Invasive Plants, Wetlands Regs, Calls For Unity; Symposium Well Attended By Chirstopher Blakeslee cblakeslee@post-journal.com CELORON - Concerns regarding the Chautauqua Lake and New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) administration of the newly imposed wetlands regulations may have taken a backseat to the expanded presence of starry stonewort in the lake. According to Dr. Rob Richardson of North Carolina State University, his team found starry stonewort in both the north and south basins of Chautauqua Lake in 2024. Richardson made his comments during the Chautauqua Lake Symposium sponsored by the county on Saturday at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel. Starry stonewort is the newest invasive species found in the lake, Richardson said. It had been detected in relatively small amounts during lakewide plant surveys dating back to around 2009, but the species has been expanding its territory in the past few years. “It's a macroalgae, and relatively new to the lake, has been very aggressive in other water bodies; the good news is it's (plant) not present in a lot of different points right now. The bad news is you can find it in the north basin and south basin. There’s not a geographical isolation of starry stonewort. It’s throughout the entire lake system.” According to starrystonewort.com the plant is an invasive species that is a bushy, bright green, macro-algae. It produces a characteristic star-shaped bulbil. Since its introduction in the U.S., starry stonewort has spread all throughout the North East United States, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and now New York. Starry Stonewort causes recreational, economic and ecological damage—changing how residents and visitors use and enjoy waterways. Areas affected on freshwater lakes and ponds in which the aquatic sub-species invade include dense mats at the water’s surface inhibit waterways and clog boat propellers; overtakes habitat and outcompetes native aquatic plants, potentially lowering diversity; provides unsuitable shelter, food, and nesting habitat for native fish and wildlife. As previously reported in a Oct. 26, 2022, Post-Journal story, the Chautauqua Lake Watershed and Management Alliance and its members organizations have taken the first steps to manage the starry stonewort, invasive plant species. Because starry stonewort has become a relatively recent challenge for stakeholders across the Northeast, best management practices are still being developed and tested. Chemical, mechanical, and manual management options exist. Each is expected to have its own set of regulatory and feasibility related considerations that can vary on a case-by-case basis. Because starry stonewort is an algae rather than a plant, chemical management can utilize different compounds than those used to treat invasives like Eurasian watermilfoil or curly-leaf pondweed. Common methods of manual removal include techniques like diver-assisted suction harvesting, or DASH. According to Richardson, NCSU has been monitoring the applications and subaquatic plant species and other invasive, non-organic, plants, fish and species in the lake including one long-time, invasive subaquatic plant. “Eurasian milfoil was found in the U.S. in 1902 and in Chautauqua Lake in 1972,” he said. “Curly-leaf pondweed was first discovered in the U.S. in 1859 and in Chautauqua Lake in 1957 - they’ve been around for a long time.” Richardson explained that the north basin of the lake has more of a variety of invasive species, but the south basin hosts more algae and has less invasive species. Additionally, guest speakers and presenters at the event included: state Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, Bonnie Lockwood, state regional director for Western New York; Assemblyman Andrew Molitor, R-Westfield; Richardson; Mark Lucius, research specialist with the Jefferson Project; Julie Barrett O’Neill, state DEC Region 9 director; Chad Staniszewski, DEC assistant Region 9 director; and Dr. Marion Divers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A key point of interest for many in attendance revolved around the state Freshwater Wetlands Act regulations and herbicide applications, which was covered extensively by representatives for the DEC. As previously reported in a March 22, Post-Journal story, the towns of Ellery and Ellicott have received letters from the state DEC’s Region 9 office advising the towns that their permit applications filed with the DEC in February to use the aquatic herbicide Clearcast will require further review because the treatment area requested falls in an area where the DEC has made a positive jurisdictional determination under the Freshwater Wetlands Act that took effect Jan. 1. DEC officials said Busti has also had wetlands receive a positive jurisdictional determination, with the agency working with the municipalities on the full Article 24 permit. Staniszewski said the municipalities have requested the usage of Clearcast, an aquatic herbicide that is registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) No. 241-437-67690, for application in the lake to treat subversive invasive aquatic plant life. The towns of Ellery, Ellicott and Busti have requested to treat 212.5, 90 and 161 acres, respectively. Additionally, the towns of Ellery and Ellicott have also filed permits with the DEC for application of the herbicide ProcellaCOR EC, EPA No. 67690-80 for 102.5 and 83 acres respectively. According to SePRO.com, ProcellaCOR EC herbicide may be applied for management of freshwater aquatic vegetation in slow-moving or quiescent waters with little or no outflow. These include ponds, lakes, reservoirs, freshwater marshes, wetlands, drainage ditches, non-irrigation canals, and shoreline and riparian areas in or adjacent to these sites. The product may be applied directly to the water for control of submerged aquatic vegetation or as a foliar spray for control of emergent and floating vegetation. At the beginning of the event, and at the end of the symposium, Wendel, highlighted the importance of everyone working together and how through unity, we can ensure the future use of the lake for many more generations to come. “We’ve got to stop acting like the Hatfields and McCoys of the lake,” he said. “I’d like to get a lake manager here to get us all on one page, unified moving forward. A famous quote I once heard, which makes sense here, is "It's amazing what we can do when know one takes credit.” We’ve gotta stop beating our chest and thinking our way is the only or best way to move forward.” Borrello echoed some of Wendel’s statements during his speech. “The biggest challenge this lake faces is not nutrient flows, it's not weeds, it’s not harmful algal blooms, it’s the lack of cooperation often, and that’s what we have to get over,” said Borrello. “We have to be united working together with the same goals. The challenges we face are something we can fix.” Borrello said, not everyone is going to get what they want; that in a good negotiation, everyone should be equally unhappy- Chautauqua Lake should not be a swamp, but it shouldn’t be a swimming pool either. Additionally, Borrello said that the lake generates about $73 million dollars in taxes, overall, has generated about 11,000 jobs, and not only is the lake the center of the county, but is the center of economic growth. Wendel said that he found it funny that regardless of all the electronics, data collecting seniors and other high-tech gadgets used by NCSU and the Jefferson Project, that by tying a rope to a rake, throwing it in the lake, and seeing what plants are pulled up is still a very effective method for data collection.

