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

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.
30 Lake George Watershed Lake Steward Program End of Season Report 2008