the steward interacted with, 23 (74%) of the boater stated that they 

had taken preventative measures, while 8 (26%) had not. 

Y es 

74% 

Figure 5: % of boaters who self-reported 

taking spread prevention measures. 

Since all of the boats launched were canoes and kayaks, not as many prevention steps were 

required. For example, the Lake Steward recommends washing the boat, draining the bilge, 

draining live wells, washing bait buckets and inspecting the boat and trailer of motorboats. 

Where as canoes and kayaks only would need to wash their boat and/or allow it to dry 

completely in between launchings. This difference may have led to an increased number of 

users who had taken prevention steps. 

Didymo. photo by Tim Daley, PA DEP 

Conclusion 

Unique to the Northwest Bay boat launch was the threat of Didymo 

(Didymosphenia geminata), or “rock snot”, an invasive algae. 

Since Didymo is found in rivers and streams, it is an important 

issue to be discussed since the Northwest Bay launch was located 

on Northwest Bay Brook. Once established, Didymo becomes 

a barrier to native fish and vegetation by forming mats on river 

bottoms. Didymo spores travel by attaching themselves to any 

wet equipment. Didymo is a concern at the Northwest Bay Brook 

launch since it can be spread by angler’s equipment. As an area 

filled with wildlife, the Northwest Bay Brook is a popular area 

for fishing. In addition, Didymo has been found nearby in the 

Battenkill, Connecticut and Delaware Rivers. One previous body of 

water used by a launch user was infected with Didymo. 

The Northwest Bay Launch is the only cartop launch that the stewards were at on the lake. 

This is a state launch, and is not actually on the lake itself but on a stream just before it 

enters the lake. A Lake Steward was only at this launch for 2 days. This launch was not a 

main priority of the program, however since it was a unique user group, we decided to try 

to gather some initial information that might help us to determine if this site might be of 

interest in the future. Most of the previous waterbodies were all from close by. It is unclear if 

this launch is used mainly by locals, or if tourists just kayak at multiple nearby waterbodies 

when they are in our area. Non-motorized boats are often not the focus of spread prevention 

efforts - but they should not be overlooked as methods of transport. Kayaks are often used 

in remote backwaters in pristine natural areas, so it is very important to make sure that 

they are cleaned and/or dried between waterways. Since usage volume is low at this site, 

appropriate signage might be the best way to get the spread prevention message to launch 

users in the future. 


DRAFT 


DRAFT 

Island View Marina 


Introduction 












Methods 

A steward was located at Island View Marina, in Huletts Landing for one week at the end 

of July. Located on the east side of Lake George and just above the Narrows, the launch 

provided access for boaters camping on the Islands. Although it’s an excellent location on 

Lake George, Huletts Landing remains to be an isolated community. Access to the launch 

was fairly limited because boats had to be pulled over Elephant and Hogback Mountain. As 

a result, most of the boats launched were relatively small. As a private marina, Island View 

provided other services to boaters. The 

marina had a small store, and was located 

next to a beach and park which provided 

the steward with sufficient interaction 

with local residents. Many pedestrians in 

this small community were interested in 

our efforts to help prevent the spread of 

invasive species and would often stop to 

share their concerns. 

Narrow Island with State Campground Office 


DRAFT 


From July 30th until August 3rd, a Lake Steward 

was stationed at Island View Marina. While at 

the launch the Lake Steward interacted with 25 

boaters. Of these boaters there were: 18 (72%) 

motorboats, 6 (24%) personnel watercraft, 1 (4%) 

sailboat and 0 canoes and kayaks (figure 1). There 

is a county beach very close by to this launch, 

so kayakers might launch there instead of at the 

marina. 

Vessel Type Launched at Island View Marina 

Vessel Type 

Of the motorboats recorded, 7 (39%) were inboard 

motors and 11 (61%) were outboard motors. Motor type was differentiated between fourstroke 

and two-stroke engines. 3 two-stroke engines (27%) and 8 four-stroke engines (73%) 

were observed (See figure 2,3). 

24% 

4% 

0% 

0% 

72% 

M P W C S C K 

Figure 1: Vessel types launched at Island View. 

Motor Type 


27% 


Observed 

4% 

39% 

24% 

61% 

73% 

72% 

Inboard 

Outboard 


2-stroke 

4-stroke 

Figure 3: Comparison of outboard 

motor stroke. 

Lake George Park Commission Decal 

For most boats to launch on Lake George, it is required to have a Lake George Park 

Commission registration decal. Lake George Park Commission registrations are not required 

for boats shorter than 18 feet and for motors with a horsepower less than 10. 

The Lake Steward also recorded the presence of a Lake 

George Park Commission decal. Of the 25 boats recorded, 

18 had decals (72%) , 6 did not (24%) , and 1 did not need a 

decal (4%). 


Figure 4: Overall compliance with 

LGPC decal. 


Interaction 

Ye s 

4 % 


Of the 25 boaters at Island View Marina, only 1 reported 

having prior Lake Steward interaction. This boat was last in 

New Hampshire, which has a state-wide boat launch steward 

program. So it is possible that the boater had interacted 

with a steward in New Hampshire previously. 

N o 

9 6 % 

Figure 5: Summary of previous 

lake steward interactions. 


DRAFT 


The two final pieces of information gathered required the compliance of the boat owner. The 

Lake Steward asked the boater to list any bodies of water that the boat had been in prior to 

entering Lake George. There were 8 different answers. (figure 6). 

Previous Waterbodies Frequency 






Nubanusit Lake (NH) 1 

Lake Wallenpaupack (PA) 1 

Sebago Lake (ME) 1 

Figure 6: Listing and frequency of previously 

visited waterbodies. 

Island View Marina was not a high volume launch 

site. Lake George and the Hudson River were 

the only New York waterbodies listed. This data 

suggests that many of the boaters launching were 

traveling from outside of New York to launch their 

boat. This data is also surprising since none of 

the boaters had last been in Lake Champlain, 

which is close by. Also, only 1 of the bodies of 

water are from Vermont, Lake Bomoseen. This 

lake is infected with Eurasian watermilfoil and 

zebra mussels. Prior to collecting this data, it 

had been assumed that there would have been 

more direct traffic from Vermont to Lake George at this launch. Since this sample size was so 

small, it doesn’t say for sure that this is not the case, but it gives a starting point. 

Prevention Steps 

The Lake Steward also asked the boat owner whether 

or not they had taken any preventative measures. 

Draining the bilge, washing the boat, inspection the 

boat/trailer, draining the live well and bait buckets 

were considered to be preventative measures. Of 

the 22 participants asked, 21 (95%) said that they 

had taken preventative steps and 1 (5%) said that 

they had not. These results are much higher when 

compared to some of the other smaller marinas. This 

may again just be the result of a smaller sample size. 

Conclusion 


Spread Prevention Actions 

N o 

5 % 

Ye s 

9 5 % 

Figure 7: Summary of spread prevention 

measures taken. 

A Lake Steward interacted with 25 boaters over 5 days at Island View Marina. This 

marina is close to Vermont and Lake Champlain, so its location puts it at risk for spread 

of invasives. For instance, Lake Champlain has 48 known invasive species in it. However, 

this marina appears to be low-use, and of the boats the steward did interact with, only 1 

was from Vermont, and none were from Lake Champlain. The mountain terrain to get to 

the marina and its location on the east side of the lake makes it semi-isolated. This marina 

also appears to get more PWCs then other marinas. This again might be due to the ability 

of users to trailer their watercraft over the mountain to get to the launch. The marina has 

staff that runs the marina and its store, and collects money for parking and launching. This 

marina might be a good candidate for education of marina staff and signage about invasive 

species for future spread prevention efforts. Since there is already someone that works at 

this marina keeping a close eye on things, it would make sense to train them to check the 

boats for invasive species as well. That way, the Lake Stewards can focus their efforts on 

locations were there is no warm body to interact with the boaters. 


DRAFT 


DRAFT 

Fishing Tournament Outreach 


Introduction 

With the help and cooperation of several bass tournament coordinators, Lake Stewards were 

able to survey and speak with bass tournament participants at the Mossy Point Boat Launch 

Site. Fishing tournaments were of particular interest to our outreach efforts because of the 

risk of transporting invasive aquatic species when anglers traverse numerous waterbodies. 

Bass tournaments are popular in our area with multiple tournaments held on Lake George 

and nearby lakes throughout the summer. Many anglers arrive days before a tournament to 

find out where the fish are, so it can be heard to intercept the anglers before they actually 

launch into the lake. There are often registration events which are good chances to talk to a 

group of anglers at once, which is what we did when possible. 

Methods 

The typical greeting and hull examination performed by the Lake Stewards was forgone given 

the time constraints put on the tournament participants as well as the lack of available staff 

to conduct examinations. Participation by local anglers was dependant on the organization 

that conducted the tournament. 

The New York Bass Federation consisted of ninety-two anglers from various locations 

throughout New York state as well as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. This 

particular organization was well organized and included an initial registration meeting that 

entailed the coordinators going over rules and regulations of the tournament. This meeting 

provided a good opportunity for the Assistant Coordinator 

to address the members of the tournament before they 

initiated the tournament. A volunteer questionnaire was 

provided to anglers upon entering the registration line. 

