Adirondack Park Agency Adirondack Nature Conservancy Paul Smith's College NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Adirondack Park Agency Adirondack Nature Conservancy

Project Overview

Need for Coordinated Monitoring

The Adirondack Park forms the headwaters of five major river systems and has 30,000 miles of free flowing rivers, brooks, streams, and riparian habitat. Its mountains are interspersed with over 3,000 ponds and lakes from tiny kettle-hole bogs to major water-bodies such as Lake George and Lake Champlain. This mosaic of lakes, forests, rivers, wetlands, and even sand plains support a diverse array of natural communities and species, many of which are among the best examples of their kind in the Nation.

The biodiversity, natural processes, and services afforded by these unique aquatic ecosystems are now increasingly threatened by infestations of exotic plants such as Eurasian watermilfoil, Curlyleaf pondweed, and Water chestnut. While these species are not yet predominant across the Park, they have a high potential to spread - undermining the ecological and recreational value of lakes and ponds throughout the area.

Prevention of exotic plant invasions and early detection and monitoring of existing infestations through area-wide partnerships have been identified as primary objectives in a national strategy for invasive plant management. A unique opportunity exists in the Adirondacks to work proactively to detect infestations of invasive plants before they become well established, and to prevent further establishment and spread of such species, thus maintaining a high quality natural landscape. Early detection of aquatic invasive plants across the vast mosaic of ecosystems and human settlement within the Park necessitates a well-coordinated, area-wide approach.

Get Involved!  Opportunity exists to prevent further introduction and spread of invasive species!!

Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program  
A Partnership Program for Monitoring, Management, and Education

In 2001, the Adirondack Park Agency and partner organizations including, NYS Dept. of Conservation, Adirondack Nature Conservancy, Paul Smiths College, and the Franklin County Network of Shoreline Associations, submitted a proposal to the U.S. EPA to institute a centralized framework for aquatic invasive plant monitoring and educational-outreach in the Adirondack Park over a two-year period. Funding was awarded to support this baseline project, known as the Adirondack Park Aquatic Invasive Plant Project.

When the September 2003 completion date neared for the EPA funded Project, the partner organizations identified the need for the continuation of coordinated efforts for both aquatic and terrestrial invasive plant species. In the spring of 2003, the NYS Departments of Environmental Conservation and Transportation, Adirondack Park Agency, and Adirondack Nature Conservancy formally established the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) and developed an Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Action Plan. The Action Plan is a strategic document that outlines and guides program planning, development, and implementation.

Although 'APIPP' is a recent designation, the APIPP partnership has been building and the two projects it facilitates have been active for a number of years: the Aquatic Invasive Plant Project (AIPP, initiated in 2001) and the Terrestrial Invasive Plant Project (TIPP, initiated in 1998). An APIPP Coordinator is currently funded by and housed at the Adirondack Nature Conservancy in Keene Valley, one of the partner organizations, until September 30, 2004. Throughout the year, the Coordinator and principle partners will seek additional funding sources to sustain the APIPP in future years.

Aquatic Invasive Plant Project

Goals

  • Provide coordination and leadership for a "community-based" volunteer monitoring program to collect information on the location and spread of aquatic invasive plants in the Adirondack Park.
  • Develop a central database of the current aquatic invasive plant distributions in the Adirondack Park.
  • Disseminate information to promote an understanding of invasive species impacts and their implications for aquatic resource protection

Implementation Strategy

The Aquatic Invasive Plant Project adopted a "core-community" strategy to facilitate monitoring activities and information exchange among Park residents and professionals (Figure 1). The core-community represents an area within the Adirondacks which residents identify as their geographical "neighborhood", providing a focus for volunteer recruitment and support. An Advisory Panel consisting of representatives from each core-community provides guidance and lends organizational assistance at the local-scale. In turn, the APIPP Coordinator conducts the "on-the-ground" outreach, education, and volunteer training with guidance and assistance from the partner organizations and the Advisory Panel. Additional information and opportunities are outlined on the Volunteer Monitoring web-page.

