Adirondack Park - Eagle Lake Property Owner's Inc.

III. Aquatic Nuisance Species Problems and Concerns in the Adirondack Park
This section of the Plan borrows very heavily from two existing documents (in some cases
whole paragraphs are reproduced nearly intact). Taken together, these two documents convey
much of the best information and thinking regarding invasive species in the Adirondacks, and
the authors of this draft Adirondack ANS Management Plan are grateful for the starting point
that these reports collectively present. The two documents are: NYSDEC’s Siamese Ponds
Wilderness and Dug Mountain, Forks Mountain and Chatiemac Primitive Areas Proposed
Final Unit Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, and section III of the Lake
Champlain Basin Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan, published by LC Basin
Program and finalized January 2005
Introduction
About 48 non-native species have been introduced into waters of the Lake Champlain Basin
(Basin), much of which falls within the Adirondack Park. Many of these species have dispersed
and are at nuisance levels, causing substantial (though not quantified) environmental and
economic impacts. These are considered to be aquatic nuisance species (ANS). Other ANS are
expanding their ranges in adjacent regions and threaten to enter the Basin. If introduced, many of
these new species would likely cause additional negative impacts and further strain limited
management resources.
At this writing, there is no authoritative list of ANS for the Adirondacks, and the total number
remains open to speculation. In any case, the number of ANS in the Adirondacks is likely
smaller than the figure of 48 listed for the Basin, which in turn is low relative to adjacent regions.
For example, 160 exotic species are known in the Great Lakes; 87 have been found in the St.
Lawrence River; while 113 have been listed in the Hudson River (Mills et al. 1993, 1996, de
Lafontaine and Costan 2002, Strayer 2005).
This perspective is important, and it suggests that: a) Adirondack aquatic ecosystems are still
largely intact as compared to nearby regions, and; b) a unique opportunity exists to capitalize on
those factors (remoteness, lack of development, reduced suite of ANS vectors, etc.) that may
offer at least some protection against ANS invasions in the Adirondacks.
As in other regions of the United States, attention to ANS in the Adirondacks has historically
been a reactionary response. Resource managers have generally focused on addressing problems
associated with specific ANS already introduced and only after the ANS populations reach
nuisance proportions. Similarly, it was only after reaching nuisance proportions that ANS
problems attracted significant attention from the public. Only minimal efforts were given to
preventing the introduction of new ANS to the Basin, and those efforts were generally not well
coordinated with similar efforts outside of the Basin.
The potential pathways of introduction for ANS into and around the Adirondacks are numerous.
The movement of boats and other aquatic equipment is the most visible and readily recognized
pathway. Available information strongly suggests that the Eurasian milfoil invasion now
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