News from the SLA: It will take more (members) to do more!
BY Fran Rotunno Fish
Milfoil Team Report: This past summer the Milfoil Team matted 5 acres of large milfoil patches. They also hand harvested small areas of milfoil around the patches and in other areas. The post season survey demonstrates good results, but smaller patches of milfoil are popping up. All milfoil anywhere in the lake has the potential for fragmenting and settling in to grow elsewhere in the lake.
Invasive Species Monitoring Steward Report: The SLS Stewards were on duty at the NYS Boat Launch daily and the Towns of Skaneateles and Scott launches and the Glen Haven Launch on weekends. They inspected over 4000 watercraft and trailers launching into the lake and 4% of those (160) came to the launch sites with plant or animal material on them that had to be removed. While none of the watercraft or trailers had the dreaded Hydrilla on them, it would only take one, launched when a Steward was not on duty, to bring Hydrilla to Skaneateles Lake. Please see July 25th 2015 article from the Skaneateles Press by Paul Torrisi on SkaneatelesLake.org under the News/Events Tab.
What the SLA Board would like to do in response to these two reports:
Purchase the materials necessary (benthic matting and cable) to prepare an additional acre of matting to be used on the smaller patches of milfoil that are popping up. Cost – $10,000 – $15,000 – which equals 100 – 150 NEW members would be needed to cover the cost of just the purchase and preparation of the materials.
Expand the hours and the season of days that Stewards are on duty. We are seeing many out of state boats being brought in by visitors, renters and those participating in fishing derbies. We have to have our Stewards on duty to ensure the watercraft and trailers brought to be launched are clean, drained and dry. Cost – $10,000 – which equals 100 NEW memberships.
If you are a waterfront owner, an owner with lake rights, keep a boat at a marina or club for use on the lake, if you kayak, paddle, canoe, or swim the lake, if your business has a customer base in people who come to/live in Skaneateles because of the lake or if you drink the lake water and you have not been an annual member of the SLA or have never been a member, now is the time to JOIN for 2016 and enable us to do more in 2017.
You can join the Skaneateles Lake Association online at SkaneatelesLake.com or call 685-9106 and ask for a registration form to be mailed to you.