CELORON – Concerns regarding the Chautauqua Lake and New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) administration of the newly imposed wetlands regulations may have taken a backseat to the expanded presence of starry stonewort in the lake.

According to Dr. Rob Richardson of North Carolina State University, his team found starry stonewort in both the north and south basins of Chautauqua Lake in 2024. Richardson made his comments during the Chautauqua Lake Symposium sponsored by the county on Saturday at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel.

Starry stonewort is the newest invasive species found in the lake, Richardson said. It had been detected in relatively small amounts during lakewide plant surveys dating back to around 2009, but the species has been expanding its territory in the past few years.

“It’s a macroalgae, and relatively new to the lake, has been very aggressive in other water bodies; the good news is it’s (plant) not present in a lot of different points right now. The bad news is you can find it in the north basin and south basin. There’s not a geographical isolation of starry stonewort. It’s throughout the entire lake system.”

According to starrystonewort.com the plant is an invasive species that is a bushy, bright green, macro-algae. It produces a characteristic star-shaped bulbil. Since its introduction in the U.S., starry stonewort has spread all throughout the North East United States, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and now New York. Starry Stonewort causes recreational, economic and ecological damage–changing how residents and visitors use and enjoy waterways. Areas affected on freshwater lakes and ponds in which the aquatic sub-species invade include dense mats at the water’s surface inhibit waterways and clog boat propellers; overtakes habitat and outcompetes native aquatic plants, potentially lowering diversity; provides unsuitable shelter, food, and nesting habitat for native fish and wildlife.

As previously reported in a Oct. 26, 2022, Post-Journal story, the Chautauqua Lake Watershed and Management Alliance and its members organizations have taken the first steps to manage the starry stonewort, invasive plant species.

Because starry stonewort has become a relatively recent challenge for stakeholders across the Northeast, best management practices are still being developed and tested. Chemical, mechanical, and manual management options exist. Each is expected to have its own set of regulatory and feasibility related considerations that can vary on a case-by-case basis. Because starry stonewort is an algae rather than a plant, chemical management can utilize different compounds than those used to treat invasives like Eurasian watermilfoil or curly-leaf pondweed. Common methods of manual removal include techniques like diver-assisted suction harvesting, or DASH.