This included the following questions: Name, hometown 

(city and state), the last body of water their boat was in, 

other bodies of water the boat was in within the last two 

weeks, have they heard of invasive species before, and 

whether or not they take spread prevention measures. 


DRAFT 

Capital District Bass Masters consisted strictly of members from around the Albany region. 

This bass-angling group was less organized and did not have a registration meeting. It was 

also a much smaller organization- only consisting of ten anglers. At this bass tournament 

the Assistant Coordinator was able to speak with anglers on a one-on-one basis and was 

able to survey the bass fishing vessels with the standard data collection sheet used by Lake 

Stewards. The information taken at this tournament was not substantial and therefore does 

not warrant further examination, such as the information collected at the June 21st New 

York Bass Federation Tournament. 

Results 

The NY Bass Federation had a fishing tournament on June 21, 2008 at Mossy Point Boat 

Launch in Ticonderoga. Their registration event at a local hotel the day before the start of 

the tournament allowed us a chance to address the group of anglers. Of the 92 anglers at 

the registration event 40 were willing to volunteer to take the short survey we had prepared. 

Risk Assessment 

32 out of 40 ( 93%) of the anglers used their boats in a body of water other than Lake 

George before entering the lake at the Mossy Point boat launch. 

20 different water bodies were recorded as the last body of water the boat had been in 

before entering lake George. 20 different bodies of water were also recorded as the bodies 

of water the boat had been in during the last 2 weeks. While some anglers had been only in 

1 body of water, others had been in multiple (figure 1). 20% of anglers surveyed stated that 

they had used their boats in multiple bodies of water before entering Lake George within the 

last two weeks. For instance, 1 angler from Syracuse had been in Oneida Lake, Onondaga 

Lake, and the Oswego and Seneca Rivers in the last 2 weeks. 

Different Water Bodies Visited in Past 2 Weeks 

3 5 

3 0 

32 


2 5 

2 0 

1 5 

1 0 

6 

5 

1 1 

0 

O n e Tw o Th re e Fo u r 

Number of Different Water Bodies Visited 

Figure 1: Number of different waterbodies visited in the past 2 weeks. 

The risk of spreading invasive species is high with competition anglers who visit multiple 

bodies of water within a matter of weeks, although only a fifth of the anglers visited two or 

more bodies of waters prior to entering Lake George. This is less than expected, however the 

tournament took place relatively early in the season, and anglers are perhaps just beginning 

their fishing excursions. 


Waterbody 


Highland Lake 1 



Niagara River 1 

Hudson River 1 

Lake George 3 

Canandaigua Lake 1 

Lake Champlain 6 

Lake Chautauqua 1 

Saratoga Lake 2 

Oneida Lake 4 

Lake Wallenpaupack 1 

Greenwood Lake 1 

Copake Lake 1 


St. Lawrence River 1 

Lake Ontario 2 

White Lake 1 

Onondaga Lake 2 

Figure 2: Last bodies of water visited before 

entering Lake George. 

Waterbody Frequency 

Lake Champlain 5 

Canandaigua Lake 1 


Cayuga Lake 1 


Saratoga Lake 1 

Oneida Lake 4 

Lake George 6 


Copake Lake 1 

Hudson River 1 


Schroon Lake 1 


White Lake 1 

Mohawk River 1 

Onondaga Lake 1 

Oswego River 1 

Seneca River 1 

Lake Lillinoa (CT) 1 

DRAFT 

Frequency 

Lake Champlain was the most common body of 

water that boats had been in before entering Lake 

George. Next was Candlewood Lake and then 

Oneida Lake. It is unclear if the last body of water 

visited is more heavily influenced by where anglers 

live or where the last tournament was held. Either 

way, anglers had last been in 20 different bodies of 

water in 4 different states besides New York before 

coming to Lake George (figure 2). 

Most Common Last Bodies of Water Visited 

Lak e S t. C atherine (V T) 

Lak e G eroge 

O neida Lak e 

C andlew ood Lak e (C T) 


Waterbody 

3 

3 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 

4 


Figure 3: Most common last bodies of water visited before 

entering Lake George. 

Lake George was the most common body of 

water visited with the last 2 weeks. However, if 

we exclude Lake George, then Lake Champlain 

becomes the most common. So Lake Champlain is 

the most common last body of water listed and last 

body of water within 2 weeks listed (other than lake 

George itself). Due to its proximity to Lake George 

and popularity for fishing, this is not surprising. In 

fact, it is the same 5 lakes that were most common 

in both categories, but just in different orders. We 

might expect these 5 lakes to have good bass 

fisheries. 

Lak e S t C atherine (V T) 

C andlew ood Lak e (C T) 

Most Common Last Bodies of Water 

Visited in Last 2 Weeks 

O neida Lak e 


Waterbody 

Lak e G eorge 

2 

3 

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 

4 


5 

5 

6 

6 

Figure 4: Bodies of water boat has been in 

during the last 2 weeks. 

Figure 5: Most common bodies of water visited in the last 2 

weeks before entering Lake George. 


DRAFT 

Awareness and Knowledge of Invasive Aquatic Species 

37 (92.5%) were familiar with invasive aquatic species and were able to list various known 

invasive species on the questionnaire. Zebra mussels were the most commonly listed 

Familiarity with Invasive Species 

3 

37 

Familiar 

invasive species by far. Water chestnut, 

Eurasian watermilfoil, and round goby were 

the next most common. Snakehead was 

mentioned twice, and all the others were 

only listed once. The snakehead has just 

been in the news lately, with a new location 

discovered in Orange County, NY and 

eradication with chemicals attempted, so 

that may account for its mention since it is 

not found in this area. Some of the anglers 

were not familiar with invasive species, 

while some just answered “yes” but did not 

list any specific examples. 

36 out of 40 anglers stated that they take 

prevention steps prior to launching into 

and when leaving water bodies. It was 

evident that many of the fishing vessels 

were thoroughly cleaned before entering 

the launch area. Power washing, cleaning 

with clorox, wiping down the boat, draining 

bilge and live-well, disposing of boat, and letting the boat dry were all mentioned as spread 

prevention measures that had been taken. As the graphs show there is an apparent 

correlation between knowledge of invasive species and prevention measures taken. It is 

important to note that many of the anglers claiming to have taken prevention measures 

have done so by default. This is because many of them wash their boats before entering a 

tournament, not necessarily to prevent the 

spread of aquatic plants. 

Conclusion 

Overall, most anglers surveyed had not 

been in more than 1 body of water in 

the past 2 weeks. Furthermore, while in 

different order, the same 5 waterbodies 

were the most common for the last 

waterbody as well as last waterbodies in 

Not Familiar 

Figure 6: Self-reported familiarity with invasive species. 

7 

7 

Invasive Species Named by Anglers 

1 

2 

1 

1 1 Zebra Mus s els 


8 

21 

E urais an W aterm ilfoil 

R ound G oby 

S nakehead 

S ilver C arp 

Alew ife 

R us ty C rayfis h 

Q uagga Mus s els 

Figure 7: Invasive species names by anglers in survey. 

Prevention Measures Taken 

36 

Figure 8: Number of anglers who self-reported taking 

prevention measures. 

2 weeks. This might tell us what waters in our area are popular for bass fishermen. We 

can then assess the threats of these main 5 bodies of water. Invasive species knowledge 

seemed high among the group, with 9 different species named among the anglers. Zebra 

mussels were not surprisingly the most commonly mentioned species. Prevention measures 

also seemed high among respondents, however it is unclear if the actions taken were for 

invasive species spread prevention specifically or just general cleaning of the boat. Since 

anglers move from waterbody to waterbody, they are a population of lake users that needs 

further study in terms of invasive species spread prevention. We need to continue to work 

to develop effective means to reach out to them and to evaluate the risk that different 

populations of users, such as bass or ice fishermen, have based on their different activities. 


4 

Y es 

No

DRAFT 

Educational Outreach Activities 


The 2008 Lake Stewards were not just limited to their outreach at the boat launches. 

Throughout the summer, they participated in various other outreach activities sharing 

information about invasive species with the public. In doing so, the stewards were able to 

spread their “Clean Boats, Clean Waters” and “Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers” messages beyond 

the launches and throughout the watershed. 

Invasive Species Awareness Week 

The Adirondack Park’s third annual Invasive Species Awareness Week took place from 

Sunday, July 6th until Saturday, July 12, 2008. The week was a park-wide effort, organized by 

the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) in order to raise awareness and educate 

the public about invasive species. Various events about invasive species were planned for 

the week. In the Lake George watershed events included multiple lectures, two informative 

kayak/canoe paddles, interpretive walks, and planned family activities. 

A table outside of the Visitor Center in Lake George Village was staffed by various members 

of the Lake George Watershed Conference and the Lake Stewards weekdays from 11 am -3 

pm. Information was provided on terrestrial invasive species and their native alternatives, 

aquatic invasive species and potential insect invaders. 1,558 people passed through the 

Visitor Center while the display was set up, many of which stopped to ask questions or tried 

their luck at winning a T-shirt by feeding the zebra mussel at the bean bag toss. 


