In the news: Invasives a Problem for Lakes and Users

Invasive aquatic species have been the big topic this week, in news papers, mailings and MPAction!

~ The Central Mass chapter of the Congress of Lake and Pond Association (MaCOLAP), in this week's mailing for membership renewal gave a News Alert!! of the Laurel Lake zebra mussel discovery and noted the MaCOLAP directors are supporting the proposed Senate Bill 2113.

Bill 2113 looks to protect our lakes and ponds but realistically I question whether it could ever be successful. In essence, the bill makes it a criminal offense to put a contaminated boat in a lake or river in the Commonweath. That means if your boat or trailer has any weeds -invasive species -not only zebra mussels but a piece of milfoil or fanwort or Asian Clam, you could be fined or imprisoned.



Take a look at the bill for yourself:
http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/senate/186/st02/st02113.htm

An Act protecting lakes and ponds.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Section 1. Chapter 90B of the 2008 official edition of the Massachusetts General Laws is hereby amended by inserting the following section:-

Section 5D. No one shall place a vessel that is contaminated with an invasive species or that has been exposed to contaminated waters in the last thirty days and has not been properly decontaminated upon the inland waters of the commonwealth. For the purposes of this section, invasive species is defined as an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.

Section 2. Notwithstanding section 14 of chapter 90B of the Massachusetts General Laws, whoever violates this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty dollars nor more than three hundred dollars, or by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than sixty days or both.


How would this be monitored and enforced. Most of the time our public access ramps are open and unattended. Environmental police, desperately needed for boating safety, are already in short supply. A criminal offense... imprisonment for 60 days!

I would rather see the bill focus on expanding the current DCR Lakes and Ponds Program Boat Ramp Monitoring Program - train boat ramp monitors and gatekeepers, work with towns and lake associations to expand current outreach and successes to educate boaters. Set up boat wash stations making it easy and obvious what boaters need to do to prevent the spread. Educate!

~ This week's Telegram article talks about the burden of lake associations and lakeshore property owners who bear the brunt of taking care of our lakes and ponds: monitor weeds and funding studies, spending man-hours mapping and harvesting, paying and raising the funds to keep invasives at a minimuim.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20090923/NEWS/909230394/1003/SUBURBS

Thankfully, for years the MPA had the dam caretaker's cooperation in addressing our weed issue with a successful lake level drawdown program. With that being lost the past few years we are seeing a huge surge in weeds on Manchaug.

This summer the MPA hired professionals to do another weed study of Manchaug Pond ($800 I believe was the price tag.) Conservation Commission had asked for updated information last fall when the waterlevel and drawdown was an issue. MPA had to present documentation from a previous study that fanwort is present as it is an invasive successfully controlled by lakelevel drawdown. In our study this summer, the "subsequent vegetation management options" calls for yearly monitoring, hand harvesting of some and if drawdown isn't an option recommends chemical management at a price tag of $95,000 every other year for the fanwort and $10,000 to $15,000 every year for the Variable Milfoil. Manchaug has never been chemically treated, and MPA continues to work to minimize the causes and promote other effective tools such as hand harvesting of new infestations and proper lake-level drawdown.



~ Further, the study states "due to the apparent favorable conditions for invasive species, and traffic from non-resident boaters, the lake has the potential to contract other even more aggressive species." Hydrilla to be specific. Swell! Asian Clam was brought in last fall at the boat ramp.

Try this article in section B, page 5 of today's Blackstone Valley News Tribune.
http://www.blackstonevalleytribune.com/118975.113119body.lasso?publication=BLA
Section B, Page 5

~And THEN, with all that... I'll see you all at the Boat Ramp as we hand pull those emergent aquatic invasives - common reed, loosestrife, canary reed grass, etc.

See you there!

Massachusetts- Zebra Mussel Continues to Make News

Zebra mussels continue to appear in the news. In July, Massachusetts Fish and Game took emergency action by closing a number of western Mass public access boat ramps for 30 days as well as Quabbin Reservoir and then extending that closing to October 15th for contaminated Laurel Lake.