According to Richardson, NCSU has been monitoring the applications and subaquatic plant species and other invasive, non-organic, plants, fish and species in the lake including one long-time, invasive subaquatic plant.

“Eurasian milfoil was found in the U.S. in 1902 and in Chautauqua Lake in 1972,” he said. “Curly-leaf pondweed was first discovered in the U.S. in 1859 and in Chautauqua Lake in 1957 – they’ve been around for a long time.”

Richardson explained that the north basin of the lake has more of a variety of invasive species, but the south basin hosts more algae and has less invasive species.

Additionally, guest speakers and presenters at the event included: state Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, Bonnie Lockwood, state regional director for Western New York; Assemblyman Andrew Molitor, R-Westfield; Richardson; Mark Lucius, research specialist with the Jefferson Project; Julie Barrett O’Neill, state DEC Region 9 director; Chad Staniszewski, DEC assistant Region 9 director; and Dr. Marion Divers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

A key point of interest for many in attendance revolved around the state Freshwater Wetlands Act regulations and herbicide applications, which was covered extensively by representatives for the DEC.

As previously reported in a March 22, Post-Journal story, the towns of Ellery and Ellicott have received letters from the state DEC’s Region 9 office advising the towns that their permit applications filed with the DEC in February to use the aquatic herbicide Clearcast will require further review because the treatment area requested falls in an area where the DEC has made a positive jurisdictional determination under the Freshwater Wetlands Act that took effect Jan. 1. DEC officials said Busti has also had wetlands receive a positive jurisdictional determination, with the agency working with the municipalities on the full Article 24 permit.

Staniszewski said the municipalities have requested the usage of Clearcast, an aquatic herbicide that is registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) No. 241-437-67690, for application in the lake to treat subversive invasive aquatic plant life.

The towns of Ellery, Ellicott and Busti have requested to treat 212.5, 90 and 161 acres, respectively. Additionally, the towns of Ellery and Ellicott have also filed permits with the DEC for application of the herbicide ProcellaCOR EC, EPA No. 67690-80 for 102.5 and 83 acres respectively.

According to SePRO.com, ProcellaCOR EC herbicide may be applied for management of freshwater aquatic vegetation in slow-moving or quiescent waters with little or no outflow. These include ponds, lakes, reservoirs, freshwater marshes, wetlands, drainage ditches, non-irrigation canals, and shoreline and riparian areas in or adjacent to these sites. The product may be applied directly to the water for control of submerged aquatic vegetation or as a foliar spray for control of emergent and floating vegetation.

At the beginning of the event, and at the end of the symposium, Wendel, highlighted the importance of everyone working together and how through unity, we can ensure the future use of the lake for many more generations to come.

“We’ve got to stop acting like the Hatfields and McCoys of the lake,” he said. “I’d like to get a lake manager here to get us all on one page, unified moving forward. A famous quote I once heard, which makes sense here, is “It’s amazing what we can do when know one takes credit.” We’ve gotta stop beating our chest and thinking our way is the only or best way to move forward.”

Borrello echoed some of Wendel’s statements during his speech.

“The biggest challenge this lake faces is not nutrient flows, it’s not weeds, it’s not harmful algal blooms, it’s the lack of cooperation often, and that’s what we have to get over,” said Borrello. “We have to be united working together with the same goals. The challenges we face are something we can fix.”

Borrello said, not everyone is going to get what they want; that in a good negotiation, everyone should be equally unhappy- Chautauqua Lake should not be a swamp, but it shouldn’t be a swimming pool either. Additionally, Borrello said that the lake generates about $73 million dollars in taxes, overall, has generated about 11,000 jobs, and not only is the lake the center of the county, but is the center of economic growth.

Wendel said that he found it funny that regardless of all the electronics, data collecting seniors and other high-tech gadgets used by NCSU and the Jefferson Project, that by tying a rope to a rake, throwing it in the lake, and seeing what plants are pulled up is still a very effective method for data collection.