Ticonderoga’s Waterfest 

DRAFT 

Waterfest in Ticonderoga, NY was on Saturday, July 12. The festival was held in Bicentennial 

Park from 10 am – 4:30 pm and was aimed at celebrating and educating about all things 

“water” around the lake. Many organizations from around the lake set up displays on tables 

which the public could browse through and ask questions about. The Lake Steward table 

display consisted of plant samples of invasive species such as water chestnut, curly-leaf 

pondweed, and Eurasian watermilfoil. The table also had live zebra mussels and banded 

mystery snails so people could observe the difference between the two. The portable boat 

wash station was set up next to the steward table in order to show what equipment the 

stewards use to protect the lake. 

While there is no way to know an exact number of people who visited the affair, the festival 

was well attended and many people stopped at the Lake Steward table to hear, ask, and 

congratulate them about the work they are doing. 


DRAFT 

Terrestrial Invasive Species Activities 


In addition to combating the spread of aquatic invasive species, the 2008 Lake Stewards 

also did their part to fight terrestrial invasives around the lake. Like all invasive species, 

terrestrial invasive species are characterized by their negative impacts on an area. Overaggressive 

and greedy for sunlight and nutrients, these plants can change the ecosystem 

of an area causing harm to native plants and fauna. They are the second leading cause of 

biodiversity loss and can also have severe economic impacts on an area. 

Garlic Mustard Pull at Rogers Rock in Hague 

On Monday, June 2, 2008, three Lake Stewards, the Lake Steward Alternate, and the Lake 

Steward Assistant Coordinator visited Rogers Rock Campground in Hague to assist the NYS 

DEC in the removal of the terrestrial invasive species Garlic Mustard. 

Garlic mustard, or Alliaria petiolata, is a forest under-story plant that has white flowers 

and triangular, sharply-toothed leaves. In its first year the plant is merely a small rosette of 

kidney shaped leaves. However, in year two the plant can grow to be up to four feet tall and 

have multiple stems. A native of Europe, garlic mustard prefers shady areas and deciduous 

forests. It blooms early in May, giving it a jump on native plants. The plant also has the 

potential to harm native trees by releasing a toxin into the soil that harms a specific soil 

fungus that the trees need. 

Garlic mustard infestation at Rogers Rock Campground. 


DRAFT 

Under the guidance of Wayne Blanchard, NYS DEC Operations Invasive Species Specialist, 

the Lake Steward group performed a clean sweep of the camp, removing five and a half 

contractor sized garbage bags of unwanted plants. Garlic mustard seeds can remain active 

in the soil for up to 7 years, making the plants overall removal a multi-year project. The Lake 

Stewards pull complimented the pulls on the campsite of previous years. The garlic mustard 

was in full bloom, the most efficient time to pull the plants, stopping its seed spread and 

making it easy to find and pull out by its roots. 

Yellow Iris at Mossy Point Boat Launch in Ticonderoga 

On June 11, 2008 a previously unrecorded terrestrial invasive plant for the Lake George 

watershed was discovered and identified as a yellow iris plant at Mossy Point boat launch 

in Ticonderoga. The plant was off to the side of the boat launch, and it is unknown how it 

arrived. 

Yellow Iris, or Iris pseudacorus, is native to Europe, Asia, and Africa. It is an iris with a showy, 

yellow bloom from April to June. It grows to be between three and four feet tall and has 

broad, stiff leaves. Yellow iris grows on the edges of lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams in 

huge colonies, displacing native species and providing no nutritional value to native animals. 

After taking photos of the plant in question, the Program Coordinator reported the find to the 

Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program’s (APIPP) Hilary Oles. She verified the identification 

of yellow iris and reported it to Wayne Blanchard of the DEC, who promptly removed the 

plant. Since it was the first instance of yellow iris in the Lake George watershed, this case a 

great example of coordination to achieve effective early detection and rapid response. 


DRAFT 

Recommendations and Future Considerations 

The Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program had a very successful summer. The 

stewards inspected 2,984 boats that had come from 159 different waterbodies in 19 

different states. A total of 113 samples were collected off of 76 boats. 61 of the samples 

were identified as invasive species. 4 different invasives were found on the boats, 3 of 

which are already in Lake George. The stewards also collected other recreational user data 

that is valuable to the state agencies and private entities operating the launch facilities. 

The results of this summer’s program clearly show the need for continued invasive species 

education and spread prevention programs. They also show the effectiveness of the Lake 

Steward Program in protecting the waters of Lake George. Hopefully, funding will again be 

made available to continue this program in the future. However it is important to review the 

program to find ways to make it better and more efficient. If funding does become limited, 

such efforts will help to prioritize future programming efforts into the areas where we can 

get the most bang for our buck. 

Norowal had the most boat traffic on average and overall, followed by Mossy Point. This was 

the third year that there was a Lake Steward at these locations, and based on the amount 

of traffic both locations receive it seems to make sense to continue having a Lake Steward 

at these locations. Surprisingly, Hague, Rogers Rock, and even Northwest Bay had more 

average use than Dunham’s Bay. In the future, the program might consider Hague or Rogers 

Rock as the third primary launch location instead of Dunham’s Bay (the data for Northwest 

Bay is too limited to be representative.) 

Saturday was the busiest day by far, 

with Friday and Sunday having similar 

activity levels. Surprisingly, Wednesday 

had more activity than Thursday at 

almost every launch. No possible 

explanation comes to mind. In terms 

of prioritizing days of the week to have 

stewards working at boat launches, 

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday seem to 

make the most sense based on traffic. 

If we take a look at the invasive 

specimens that were removed from 

boats, of the 61 invasives found, 

11 were found on a Wednesday or 

Thursday and 50 were found on a 

Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Since 78% 

of the saves were made on the weekend 

(Friday is included as a ‘weekend’ day), 

if funding only allows for weekend 

coverage, clearly a difference can still 

be made (see Appendix I). 

Avg. # boats inspected/day 

3 0 

2 5 

2 0 

1 5 

1 0 

Average Boats Inspected By Day at Each Launch 


5 

0 

N or o w a l 

26 

M o ssy Po in t 

19 

D un h m as B ay 

12 

H ag u e 

17 16 16 

R og e r s R ock 


Figure 1: Summary of boat launch use 


1 0 0 0 

8 0 0 

6 0 0 

4 0 0 

2 0 0 

0 

N or th w e st B a y 

Boat Launch by Weekday at All Launches 

239 

195 

689 

1065 

737 

11 8 23 33 26 

W TH F S A S U 

Weekday 

Figure 2: Summary of launch use by weekday 

Isla n d V ie w 

5 

to ta l 

a ve ra g e

DRAFT 

In addition to the number of boats and the invasive specimens removed from each launch, 

we can look at the cost associated with the key statistics as well. 

Lake stewards were paid $9 per hour to work at the launches. Stewards worked at Norowal 

Marina for 48 days during the summer, 49 days at Mossy Point, 37 days at Dunham’s Bay, 

9 days in Hague, 8 days at Rogers Rock, 2 days at Northwest Bay, and 5 days at Island View 

Marina. Based on 8 hour days, we can determine per launch costs as well as how much it 

cost per boat inspected and per invasive species removed at each launch and lake-wide. 

Summary of Results and Costs at each Launch and Lake-wide 

avg. 

total 

Launch # days # boats boat/day # invasives launch $ $/boat $/invasive 

NW: 48 1264 26 28 $3,456 $2.73 $123.43 

MP: 49 949 19 6 $3,528 $3.72 $588.00 

DB: 37 437 12 11 $2,664 $6.10 $242.18 

RR: 8 126 16 1 $576 $4.57 $576.00 

HT: 9 152 17 15 $648 $4.26 $43.20 

IV: 5 25 5 0 $360 $14.4 - 

NW: 2 31 16 0 $144 $4.65 - 

Lake-wide: 158 2984 16 61 $11,376 $3.81 $186.50 

While Norowal and Mossy Point were the most expensive locations, due to their high level 

of coverage, they also had the lowest cost per boat. Dunham’s Bay had the second highest 

cost per boat, but it cost less per invasive then both Mossy Point and Rogers Rock, even 

though both of those sites cost less per boat. The average cost per boat inspected lake-wide 

was $3.81 and the average cost per invasive species specimen removed from a boat was 

$186.50. 

While it only cost around $11,000 for the time the stewards spent at the launches, the 

total program costs were around $40,000. Salary for the Program Coordinator, Assistant 

Coordinator, mileage, supplies, time spent training and entering data along with other 

related program costs were not included in the above per launch expenses. 

If you used the total program cost to determine the cost per boat and per invasive, the 

numbers are much higher. At a program budget of $40,000, 2,984 boats were inspected 

at a cost of $13.40 per boat and 61 invasive specimens were removed from boats at a cost 

of $655.74 per invasive. These numbers might seem high; however, when compared to the 

cost of eradication programs, prevention is much more cost-effective then removal. 

Additional information about program expenses can be obtained from the Program 

Coordinator. If you are working on creating your own steward program, we would be more 

than happy to share our program expenses and other details with you to help you budget 

and plan a similar program. 

Portable Boat Wash Stations 

There were two portable boat wash stations that were part of the Lake Steward Program. 

