Chestertown, NY, Mar 18, 2013 — The state Adirondack Park Agency voted unanimously Friday to approve the controversial use of a chemical herbicide to kill invasive plants in a lake in Warren County.

The Town of Chester plans to disperse 1,500 gallons of Renovate OTF in the southeastern corner of Loon Lake this spring.

It's an herbicide used to kill Eurasian watermilfoil, which has clogged waterways across the Park and has been a nuisance to boaters and swimmers.

This would be only the second time Renovate has been used in the Adirondack Park.  Go to full article

Lake George, NY, Feb 25, 2013 — State Environment Commissioner Joe Martens was in in the North Country on Friday, unveiling $250,000 in new funds to help stop invasive species from reaching Lake George.

The money will go to help a local coalition pay for boat washing and inspection stations around the lake.

"We were able to tease out $250,000 extra for Lake George," Martens said.

"Depending on what the outcome is of this last fall's and next spring's program on the lake, we'll go back and see if we can't dedicate more funds to it."  Go to full article

Massena, NY, Jan 17, 2013 — The St. Lawrence Seaway, and its commerce between Great Lakes ports and countries around the world, got hammered by the recession.

Craig Middlebrooks, acting administrator for the U.S. side of the binational waterway, says the steep drop was between 2008 and 2009. "It was almost a 25 percent drop. And I think '09 tonnage was among the lowest for decades."

Middlebrooks says the Seaway's been creeping back to pre-recession levels since then. Last year helped. Tonnage rose almost four percent, driven by coal and iron ore exports to China and Europe and U.S. steel imports. Industrial wind components also continue to be strong.  Go to full article

Nov 23, 2012 — In recent years both the federal and New York State governments have been studying how best to re-introduce salmon to New York's Salmon River.

That might come as a surprise to anyone who's ever caught one of the river's famous eye-popping sized fish.  Go to full article

Lake George, NY, Oct 24, 2012 — Lake George is a battleground once again as the fight against invasive Asian clams broadens. And that fight has implications for the rest of the Adirondack Park. Lake George is known for its crystal clear water, and the invasive clams can cause algae blooms and lower water quality significantly.

$1.5 million has been spent over the last two years to eradicate the fast-breeding mollusks. But Asian clams have now been found in eight different areas on the 32-mile-long lake. A broad coalition is seeking more money, and more help.

Lake George officials are now considering a bold step to prevent further infestations - making the lake the first water body in the state where boat inspections and decontamination are mandatory.  Go to full article

Whitehall, NY, Aug 01, 2012 — New York State is under increasing pressure to close the Champlain Canal to keep a new invasive species out of Lake Champlain. Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy yesterday blasted New York for "ignoring" the threat of the spiny water flea. The water flea was discovered earlier this month in the Feeder Canal near Glens Falls, and the Champlain Canal, both operated by New York.

The Champlain Canal is 60 miles long. It was built at the same time the Erie Canal was constructed to connect the Hudson River to Lake Champlain. It stretches through Rensselaer, Saratoga and Washington counties, from Waterford past Ft. Edward to Whitehall.

Adirondack Bureau Chief Brian Mann has covered both Lake Champlain and invasive species and joined Martha Foley for an update this morning.  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, Jun 12, 2012 — White Nose Syndrome is a deadly bat disease that continues to spread rapidly across the U.S. It was first identified in a cave near Albany in 2006. In the six years since, it's wiped out 90% of the population of bats in many caves across northern New York and Vermont. Researchers have made headway identifying the fungal disease, but they've found no way to stop it from infecting new sites as far away as western Ontario and Missouri.

Brian Mann checked in with Mollie Mattieson, with the Center for Biological Diversity in Vermont, which has been one of the leading environmental groups working on white nose syndrome. She is just back from a national conference on the disease and says much of the news is still bleak.  Go to full article

Romulus, NY, Apr 18, 2012 — Hydrilla is one of the most aggressive, invasive water plants. Its long, trailing stems form thick mats that prevent native water vegetation and fish from getting enough oxygen, light and nutrients.

Hydrilla was found at Cayuga Inlet, near Ithaca, last August. If unchecked it could spread Cayuga Lake, other Finger Lakes, as well as Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Cornell Cooperative Extension is warning recreational boaters to take precautions and prevent the spread of the invasive plant. Sarah Harris has more.  Go to full article

Ithaca, NY, Sep 19, 2011 — It's estimated there are about 8 billion ash trees in North America, and every one of them could be killed by a tiny invasive insect called the emerald ash borer. It was first found in Detroit 9 years ago, probably after arriving on a cargo ship from Asia. Since then the ash borer has devastated forests in the upper Midwest and has broken out into surrounding states. David Chanatry with the New York Reporting Project at Utica College reports.  Go to full article

New Berlin, NY, Aug 15, 2011 — Non-native plants and animals will readily invade a local ecosystem if they get the chance--think kudzu or zebra mussels. Now scientists with the state Department of Environmental Conservation are tracking a new threat to New York, the Emerald Ash Borer.

The invasive insects have been moving east from the Midwest for years, devastating hardwood forests along the way. This summer, they were spotted at West Point, on the Hudson River. State scientists have been trying to slow their spread, banning transport of firewood and quarantining areas where the beetles have been found.

Gino Geruntino is with the New York Reporting Project at Utica College. He found a telltale sign of the DEC at work on a walk through the woods at Hunt's Pond in New Berlin: big purple boxes hanging from the trees.  Go to full article