Here's a cartoon from the 9/3 issue of a local Worcester Telegram FLASH.


http://www.telegram.com/article/20090903/FLASH/909030508

The MPA views zebra mussels and other invasives as extremely serious. Back in 2002, the MPA realized the threat of zebra mussels as already in neighboring states. Our public access boat ramp as well as our three on-lake campgrounds means high boat traffic in and out of Manchaug. So in 2002, an MPA board member wrote and submitted a grant to the then DEM Lakes and Ponds Grant Program asking for matching funds to provide a boat wash station with a trained authority on duty at the public ramp to inspect boats coming on to the lake during the summer season.

Problem - the state wanted Manchaug to serve as a wash station for all the area lakes. Guess we had a good idea but, for this area it would have meant too much traffic, too small a ramp, and perhaps an increased risk to Manchaug. So, the idea was scrapped.

Since 2002 we have been told that the pH of Manchaug would not provide a favorable environment for zebras. Still look at what NOAA has to say:

"The rapid spread of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha ) across the United States is due to their ability to grow and reproduce in a wide range of environmental conditions, coupled with a free-living, planktonic larvae (veliger). When zebra mussels were first discovered in the United States, predictions concerning their habitat requirements were based on the European experience with these bivalves. However, zebra mussel populations in this country have consistently exceeded all expectations and predictions as to how fast they could grow, reproduce, and expand their range. Although many research projects are currently underway to delineate the ecological needs of zebra mussels in the United States, much of these results are not yet published."



Seems the pH and the calcium content of western Mass lakes are just what these mussels like.

Here's info from Mass DCR Lakes and Ponds Program:
1.2 Species Ecology

The habitat of the Zebra mussel is freshwater lakes, ponds and rivers. Zebra mussels are the only freshwater mollusk that can attach to solid objects, including rocks, logs, docks, boats and various water intake structures. They can also attach to aquatic plants.

Zebra mussels reach sexual maturity within 1 or 2 years and spawn at water temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit (F). They can tolerate water temperatures from 32 – 90F with optimal being 63-74F for growth and reproduction. Zebra mussels require well oxygenated waters (8-10 parts per million (ppm)) with a pH of 7.4 -9.0 and calcium concentrations of 20 – 125 ppm.

The zebra mussel has three distinct life history stages: 1) larval; 2) juvenile; and 3) adult. Any one of these stages can be easily transported from one body of water to another. This is particularly true for the larval stage (veligers) because the larvae are microscopic and therefore not visible to the naked eye. The juveniles measure just a few millimeters in size. Therefore, both larvae and juveniles can be transported in tiny amounts of water on various watercraft including boats/trailers, kayaks, canoes, jet skis, etc. They can also be moved on SCUBA gear, swimwear, and other clothing used in the waters containing zebra mussels. People are not the
only way zebra mussels can be transported. Pets and aquatic wildlife such as waterfowl, turtles, crayfish, beaver, muskrats, and otter are also potential vectors for this species.


http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/press/zebra_mussel_interim_action_plan.pdf

http://www.seagrant.noaa.gov/funding/zmlifehistory.html

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2009/08/zebra_mussels_extend_berkshire_1.html


Lakes infested with zebra mussels include:

1. Laurel Lake, Lee/Lenox, Massachusetts

2. East/West Twin Lakes, Connecticut

3. Lake Champlain, Vermont

4. Lake George, New York

5. Hudson River, New York

6. Any of the Great Lakes

See the following publication for necessary decontamination measures if you have visited one of these lakes in the past 30 days.


http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/press/zebra_mussel_interim_action_plan.pdf

Zebra Mussels and Public Access

The entry of the invasive zebra mussel has caused the temporary closing of 10+ public access boat ramps in western Massachusetts in an effort to stop their spread and now Quabbin is added to the list to rightly protect Boston's drinking water supply.

Here on Manchaug Pond we know the problem of other aquatic invasives plants such as fanwort and variable milfoil and we will soon learn more now that the dam owner is no longer cooperating with us to employ lake level drawdown - the successful method we have used since 1991 - and with the introduction of Asian Clam last fall at Manchaug's public access ramp and purple loosestrife in the watershed. With the dam owner's new lower waterlevels the past two years, we are seeing new invasives, especially reed canary grass, fill the shoreline. Hopefully the high water mandated by MassDEP and achieved the beginning of July will help eliminate these populations. On to Quabbin!
(photo courtesy of MassDCR)

Try this link for the Quabbin Cam! for actual footage: http://www.mwra.com/qcam.html

Here's the story as reported by the Boston Globe:

Quabbin Reservoir closed to boaters amid zebra mussel concerns
By Milton J. Valencia
Globe Staff / July 15, 2009

The menacing zebra mussel species that has taken over a Berkshires lake has been found in a stream that feeds into the Housatonic River in Western Massachusetts, amplifying fears that the invasive freshwater mollusk could contaminate drinking water supplies and other waterways throughout the state.