One was located at Norowal Marina and one was at Mossy Point. There are a number of 

logistical issues to be worked out in order to operate a portable boat wash station. However, 

since this was the third year operating them, most of these issues had been resolved. For 

details on such considerations, please refer to previously issued reports by the Lake George 

Watershed Conference. 


DRAFT 

The location at Norowal Marina where there is room for the boat wash station to be set-up 

is not conducive to convincing boaters to have their boat washed. They would have to turn 

around at the launch after speaking to the steward and go to a nearby parking area to have 

their boat washed. The stewards found that people were not interested in doing this. The 

boat wash at Mossy Point is located with the steward, so it is more convenient for boaters to 

use. They just pull right on and off the mat, and do not have to go out of their way. 

In order to set up and put away the wash station equipment 2 stewards are needed. In 

years past, 2 stewards were assigned to each launch for this reason. However, this year the 

stewards worked individually in order to cover 

more launch locations. So the boat wash could 

only be used when the Assistant Coordinator 

was available to help out. 

Due to location and staffing issues, the boat 

wash stations were not used as much as had 

been planned during this summers’ program, 

which is why they are not discussed at length in 

the report. 

Recommendations for 2009 

Future recommendations are based on the following findings: 

• totals and daily averages of boats inspected at each launch 

• the difference in traffic between launch locations 

• the difference in traffic between weekends and weekdays 

• the number of invasives removed on weekends versus weekdays 

• the costs associated with each launch location 

• experience from operating a portable boat wash station 

photo by Dave Decker, LGWC 

Based on the above information collected during 2008, the Program Coordinator would 

recommend a few adjustments to the program for 2009. 

• Only staff launches with stewards on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays. 

• Continue to have stewards at Mossy Point and Norowal Marina. 

• Train town staff at Hague Town Launch to educate boaters and inspect boats. 

• Consider placing stewards at Rogers Rock and/or Hague Town Launch (if training town 

staff will not work). 

• Work with staff at Island View and Dunham’s Bay to educate boaters and inspect boats. 

However, do not staff these launches with a steward. 

• Increase outreach efforts to the kayaking community through contacts with outdoors 

groups and sporting goods stores. 

• Increase outreach to marinas through contact with staff. 

• Only have a boat wash station at Norowal Marina in 2009 if the location of the station 

can be moved to make it more acceptable to boaters. 

• Due to the convenient location of the boat wash station at Mossy Point, continue with 

the wash station for 2009. However, 2 stewards should be staffed at this launch. 


DRAFT 


DRAFT 

Appendices 

A: Data Collection Sheet ..................................................... 81 

B: Map of Launch Locations ............................................... 82 

C: Map of Zebra Mussel Locations in LG ........................... 83 

D: Map of Eurasian Watermilfoil Locations in LG .............. 84 

E: List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies ..................... 85 

F: List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies by State ...... 87 

G: List of All Invasive Species Removed from Boats ......... 91 

H: List of All Specimens Removed ...................................... 93 

I: List of All Invasives Found by Weekday .......................... 96 

J: Scientific and Common Names of Invasive Species ...... 98 

K: Invasive Species in Previously Visited Waterbodies ..... 99 

L: Steward Materials and Supplies ..................................... 101 


DRAFT 


DRAFT 

Appendix A Data Collection Sheet 

Lake George Recreation Use Study Steward Name: Launch Site: 

Time on duty: Time off duty: Date: Weather: AM: ________ PM: _______ Did visitor take Last Waterbody? When? If within last 

Previous LS Boat Inspection Plants/other Plant C/S prevention 2 weeks - Ask other lakes/waterbodies Boatwash? 

Boat Boat stroke Group State LGPC Time to launch/retrieve boat interaction (Circle Y/N) Found? Type given steps? used by boat in last 2 weeks (record waterbody comments/ 

# type HP (4, 2) Size last 3 #s decal Time arrived Time Left (Circle Y/N) If N, give reason (Circle Y/N) (Indicate which) name, state,and county if common name or large river) notes 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

Entering Yes No Yes No Yes No 

Leaving Yes No Yes No Yes No 































Boat Type: M=motorboat; PWC=personal watercraft; S=sailboat; C=canoe; K=kayak State: write in state of registration and last 3 digits of the alpha-numeric registration number or leave blank if unreg. 

LGPC decal: All Vessels 18 Feet or Longer, or Any Vessel Mechanically Propelled by a Motor 10 h.p. or Greater must display a LGPC decal. Record Y=Yes, N=No, or NN=Decal not needed 

Plant Type: EWM (Eurasian Watermilfoil); NM (Native Milfoil); CLP (Curlyleaf Pondweed); ZM (Zebra Mussel); write in other type or write unknown if cannot identify. 

Boat Inspection: If boater declined inspection, record reason given: T:time constraint, NN: not necessary, NR: no reason given, O: other. If boat not inspected because of boating volume, record V. 

Prevention Steps: I (inspected), WB (washed boat), DB (Drained Bilge), BB (drained bait buckets), LW (drained livewell), Dis (disposed of bait), None (no steps taken) 

Card/Sticker Given: Record if Watercraft Check Points Card and/or SAH trailer sticker are given (C/S/ or both or H = already has) 2008 


DRAFT 

Appendix B: Map of Launch Locations 

The stewards were located at 3 main locations around Lake George. Dunham’s Bay Marina, 

Norowal Marina, and Mossy Point Boat Launch always had a steward stationed there since 

they had high traffic. There were a few smaller locations that we wanted to find out about, so 

the 4th steward moved around between the Rogers Rock Campground, Hague Town Launch, 

Northwest Bay Launch, and Island View Marina. 


DRAFT 

Appendix C: Zebra Mussels in Lake George 

Ticonderoga 

Location 

# Removed* 

LG Village 21,265 

Cleverdale 418 

Mossy Point 1,375 

Sandy Bay 1,653 

Rogers Rock 211 

Yankee Marina 36 

Castaway Marina 38 

Total 24,996 

* as of 10/01/2008 

Zebra mussels removed by the Darrin Fresh Water 

Institute and Bateaux Below. Zebra mussel numbers 

provided by the Darrin Fresh Water Institute 

Rogers 

Rock 

Hague 

Mossy 

Point 

N 

Huletts 

Landing 

Bolton 

Landing 

Yankee 

marina 

LG Village 

Sandy Bay 

Castaway marina 

Indicates Zebra Mussel 

location 


George 

Village 

Cleverdale 

Zebra mussels removed by 

Darrin Fresh Water Institute 

and Bateaux Below 


DRAFT 

Appendix D 

Map of Eurasian Watermilfoil Locations in Lake George 

Map of all known Eurasian watermilfoil sites at the conclusion of 2008. Open labels are sites that are clear of 

all visible milfoil; yellow labels are sites that are actively managed with benthic barrier but are not yet cleared 

of milfoil; red labels are sites in need of future managed effort. 

Map from Lake George Integrated Aquatic Plant Management Program. Prepared for the Lake George Park 

Commission by Lycott Environmental Inc. December 2008. 


DRAFT 

Appendix E: List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies 


Annabessacook Lake (ME) 1 




Barnegat Bay (NJ) 9 

Battenkill River (VT) 1 

Beltsville lake (PA) 5 

Blue Water Marsh (PA) 2 

Boston Harbor (MA) 1 

Boston Lake (CT) 1 


Buckhorn Lake (ONT) 1 

Buzzards Bay (MA) 1 

Canadarago Lake (NY) 1 

Canandaigua Lake (NY) 1 


Cannaan Street Lake (NH) 1 

Cape Cod (MA) 1 

Cassadaga Lake (NY) 1 

Cayuga Lake (NY) 1 

Chautauqua Lake (NY) 1 


Clarke Pond (NY) 1 

Clinton Reservoir (NJ) 1 

Connamessett Lake (MA) 1 


Cossayuna Lake (NY) 1 

Coventry Lake (CT) 1 

Cranberry Lake (NJ) 1 

Cranberry Lake (NY) 1 

Crystal Lake (IL) 1 


Dyken Pond (NY) 1 

Fairview Lake (FL) 1 

Framingham Lake (MA) 1 

Fulton Chain Lakes (NY) 1 

Glen Lake (NY) 4 

Goose Pond (MA) 1 

Grafton Park (NY) 1 

Great Bay (NJ) 1 

Great Egg Harbor River (NJ) 2 

Great South Bay (NY) 3 


Gulf of Mexico 1 

Hadlock Pond (NY) 1 


Hessian Lake (NY) 1 

Hamilton Reservoir (MA) 4 

Harriman Reservoir (VT) 4 

Higgins Lake (MI) 1 

Highland Lake (CT) 1 

Highland Lake (NY) 1 

Hinckley Reservoir (NY) 1 

Holland Reservoir (MA) * 1 


Indian Lake (NY) 3 

Jordan Lake (NC) 1 

Key West (FL) 1 






Lake Flower (NY) 1 


Lake Harmony (PA) 1 


Lake Housatonic (CT) 1 

Lake James (NC) 1 

Lake Kerr (FL) 1 

Lake Luzerne (NY) 1 

Lake Mahopac (NY) 3 

Lake Marburg (PA) 1 

Lake Mejantic (Quebec) 1 

Lake Mohawk (NJ) 1 

Lake Nubanuist (NH) 1 


Lake Pleasant (NY) 1 

Lake Rescue (VT) 1 

Lake Sivi (OH) * 1 


Lake Sunapee (NH) 1 

Lake Walcott (NH) 1 

Lake Wallenpaupack (PA) 15 

Lake Winnipesaukee (NH) 3 

Lake Winnisquam (NH) 1 

Lillinonah Lake (CT) 1 

Lily Lake (PA) 1 

Little York Lake (NY) 1 

Long Island Sound (NY) 22 

Long Lake (MI) 1 


DRAFT 

Appendix E: List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies contd. 


