Thank you to everyone in the towns of Plymouth and Mount Holly for supporting another successful year of the Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Program for both Woodward Reservoir and Lake Ninevah! We made it work even through a very challenging summer of weather and flooding emergency. Our greeters did a wonderful job of coming back to the access areas and resuming the programs at both lakes this summer once it was safe for boaters to return.
This was the 4th year for this program at Woodward Reservoir and the 22nd year (wow!) for Lake Ninevah. Both programs continue to be supported with funding, training, and resources from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Aquatic Nuisance Control (ANC) Grant-in-Aid funds and matching funds from Farm & Wilderness Conservation. Thank you to the Town of Plymouth and the Town of Mount Holly office staff for coordination efforts with Farm & Wilderness Conservation so that we can continue to receive this important grant funding to run the program.
This summer 2023 our greeters were able to complete over 2,000 hours and greeted over 3,000 boaters entering and leaving the water from public access areas for Woodward Reservoir and Lake Ninevah. Boat checks are part of the “Clean, Drain, Dry” initiative in preventing hitchhiking plants. Big thank you to our team of greeters this summer: Mike, Karen, and Aryk! Greeters not only help to remind lake visitors to keep their boats clean, but they also provide information about aquatic invasive species in Vermont and collect vital data that help us understand and track species movement in the state.
Additionally, Arrowwood Environmental completed annual surveys of both Lake Ninevah and Woodward Reservoir between June-October. Luckily, these surveys did not find any aquatic invasive plants on the Vermont watchlist!
Prevention measures such as greeter programs and surveys help waterbodies keep invasive species like water chestnut, Eurasian watermilfoil, or zebra mussels from spreading. Over 100 of the Vermont lakes, ponds, rivers, and reservoirs have a known invasive species infestation, check out which ones on the Vermont Infested Waterbodies List. Luckily, Woodward Reservoir and Lake Ninevah are not on that list and continue to stay off it. This is why it is important that these prevention programs continue in the future. Learn more about invasive species and spread prevention on the VT DEC Lake & Ponds website.
TO KEEP GOING - WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Grant funding through the Vermont Department of Environmental Protection covers about 36% of the costs for these programs, while Farm & Wilderness Conservation funds the other 64%. While the grant funding support from the VT DEC helps a lot, that annual cost is about $30k - $40k for Farm & Wilderness Conservation. For us to continue to maintain these valuable programs in the future, we will need financial support from the community.
There are hundreds of aquatic invasive infestations in the waterbodies of Vermont and surrounding states that will continue to pose a risk for spread to other waterbodies. Greeter and survey programs are the key to early detection and awareness to mitigate the spread of invasive plants and animals that can harm the health of our lakes and ponds. These programs helped to eradicate TWO Eurasian watermilfoil infestations in Lake Ninevah in the last two decades. Farm & Wilderness Conservation is committed to maintaining theses programs for both Lake Ninevah and Woodward Reservoir as long as we have the funds to do so.
You can support these programs by making a donation to Farm & Wilderness Conservation. If you are interested in learning more, joining us as a greeter or volunteer, or have questions about how to support this program, please contact kelly@farmandwilderness.org. Looking forward to the return of boating season in 2024!