To prevent further spreading, state environmental officials Wednesday banned private recreational boating at the Quabbin Reservoir, a Boston source of drinking water and one of the state’s most prime fishing areas.

Richard K. Sullivan, commissioner of the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, said yesterday that the move was a precaution but was needed considering the zebra mussel’s threat of taking over lakes and ponds throughout the state. The mussels and their larvae have the ability to cling to boats and spread from pond to pond. Already the species, which has ravaged the Great Lakes, has invaded the Laurel Lake in the Berkshires.

State officials say they have little recourse in stopping the eventual spread of the mussel into the Housatonic. But given the continuous threat of the invasive mussel that can wipe out native aquatic life, clog water intake pipes, and foul drinking water supplies, an emergency action plan has been put into place to stop it from spreading to waterways elsewhere, particularly the Quabbin.

"Given the fact that we ware talking about our public drinking water supply, the spread of the mussel could have significant impact to the infrastructure and ecology there,’’ Sullivan said. ‘‘We’re still respecting the right to public access, but just balancing that with the need to protect our drinking water supply.’’

The Department of Conservation and Recreation will maintain a rental boat fleet at the reservoir, allowing some sort of boating and fishing to continue. But the private boat ramps at the reservoir will remain closed for at least 45 days, until the state can design a way to regulate private boating and make sure all boats that enter the water are cleansed.

Sullivan said a long-term plan could include an official prohibition of private boats on the water, or a system that will guarantee that any boat brought to the reservoir has been properly decontaminated.

The move to close the reservoir and start a boater education plan on ways to properly cleanse boats — including kayaks and canoes — is part of a 2005 master plan that was drafted when the threat of the zebra mussel spreading here was first realized.

Originally from Russia, the mollusks were first found in 1988 in Lake St. Clair, between Lake Erie and Lake Huron. Since then, they have ravaged the ecosystems of the Great Lakes and spread to waterways in Connecticut and New York.

Last week, the mussel was discovered in the 175-acre Laurel Lake in Lee and was found to be thriving days later. Already, its presence has alarmed boaters, environmentalists, and state officials who realize the threat of spreading.

The mussel is the poster child for a foreign species that wreak havoc on an environment, altering aquatic species and habitats.

Power and steel plants and other businesses that use water sources spend millions of dollars each year in the Great Lakes region chemically treating or retooling pipes to prevent mussel buildup.

Sullivan said there is no known threat to the Quabbin drinking water. While the mussel has thrived in the Laurel Lake because of its nonacidic makeup and high calcium levels, the reservoir does not provide the same biochemical advantages. Still, the move was a precaution given the threat of the species, and was welcomed by environmental groups who said the threat of the species is serious enough to ban even recreational boating.

Jack Hickey, of the Lakes and Ponds Association of Western Massachusetts, said the state should consider closing all boat ramps, particularly those in Massachusetts, until a plan to stop the spread can be developed. Doing so would alert boaters to the seriousness of the threat and the need to properly cleanse vessels, including kayaks.

"The Quabbin is pretty close to our last wilderness in Massachusetts and I think we should keep it that way,’’ said Paul Godfrey, a member of the Friends of Quabbin Inc., a nonprofit group. ‘‘Zebra mussels are an incredible threat to that place. They tend to clog up pipes, and there are a lot of them — all the way to Boston.’’

Milton Valencia can be reached at mvalencia@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.


More links on Quabbin, be sure to check out the last link for tremendous close up photos of eagles, cormorants, mergansers and other birds common here on Manchaug Pond:
www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/quabbin.htm

http://www.mass.gov/dcr/waterSupply/lakepond/factsheet/Zebra%20Mussel.pdf

http://www.westfordcomp.com/quabbin/

http://www.foquabbin.org/

http://www.athol.net/photos/index.htm

http://www.athol.net/photos/index.htm