Long Pond (MA) 1 

Loon Lake (NY) 2 

Maine (2 unnamed lakes) 2 

Manasquan River (NJ) 1 

Mansfield Reservoir (CT) 1 

Marrow Creek (NJ) * 2 


Moreau Lake (NY) 2 

Mullica River (NJ) 5 

Navesink River (NJ) 2 

New Jersey * 1 

Niagara River (NY) 1 

Ohio River 1 

Oneida Lake (NY) 2 

Onota Lake (MA) 7 

Oswego River (NY) 1 


Otsego Lake (NY) 2 

Paradox Lake (NY) 2 

Pawtucket River (RI) 1 

Peach Lake (NY) 1 

Phantom Lake (CT) 1 

Piseco Lake (NY) 2 

Plunkett Lake (MA) 1 

Pontoosuc Lake (MA) 1 

Potomac River ( MD) 1 

Putnam Pond (NY) 2 

Quincy Lake * 2 

Raystown Lake (PA) 1 

Round Lake (NJ) 2 

Round Lake (NY) 3 

Round Valley Res. (NJ) 2 

Ruisetumn Lake (PA) * 1 

Sabattus Lake (ME) 1 



Frequency 

Sandy Hook Bay (NJ) 2 


Sebago Lake (ME) 1 


Schroon River (NY) 1 


Sheperd Lake (NJ) 1 

Shrewsbury River (NJ) 1 

Silver Lake (NY) 1 

Skaneateles Lake (NY) 4 

Sleepy Hollow Lake (NY) 1 

Spofford Lake (NH) 1 

Spruce Run State Park (NJ) 1 

St. Lawrence River (NY) 5 

Star Lake (NY) 1 

Stockbridge Bowl Lake (MA) 2 

Susquehanna River 2 

Swinging Bridge Reservoir (NY) 4 

Tennessee River (TN) 1 

Trout Lake (NY) 3 

Tupper Lake (NY) 1 

Twin Lakes (CT) 1 

Twin Lakes (NY) 1 

Upper Woods Pond (PA) 1 

Wallum Lake (RI) 1 

Warners Lake (NY) 1 

Watatic Pond (MA) 1 

Waterbury Reservoir (VT) 1 

Webster Lake (MA) 1 

Webster Lake (NH) 2 

Whalen Lake * 1 

Whiteham Lake (MA) * 1 

Windsor Pond (MA) 1 

Zoar Lake (CT) 1 

TOTAL 2489 




DRAFT 

Appendix F: 

List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies by State 

CONNECTICUT 


1 Bantam Lake (CT) 4 

2 Boston Lake (CT) 1 

3 Candlewood Lake (CT) 22 

4 Connecticut River (CT) 23 

5 Coventry Lake (CT) 1 

6 Highland Lake (CT) 1 

7 Lake Housatonic (CT) 1 

8 Lillinonah Lake (CT) 1 

9 Mansfield Reservoir 1 

10 Phantom Lake (CT) 1 

11 Twin Lakes (CT) 1 

12 Zoar Lake (CT) 1 

TOTAL 58 

DELAWARE 


1 Delaware River (DE) 13 

TOTAL 13 

FLORIDA 


1 Fairview Lake (FL) 1 

2 Key West (FL) 1 

3 Lake Kerr (FL) 1 

TOTAL 3 

ILLINOIS 


1 Crystal Lake (IL) 1 

TOTAL 1 

MAINE 


1 Annabessacook Lake 1 

2 (2 unnamed lakes) 2 

3 Sabattus Lake (ME) 1 

4 Sebago Lake (ME) 1 

TOTAL 5 

MARYLAND 


1 Chesapeake Bay (MD) 5 

2 Potomac River ( MD) 1 

TOTAL 6 

MASSACHUSETTS 


1 Boston Harbor (MA) 1 

2 Buzzards Bay (MA) 1 

3 Cape Cod (MA) 1 

4 Connamessett Lake 1 

5 Framingham Lake (MA) 1 

6 Goose Pond (MA) 1 

7 Hamilton Reservoir 4 

8 Holland Reservoir * 1 

9 Lake Congamond (MA) 3 

10 Long Pond (MA) 1 

11 Onota Lake (MA) 7 

12 Otis Reservoir (MA) 7 

13 Plunkett Lake (MA) 1 

14 Pontoosuc Lake (MA) 1 

15 Stockbridge Bowl Lake 2 

16 Watatic Pond (MA) 1 

17 Webster Lake (MA) 1 

18 Whiteham Lake (MA) * 1 

19 Windsor Pond (MA) 1 

TOTAL 37 

MICHIGAN 


1 Higgins Lake (MI) 1 

2 Long Lake (MI) 1 

TOTAL 2 




NEW HAMPSHIRE 


1 Cannaan Street Lake 1 

2 Lake Nubanuist (NH) 1 

3 Lake Sunapee (NH) 1 

4 Lake Walcott (NH) 1 

5 Lake Winnipesaukee 3 

6 Lake Winnisquam (NH) 1 

7 Spofford Lake (NH) 1 

8 Webster Lake (NH) 2 

TOTAL 11 

NEW YORK 


1 Ballston Lake (NY) 5 

2 Brant Lake (NY) 5 

3 Canadarago Lake (NY) 1 

4 Canandaigua Lake (NY) 1 

5 Cassadaga Lake (NY) 1 

6 Cayuga Lake (NY) 1 

7 Chautauqua Lake (NY) 1 

8 Clarke Pond (NY) 1 

9 Cossayuna Lake (NY) 1 

10 Cranberry Lake (NY) 1 

11 Dyken Pond (NY) 1 

12 Fulton Chain Lakes 1 

13 Glen Lake (NY) 4 

14 Grafton Park (NY) 1 

15 Great South Bay (NY) 3 

16 Greenwood Lake (NY) 22 

17 Hadlock Pond (NY) 1 

18 Hessian lake (NY) 1 

19 Highland Lake (NY) 1 

20 Hinckley Res. (NY) 1 

21 Hudson River (NY) 89 

22 Indian Lake (NY) 3 

23 Lake George 1770 

24 Lake Champlain (NY) 51 

25 Lake Flower (NY) 1 

26 Lake Luzerne (NY) 1 

27 Lake Mahopac (NY) 3 

28 Lake Pleasant (NY) 1 

29 Little York Lake (NY) 1 

DRAFT 

Appendix F: 

List of All Previously Visited Waterbodies by State contd. 

NEW YORK continued 


30 Long Island Sound 22 

31 Loon Lake (NY) 2 

32 Mohawk River (NY) 9 

33 Moreau Lake (NY) 2 

34 Niagara River (NY) 1 

35 Oneida Lake (NY) 2 

36 Oswego River (NY) 1 

37 Otsego Lake (NY) 2 

38 Paradox Lake (NY) 2 

39 Peach Lake (NY) 1 

40 Piseco Lake (NY) 2 

41 Putnam Pond (NY) 2 

42 Round Lake (NY) 3 

43 Sacandaga Lake (NY) 25 

44 Saratoga Lake (NY) 47 

45 Schroon Lake (NY) 24 

46 Schroon River (NY) 1 

47 Seneca Lake (NY) 2 

48 Silver Lake (NY) 1 

49 Skaneateles Lake (NY) 4 

50 Sleepy Hollow Lake 1 

51 St. Lawrence River 5 

52 Star Lake (NY) 1 

53 Swinging Bridge Res. 4 

54 Trout Lake (NY) 3 

55 Tupper Lake (NY) 1 

56 Twin Lakes (NY) 1 

57 Warners Lake (NY) 1 

TOTAL 2146 

* Stewards did not always have the chance to ask for correct 

spelling from boaters. This results in occasional names of 

bodies of water which may be misspelled, named with local 

slang, or unidentifiable. 


