A Management Strategy for Oneida Lake and its ... - CNY RPDB Home

Cayuga County Cornell Cooperative
Extension
Central New York Regional Planning and
Development Board
Cornell Biological Field Station
Cornell University
Finger Lakes – Lake Ontario Watershed
Protection Alliance
Granby Clear Waters Association
Madison County Planning
Department
New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation
New York Sea Grant
Oneida County Health Department
Oneida Lake Association
Onondaga County Cornell Cooperative
Extension
Onondaga County Department of Health
Oswego County Soil and Water Conservation
District
Current Programs, Regulations
and Guidelines
Water Chestnut Programs:
Oswego County Soil and Water Conservation
District harvests water chestnut in the
Oswego River and parts of Oneida Lake,
depending on funding.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga
County has organized hand-pulling
events and educational seminars to remove
water chestnut from Oneida Lake.
The Central New York Water Chestnut
Task Force was established in 2002 to coordinate
the efforts of agencies and organizations
that are trying to eradicate or prevent the
spread of water chestnut. The group meets
quarterly to transfer information and collectively
secure funding for education, mechanical
harvesting, hand-pulling, and chemical
control.
Cornell University is investigating the use
of Galerucella birmanica, a beetle native to
China, as a biocontrol agent.
Informational brochures mailed by Cornell
Cooperative Extension to shoreline homeowners
in Onondaga, Oswego and Madison
counties, along with portions of the Seneca
and Oswego Rivers, help to identify water
chestnut, instructs residents how to remove
and properly dispose of the plants, and provides
an opportunity to report new water
chestnut infestations.
Large, informative signs, created by the
Madison County Planning Department, have
been posted at boat launches around Oneida
Lake to instruct lake users and residents how
to identify and remove the plants and methods
to report new sightings.
The Oswego County Department of
Planning and Community Development,
through the Environmental Management
Council, developed 8x10 information sheets
describing water chestnut, identification
techniques and control measures. A colored
pocket identification card was also created and
distributed to boaters, lake users and shoreline
homeowners.
In June 2003, seven acres of water chestnut
were chemically treated in Oneida Lake
with the granular form of Aqua-Kleen. New
water chestnut plants have emerged and are
estimated to cover a few acres.
A $60,000 grant from the Great Lakes
National Program Office was awarded to
Onondaga and Cayuga County Cornell
Cooperative Extension offices in conjunction
with other agencies for their “Weeds Watch
Out” program from 10/03 to 04/05. This
program includes educational programs as
well as training for volunteers, data sharing,
and other outreach programs related to the
identification, reporting, and control of aquatic
nuisance plants.
Chapter 3: Priority Areas page 57