 

Products

The Aquatic Invasive Plant Project summarizes known distributions of aquatic invasive plants in the Adirondack Park and provides this information to residents and professionals alike. Specific products include:

  • a geographic database for aquatic invasive plant species distribution based on existing data and volunteer monitoring surveys
  • a central internet website for invasive plant species information and species distribution maps
  • a list-serve discussion group to promote community organization and communication regarding invasive species issues

  • an annual summary report of volunteer monitoring

Future Direction

In 2004, the APIPP principal partners incorporated a fifth partner—NYS Invasive Plant Council (IPC)— and enter into a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines the roles and responsibilities of the partners in the administration and implementation of the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program and its Aquatic and Terrestrial Invasive Plant Projects. The APIPP aims to coordinate monitoring and management activities designed to prevent and, where possible, mitigate the loss of native biodiversity due to infestations of invasive plants in the Adirondack Park.  Additional funding will be sought to support the APIPP Coordinator, volunteer monitoring, management, and outreach in future years.

History of Activities, Accomplishments, and Timeline for the Aquatic Project


January 2001. Adirondack Park Agency and its partners submit a State Wetland Grant proposal for coordinated monitoring of invasive plants in the Adirondack Park to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

October 2001. Adirondack Park Agency and its partners receive notification of the grant award. Dr. Sean Connin becomes the AIPP Project Director.

October - December 2001. The AIPP partners outline and adopt a volunteer monitoring strategy and identify "core-communities" in the Adirondack Park. The partners establish an organizational relationship with the Adirondack Park Terrestrial Invasive Plant Project.

January - February 2002. AIPP partners identify and secure assistance from AIPP Advisory Panel members.

February - March 2002. AIPP partners hire a Project Coordinator, Hilary Oles, and hold an Advisory Panel meeting at Paul Smiths College to discuss project history, future goals, plan of action, and expectations.

March - April 2002. AIPP partners and Project Coordinator design protocol for regional volunteer monitoring of aquatic invasive plants in the Adirondack Park and produce training manuals and secondary education resources for volunteer use.

June 2002. AIPP partners and Project Coordinator sponsor volunteer plant identification and monitoring training sessions with partners at the Darrin Freshwater Institute, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Paul Smiths College.

July - August 2002. Volunteer monitors conduct surveys on selected waterbodies in the Park. The Project Coordinator provides workshops and presentations to residents and watershed and lake associations. The Project Coordinator consolidates Adirondack aquatic plant distribution data from other sources.

August 2002. AIPP partners establish an Adirondack Invasive Species listserve to facilitate discussion among Park residents.

September 2002. Craig Cheeseman of Indian Rock Consulting is hired to design the Aquatic Invasive Plant Project database and website.

October 2002. An AIPP Intern, Alexia Hain, is hired to assist the Project Coordinator.

November 2002. The AIPP website and database designs are completed and presented to the Adirondack Park Agency. Invasive Plant Monitors are formally recognized during the Adirondack Park Agency meeting and presented with 'Certificates of Appreciation'.

Winter 2002/2003. The database is updated and invasive plant distribution maps are produced.

Winter 2003. The NYS Depts. of Environmental Conservation and Transportation, Adirondack Park Agency, and Adirondack Nature Conservancy agree to merge the Aquatic Invasive Plant Project and Terrestrial Invasive Plant Project under the common organizational name, 'Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program'. The principal partners propose to hire one Program Coordinator to be funded by and housed at the Adirondack Nature Conservancy for one year.

Spring 2003. The AIPP Project Director and principal partners develop and approve the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program Action Plan.

Spring/Summer 2003. The AIPP Project Coordinator recruits for the 2003 aquatic invasive plant volunteer monitoring season, facilitates volunteer training in Bolton Landing, Inlet, and Paul Smiths, and monitors lakes for aquatic invasive plants. APIPP educational presentations and workshops are conducted. The APIPP partners formally announce the launch of the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program website.

Summer 2003/Fall 2003. The APIPP partners hire an APIPP Program Coordinator, Hilary Oles, and prepare for the completion of the EPA funded project and the transition of the Aquatic and Terrestrial Invasive Plant Projects.

Fall 2003. The APIPP Program Coordinator moves offices from the Adirondack Park Agency to the Adirondack Nature Conservancy. The Aquatic Invasive Plant Project Volunteer Plant Monitors and Advisory Panel members Larry Eichler, Scott Kishbaugh, and Elizabeth Mangle are formally recognized at the October Adirondack Park Agency meeting for their contributions to the Project.

Fall 2003 - 2004.  The baseline AIPP study was completed during Fall/Winter 2003. Additional funding to continue the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program and joint-coordination of both Aquatic and Terrestrial Invasive Plant Projects was provided by the Adirondack Nature Conservancy through September 30, 2004.

Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program
Timeline: 2003 - Current Status