DRAFT 

Appendix F: 


NEW JERSEY 


1 Barnegat Bay (NJ) 9 

2 Clinton Res. (NJ) 1 

3 Cranberry Lake (NJ) 1 

4 Great Bay (NJ) 1 

5 Great Egg Harbor River 2 

6 Lake Hopatcong (NJ) 54 

7 Lake Mohawk (NJ) 1 

8 Manasquan River (NJ) 1 

9 Marrow Creek (NJ) * 2 

10 Mullica River (NJ) 5 

11 Navesink River (NJ) 2 

12 New Jersey * 1 

13 Round Lake (NJ) 2 

14 Round Valley Res. (NJ) 2 

15 Sandy Hook Bay (NJ) 2 

16 Shepherd Lake (NJ) 1 

17 Shrewsbury River (NJ) 1 

18 Spruce Run State Park 1 

TOTAL 89 

NORTH CAROLINA 


1 Jordan Lake (NC) 1 

2 Lake James (NC) 1 

TOTAL 2 

OHIO 


1 Lake Sivi (OH) * 1 

TOTAL 1 

RHODE ISLAND 


1 Pawtucket River (RI) 1 

2 Wallum Lake (RI) 1 

TOTAL 2 

TENNESSEE 


1 Tennessee River (TN) 1 

TOTAL 1 

VERMONT 


1 Battenkill River (VT) 1 

2 Harriman Reservoir (VT) 4 

3 Lake Bomoseen (VT) 8 

4 Lake Dunmore (VT) 4 

5 Lake Rescue (VT) 1 

6 Lake St. Catherine (VT) 1 

7 Waterbury Reservoir (VT) 1 

TOTAL 20 

PENNSYLVANIA 


1 Beltsville lake (PA) 5 

2 Blue Water Marsh (PA) 2 

3 Lake Harmony (PA) 1 

4 Lake Marburg (PA) 1 

5 Lake Wallenpaupack (PA) 15 

6 Lily Lake (PA) 1 

7 Raystown Lake (PA) 1 

8 Ruisetumn Lake (PA) * 1 

9 Upper Woods Pond (PA) 1 

TOTAL 28 

MULTIPLE STATES 


1 Lake Erie 2 

2 Lake Ontario 1 

3 Ohio River 1 

4 Susquehanna River 2 

TOTAL 6 




OCEAN 


1 Atlantic Ocean 52 

2 Gulf of Mexico 1 

TOTAL 53 

UNKNOWN LOCATION (STATE) 


1 Quincy Lake * 2 

2 Whalen Lake * 1 

TOTAL 3 

CANADA - ONTARIO 


1 Buckhorn Lake (ONT) 1 

TOTAL 1 

CANADA - QUEBEC 


1 Lake Mejantic (Quebec) 1 

TOTAL 1 

DRAFT 

Appendix F: 





DRAFT 

Appendix G: 

List of all Invasive Species Removed from Boats 














July 4 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George Leaving 




















July 6 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Champlain 2 weeks 

July 16 Curly-leaf pondweed Saratoga Lake 1 week 

July 25 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George 2 weeks 

Aug 3 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George < 2 weeks 

Aug 9 Eurasian watermilfoil Saratoga Lake 1 day 

Entries in red are specimens removed from boats leaving the lake. Entries in black are from boats launching. 


DRAFT 

Appendix G: 

List of all Invasive Species Removed from Boats contd. 

Dunham’s Bay Marina 


June 13 Zebra mussels Saratoga Lake < 1 week 

June 21 Water chestnut Saratoga Lake 2 weeks 

June 25 Water chestnut Mohawk River < 1 week 

July 3 Water chestnut South Bay, Lake Champlain same day 


July 4 Zebra mussels Lake George Leaving 

July 5 Zebra mussels Saratoga Lake not recorded 

July 6 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George 1 day 

July 6 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 1 day 

Aug 8 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Hopatcong < 1 week 

Aug 15 Eurasian watermilfoil Hudson River < 2 weeks 



June 13 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George Leaving 

June 13 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George not recorded 





July 17 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George Leaving 







July 19 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George 2 weeks ago 

Aug 9 Curly-leaf pondweed Lake George Leaving 

Rogers Rock 


July 26 Curly-leaf pondweed Twin Lakes (CT) 1 week 

Entries in red are specimens removed from boats leaving the lake. Entries in black are from boats launching. 


DRAFT 

Appendix H: List of All Specimens Removed 

Date Invasive/ Name 

Launch Entering/ Last body of water, When 

Native 

Leaving 

1 24-May N Coontail MP L N/A 

2 25-May N Robbins pondweed MP L N/A 

3 25-May N Native watermilfoil MP L N/A 

4 5-Jun I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Lake Champlain, < 1 week 

5 5-Jun N Sarganium DB L N/A 

6 12-Jun N Native pondweed DB L N/A 

7 13-Jun I Water chestnut NM E Hudson River, last year 

8 13-Jun I Curly-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 

9 13-Jun I Eurasian watermilfoil HT E 

10 13-Jun I Zebra mussels DB E Saratoga Lake, < 1 week 






16 15-Jun N Native pondweed HT L N/A 

17 20-Jun N Threadleaf pondweed DB L N/A 

18 21-Jun N Muskgrass DB E Saratoga Lake, 2 weeks 

19 21-Jun I Water chestnut DB E Saratoga Lake, 2 weeks 


21 25-Jun I Water chestnut (29) DB E Mohawk River, < 1week 

22 27-Jun I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Candlewood Lake, CT 

23 28-Jun I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Lake George, < 1 week 

24 28-Jun N Variable pondweed NM E Lake George, last season 

25 29-Jun I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Candlewood Lake,

DRAFT 

Appendix H: List of All Specimens Removed contd. 



Native 

Leaving 

43 5-Jul N Waterweed MP L N/A 

44 5-Jul N Waterweed MP L N/A 

45 5-Jul N Coontail MP E LG 

46 5-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil MP E Lake George, 1 week 

47 6-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil MP e LC, 2 weeks 

48 6-Jul I Zebra mussel NM E Saratoga Lake, same day 

49 6-Jul N Marine vegetation DB E Lake George, 1 day 

50 6-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil DB E Lake George, 1 day 

51 6-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed DB E Lake George, 1 day 

52 6-Jul N Variable pondweed DB E Lake George, 1 day 

53 10-Jul N Slender-leaf pondweed NM E Saratoga Lake, 2 weeks 

54 11-Jul N Waterweed NM E Saratoga Lake, 2 weeks 

55 11-Jul N Water marigold NM E Saratoga Lake, 2 weeks 

56 11-Jul N Narrow-Leaf pondweed NM E Saratoga Lake, 2 weeks 

57 11-Jul N Flat-Stem pondweed NM E Saratoga Lake, 2 weeks 

58 11-Jul N Variable pondweed DB L N/A 

59 16-Jul N Waterweed MP E Saratoga Lake, 1 week 

60 16-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed MP E Saratoga Lake, 1 week 

61 16-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Lake George, last season 

62 17-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 



65 17-Jul N Waterweed HT L N/A 

66 17-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil HT L N/A 

67 17-Jul N Variable pondweed HT L N/A 

68 17-Jul N Narrow-leaf pondweed HT L N/A 

69 17-Jul N Vasey’s pondweed HT L N/A 

70 17-Jul N Duck celery HT L N/A 

71 17-Jul N Variable pondweed NM E Lake George, last season 

72 17-Jul N Vasey’s pondweed NM E Lake George, last season 

73 18-Jul N Eelgrass NM E Lake George, 1 month 

74 18-Jul N Unknown NM E Lake George, 1 month 

75 18-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed NM E Lake George, last season 

76 18-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed NM E Lake George, 1 month 




80 19-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed HT E 

81 19-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed NM E Lake George, 4 days 

82 19-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed NM E Hudson River, 2 weeks 

83 19-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Hudson River, 2 weeks 

84 19-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed NM E Oneida Lake, 3 weeks 


DRAFT 

Appendix H: List of All Specimens Removed contd. 



Native 

Leaving 

85 19-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed NM E Lake George, 2 weeks 

86 25-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil MP E Lake George, 2 weeks 

87 25-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Glen Lake, < 1 week 

88 25-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed NM E Lake George, 2 weeks 

89 26-Jul N Pondweed MP E Lake George, 2 weeks 

90 26-Jul N Pondweed RR L N/A 

91 26-Jul N Pondweed RR L N/A 

92 26-Jul I Curly-leaf pondweed RR E Twin Lakes CT, 1 week 

93 26-Jul I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Saratoga Lake, 1 week 

94 30-Jul N Native waterweed NM E Bantham Lake, < 1 week 

95 2-Aug I Eurasian watermilfoil NM E Lake Hopatcong, 3 weeks 

96 2-Aug N Native waterweed NM E Greenwood Lake, 1 week 

97 2-Aug N Duck celery NM E Lake Hopatcong, 3 weeks 

98 3-Aug I Eurasian watermilfoil MP E Lake George, < 2 weeks 

99 8-Aug I Eurasian watermilfoil DB E Lake Hopatcong,

DRAFT 

Appendix I: List of All Invasives Found by Weekday 

Invasives found on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday are in red. Invasive found on a Wednesday 

or Thursday are in black. 

These findings are meant to help prioritize when planning the steward program in the future. 

Options to consider include whether it make sense to have fewer stewards that work 5 days 

a week or have a few more stewards and cover more launch locations and only have them 

each work three days a week. These decisions will be based on many factors, including 

available funding and steward applications. However, in terms of getting the best bang for 

your buck, it does appear that just staffing the launch locations on the weekends (for this 

purpose Friday is considered a weekend day) might be considered in the future. 
































DRAFT 

Appendix I: 

List of All Invasives Found by Weekday contd. 


Mossy Point 


6-Jul Eurasian watermilfoil Lake Champlain 2 weeks 

July 16 Curly-leaf pondweed Saratoga Lake 1 week 

July 25 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George 2 weeks 

Aug 3 Eurasian watermilfoil Lake George

DRAFT 

Appendix J: Scientific and Common Names of 

Invasive Species 

Bythotrephes cederstroemi 

Dreissena polymorpha 

Hydrocharis morsus-ranae 

Myriophyllum heterophyllum 

Myriophyllum spicatum 

Najas minor 

Nitellopsis obtusa 

Nymphoides peltata 

Potamogeton crispus 

Trapa natans 

Utricularia inflata 

Marsilea Quadrifolia 

Corbicula fluminea 

Cabomba caroliniana 

Alosa pseudoharengus 

Cipangopaludina chinensis 

spiny water flea 

zebra mussel 

European frog-bit 

variable watermilfoil 


brittle naiad, European naiad 

starry stonewort 

yellow floating heart 

curly-leafed pondweed 

water chestnut 

swollen bladderwort 

European waterclover 

Asian clam 

Fanwort 

Alewife 

Chinese mystery snail 


DRAFT 

Appendix K: 

Invasive Species in Previously Visited Waterbodies 

By contacting colleagues in different states, we were able to determine some of the invasive 

species found in some of the 159 waterbodies that the 2,489 boats had previously been 

in. This list is by no means exhaustive. However, it does begin to provide a better picture of 

some of the threats that could be arriving at Lake George any day. 

Key to Abbreviations 

SWF spiny water flea 

AW alewife 

ZM zebra mussel 

FW fanwort 

EFB European frog-bit SS starry stonewort 

VWM variable watermilfoil YFH yellow floating heart 

EWM Eurasian watermilfoil CLP curly-leafed pondweed 

BN brittle/European naiad WC water chestnut 

EWC European waterclover SB swollen bladderwort 

AC Asian clam 

- No Known Invasives 

CMS Chinese mystery snail ? Unknown/Location Unclear 

New York Waterbodies 

Ballston Lake EWM 

Little York Lake EWM CLP 

Brant Lake EWM 

Long Island Sound - 

Canadarago Lake EWM ZM 

Loon Lake EWM 

Canandaigua Lake EWM ZM 

Mohawk River EWM 

Cassadaga Lake EWM 

Moreau Lake EWM 

Cayuga Lake EWM ZM VWM Niagara River - 

Chautauqua Lake EWM ZM 

Oneida Lake EWM CLP SS SWF 

Clark Pond - 

Oswego River WC 

Cossayuna Lake EWM 

Otsego Lake EWM WC 

Cranberry Lake VWM 

Paradox Lake EWM 

Dyken Pond - 

Peach Lake EWM 

Fulton Chain Lakes EWM SB 

Piseco Lake - 

Glen Lake EWM 

Putnam Pond EWM 

Grafton Park EWM 

Round Lake EWM BN 

Great South Bay ? 

Sacandaga Lake SWF 

Greenwood Lake EWM 

Saratoga Lake EWM ZM WC 

Hadlock Pond EWM 

Schroon Lake EWM 

Hessian lake - 

Schroon River - 

Highland Lake - 

Seneca Lake EWM 

Hinckley Reservoir - 

Skaneateles Lake EWM ZM 

Hudson River * EWM ZM 

Sleepy Hollow Lake EWM BN 

Indian Lake EWM 

St.. Lawrence River * ZM 

Lake George EWM ZM CLP Star Lake - 

Lake Champlain * EWM ZM EFB YFH Swinging Bridge Res. - 

Lake Flower EWM VWM 

Trout Lake - 

Lake Luzerne EWM 

Tupper Lake VWM 

Lake Mahopac EWM 

Twin Lakes ? 

Lake Pleasant - 

Warners Lake EWM 

* There are many more known invasives in these bodies of water. For our purposes, just a few are mentioned. 


Connecticut Waterbodies 

Bantam Lake ? 

Boston Lake ? 

Candlewood Lake EWM CLP BN 

Connecticut River 

Coventry Lake EWM CLP 

Highland Lake EWM VWM CLP 

Lake Housatonic EWM CLP BN 

Lillinonah Lake EWM CLP BN 

Mansfield Reservoir ? 

Phantom Lake ? 

Twin Lakes ? 

Zoar Lake EWM BN CLP EWC 

DRAFT 

Appendix K: 

Invasive Species in Previously Visited Waterbodies contd. 

New Hampshire Waterbodies 

Cannaan Street Lake - 

Lake Nubanuist - 

Lake Sunapee 

VWM 

Lake Walcott ? 

Lake Winnipesaukee VWM 

Lake Winnisquam VWM CMS 

Spofford Lake - 

Webster Lake - 

Rhode Island Waterbodies 

Pawtuxet River CLP VWM FW 

Wallum Lake - 

Massachusetts Waterbodies 

Boston Harbor ? 

Vermont Waterbodies 

Buzzards Bay ? 

Battenkill River RS 

Cape Cod ? 

Harriman Reservoir - 

Connamessett Lake - 

Lake Bomoseen EWM ZM 

Framingham Lake ? 

Lake Dunmore EWM 

Goose Pond ? 

Lake Rescue - 

Hamilton Reservoir VWM 

Lake St.. Catherine EWM WC AW 

Holland Reservoir * ? 

Waterbury Reservoir - 

Lake Congamond EWM CLP AC 

Long Pond ? 

Onota Lake 

EWM CLP WC BN 

Otis Reservoir 

EWM 

Plunkett Lake 

EWM BN 

Pontoosuc Lake 

EWM CLP BN WC 

Stockbridge Bowl Lake EWM 

Watatic Pond 

VWM 

Webster Lake 

EWM VWM FW AC 

Whiteham Lake * ? 

Windsor Pond 

EWM 

Key to Abbreviations 

SWF spiny water flea 

AW alewife 

ZM zebra mussel 

FW fanwort 

EFB European frog-bit SS starry stonewort 

VWM variable watermilfoil YFH yellow floating heart 

EWM Eurasian watermilfoil CLP curly-leafed pondweed 

BN brittle/European naiad WC water chestnut 

EWC European waterclover SB swollen bladderwort 

AC Asian clam 

- No Known Invasives 

CMS Chinese mystery snail ? Unknown/Location Unclear 


DRAFT 

Appendix L: 

Steward Materials and Supplies 

The stewards had a number of references available for their use at the launch sites. Their 

training manuals included reference materials on Lake George and invasive species 

in addition to the logistics of their position and daily duties. They also had a supply of 

brochures and handouts available for interested boaters. Laminated maps and pictures of 

common invasives were used when talking to boaters, and stewards handed each boater 

an informational card to keep on their boat. Boaters who listened to the steward’s message 

were also given a sticker to put on their boat trailer to mark them as having interacted with a 

steward, which would help speed up the process the next time they used the launch. 

The training manual was adapted from the Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed 

Institute Watershed Stewardship Program and the Lake Champlain Basin Program Boat 

Launch Steward Program. For additional information or a copy of the training manual, 

please contact the Program Coordinator. 

Hitch 

Live Well 

Transom Well 

Rollers 

o Anchor 

o Axle 

o Bait bucket 

o Bunks 

o Bow line 

o Fishing line 

o Floor 

o Hull 

o Intake pipe 

Axle 

o Ladder 

o Landing net 

o License plate 

o Motor 

o Wheels 

o Live well 

o Lights/wiring 

o Rollers 

o Prop 

Lower Unit/Propeller 

Watercraft check Points 

o Spare tire 

o Tackle 

o Tow rope 

o Trailer 

o Transducer 

o Transom well 

o Trolling motor 

Prevent the spread of invasive species. Clean and drain your boat and all 

equipment before launching and when removing your boat from Lake George. 

This document was prepared for the New York State Department of State with funds provided under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund. 

These are two invasive species that have already been introduced into Lake George. 

Zebra Mussels 

(Dreisssena polymorpha) 

harmful invasive that interrupts aquatic food webs, 

outcompetes native mussels, and fouls boats and other structures 

D. Jude 


(Myriophyllum spicatum) 

harmful invasive that forms dense surface mats that 

can interfere with swimming and boating and outcompete native plants 

Wisconsin DNR 

3” x 5” sticker handed out to 

boaters for their boat trailer. 

Sticker provided by US FWS. 

dark and light colored stripes 

• Yellowish or brownish “D” shaped shell 

• Often grow in clusters in shallow water 

• Only freshwater mussel that attaches to solid objects 

• Can be up to 2 inches long, but most are under 1 inch 

blunt tip 

• Leaves in whorls of 3-5 around stem 

• Usually 12-21 closely spaced leaflet pairs per leaf 

• Generally grows in water 3-12 feet deep 

• Feather-like leaves collapse around stem when out of water 

For more information on invasive species or to report a sighting in Lake George, call the Lake George Association at (518) 668-3558. 

Laminated 4’ x 6” Clean Boats 

Clean Waters card given to 

boaters. Card designed by Program 

Coordinator. “Clean Boats Clean 

Waters” logo provided by Michigan 

Sea Grant. 


DRAFT 

Appendix L: 

Steward Materials and Supplies contd. 

List of Handouts for the Public 

The Clean Boats Clean Water Watercraft Checkpoints Card and the Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers 

Trailer Sticker (both pictured on the previous page) were given to every boater. A supply 

of the following publications were displayed on the Lake Steward’s table. However, these 

brochures were not actively handed out to every boater, but were rather made available for 

boaters to pick up if interested. 

• Snail or Zebra Mussel ID Tip Sheet 

• Clean Boats Clean Waters Sticker 

• Zebra Mussel Watch Card 

• Don’t Move Firewood, bookmark, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 

• Keep Fishing Great! Use Certified Bait!, VHS brochure, NYSDEC 

• Don’t let New York Rivers get slimed!, Didymo brochure, Au Sable River Association 

• Invasive Plants of the Adirondacks, brochure, Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program 

• Protect Lake George - Stop Aquatic Invaders, brochure, Lake George Park Commission 

• Lake George Special Navigation Rules, brochure, LGPC 

• Boating Safety, Lake George, NY, brochure, LGPC 

List of Reference materials available for Steward use 

These publications were in the steward’s training manual as reference materials. They did 

not have a supply of these to hand out to the public, but could refer to them as needed. 

General 

• Lake George Boaters Map 

• New York State Boaters Guide, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation 

• New York State Freshwater Fishing Regulations 2006-2008 Revised, NYS DEC 

Aquatic Invasives 

• Native vs. Eurasian watermilfoil, ID card, Minnesota DNR 

• Aquatic Invaders of the Lake Champlain Basin, brochure, Lake Champlain Basin Program 

• Zebra mussels: Aquatic Nuisance Species, fact sheet, Lake Champlain Sea Grant 

• Zebra mussels in North America: The invasion and its implications, fact sheet, Ohio Sea Grant 

• Zebra mussels: Questions and Answers for Inland Lake Managers, fact sheet, Illinois Sea Grant 

• Map of zebra mussel locations in Lake George 2008 

• Lake George Integrated Aquatic Plant Management Program 2007 Report, LGPC 

• Eurasian watermilfoil Plant Profile, fact sheet, APIPP 

• Recognizing Eurasian watermilfoil and Native look-a-likes, fact sheet, Wisconsin DNR 

• Common Look Alike Plants, fact sheet, APIPP 

• Eurasian vs. Native watermilfoil, ID card, Wisconsin DNR 

• Curly-leaf Pondweed Plant Profile, fact sheet, APIPP 

• Curly-leaf Pondweed Look-a likes, fact sheet 


DRAFT 

• Quick Key to ruling out Maine’s Eleven Most Unwanted Invasive Aquatic Plants, Maine 

Center for Invasive Aquatic Plants 

• Maine Field Guide to Invasive Aquatic Plants and their common native look-a likes. Maine 

Center for Invasive Aquatic Plants, Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program. Pdf copy 

available online at www.mainevolunteerlakemonitors.org/publications/FieldGuide/ 

Terrestrial Invasives 

• Distribution of Terrestrial Invasive Plants in the Adirondack park, 2005 Map, APIPP 

• Terrestrial Invasive Plant Inventory and Analysis for the Lake George Watershed, New York, 

2007, Lake George Land Conservancy 

• Terrestrial Invasive Plants of the Lake George Watershed, brochure, Lake George Land 

Conservancy 

Insect Invaders and Firewood 

• Pest Alert: Sirex woodwasp, fact sheet, USDA Forest Service 

• Pest Alert: Emerald Ash Borer, fact sheet, USDA Forest Service 

• Pest Alert: Asian Long-horned Beetle, fact sheet, USDA Forest Service 

• Emergency Firewood Regulations, June 3, 2008, FAQs, fact sheet, NYS DEC 

Basic Supplies for each launch 

• Chair 

• Table 

• Tent 

• Bucket with brochures for handout and display 

• Training Manual 

• Laminated handouts for display 

• Ziploc bags and sharpies for samples 

• Data Forms 

• Pen 

• Clipboard 

• First Aid Kit 

• Cell phone 

• Steward on Duty Sandwich Board 

There were laminated handouts made up for the stewards to use while talking to boaters. 

They are printed on the following pages. 


Lakes with Aquatic Invasive Plants in the Adirondack Park 

DRAFT 

Jenny Lake 

Hunt Lake 

Taylor Pond 

Meacham Lake 

Seventh Lake 

Sixth Lake 

Long Pond 

Middle Saranac Lake 

Lower Saranac Lake 

Follensby Clear Pond 

Floodwood Pond 

Little Square Pond 

Fish Creek Pond 

Copperas Pond 

Lake Algonquin 

Mill Pond 

Franklin Falls 

Union Falls Flow 

Lake Flower 

Fifth Lake 

Deer River Flow 

Putnam Pond 

Minerva Lake 

Grasse River at Lampson Falls 

Chazy Lake 

North Pond 

Oseetah Lake 

Lake Colby 

Kiwassa Lake 

Upper Saranac Lake 

Horseshoe Pond 

Indian Lake 

Mountain View Lake 

Lower Chateaugay Lake 

Upper Chateaugay Lake 

Lake Champlain 

Augur Lake 

Lincoln Pond 

Bartlett Pond 

Schroon Lake 

Eagle Lake 

Brant Lake 


Loon Lake 

Daggett Lake 

Lake Luzerne 

Great Sacandaga Lake 

Mayfield Lake 

West Caroga Lake 

East Caroga Lake 

Effner Lake 

* 51 infested lakes as of 2007 


EURASIAN WATERMILFOIL MANAGEMENT INLAKEGEORGE2007 

PROGRAM REPORT 

Figure1.MapofallknownEurasianwatermilfoilsitesattheconclusionof2007.Bluelabelsaresitesthatarecl 

earofallvisiblemilfoil;yellowlabelsaresitesthatareactivelymanagedwithbenthicbarrierbutarenotyetclea 

redofmilfoil;redlabelsaresitesinneedoffuturemanagedeffortincludingDFWIsites(N=1)temporarilyset6 

asideforresearch(seetextandFigure4fordetails). 

DRAFT 

Zebra Mussels In Lake George 

Ticonderoga 

Site 

King Neptune's Pub 

Sandy Bay 

Cleverdale 

Mossy Point 

Number Removed 

21,260 

377 

1,369 

1,557 

Rogers 

Rock 

Mossy 

Point 

Rogers Rock 

12 

Hague 

Yankee Marina 

32 

Castaway Marina 

17 

Total 

24,624 

* As of the end of 2007 

Huletts 

Landing 

Bolton 

Landing 

Yankee 

Marina 

Indicates Zebra Mussel 

location 

Neptunes 

Sandy Bay 

Castaway Marina 


Village 

Cleverdale 

Zebra mussels removed by 

Darrin Fresh Water Institute and 

volunteers from Bateaux Below 


DRAFT 


DRAFT 

2x 


DRAFT 

Aquatic Invasive Plants 

in New York State 

Water Lettuce 

Pistia stratiotes 

Starry Stonewort 

Nitellopsis obtusa 

Brittle Naiad 

Najas Minor 

Brazilian Elodea 

Egeria densa 

Not 

in 

NYS 

Yet 

Water Hyacinth 

Eichhornia crassipes 

Parrotfeather 

Myriophyllum aquaticum 

Aquatic Invasive Plants 

in the Adirondacks 

Hydrilla 

Hydrilla verticillata 


Myriophyllum spicatum 

Curlyleaf Pondweed 

Potamogeton crispus 

Yellow Floating Heart 

Nymphoides peltata 

Fanwort 

Cabomba caroliniana 

Water Chestnut 

Trapa natans 

European Frog-Bit 

Hydrocharus morsus-ranae 


DRAFT 

Aquatic Invaders of NY 

VHS Fish Virus 

Tench 

Spiny Waterflea 

Didymo – “Rock Snot” 

Snakehead 

Round Goby 

Aquatic Invaders in the Adirondacks 

D. Jude 

Alewife 

•Cause dramatic changes in the lake’s 

zooplankton community, potentially leading 

to increased algae blooms 

•A diet rich in alewives leads to reproductive 

failure in landlocked salmon and lake trout 

•Probably cause decline in: smelt, yellow 

perch, walleye and various minnow species 

•Clog water pipes 

Zebra Mussels 

•Attach to boats, docks, & equipment 

•Outcompete native mollusks 

•Interrupt the lake’s food web by selectively 

filtering and consuming good algae and 

leaving blue-green algae in the water 

•each mussel can filter approx. 1 quart 

of water per day 

•Increase water clarity – which can increase 

rooted aquatic plants 


DRAFT 

Exotic species in the 

Great Lakes, N= 183 

(Mills et al. 1993, 1996, 2006) 


St. Lawrence River, N = 87 

(de Lafontaine and Costan 2002) 

Adirondack 

Park 

N = ?? 

Exotic species 

in the 

LAKE 

CHAMPLAIN 

Lake Champlain, 

N = 48 

(Marsden (2005) 


Hudson River, N = 91 

(Strayer, in: Levinton and Waldman (2005) 


word cloud showing the bodies of water that 5 or more boats had previously visited in the 2 weeks before 

launching at Lake George. 

image obtained from www.wordle.net/.

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