Oswegatche River Water Chestnut Removal Effort

Volunteers are needed to assist a removal effort of an invasive plant called water

chestnut (Trapa natans) on the Oswegatchie River in the Village of Heuvelton. On

Monday, August 5th between 11 AM and 4 PM there will be a guided paddle to manually

collect sparse populations of water chestnut on the River between the Village of

Heuvelton Boat Launch and the Eel Weir State Park. This is a great opportunity for

community members to spend some time on the water and help protect the Oswegatchie

River.

Water chestnut is an invasive aquatic species that has environmental and economic

impacts.  They grow thick dense floating mats that shade out native aquatic vegetation,

impede outdoor recreation, and reduce shoreline property values; the hard, pointy seeds

of water chestnuts can puncture vehicle tires or injure feet if stepped on. If not

managed, the infestation of water chestnuts on the Oswegatchie River can grow and

easily spread to connecting waterbodies, like Black Lake.

Those interested in volunteering for this effort need to register as

important information will be emailed and a launch site assigned. A link to

the registration form can be found at, https://bit.ly/waterchestnutremoval or on

the SLELO PRISM website and Facebook event pages. Contact the SLELO PRISM E/O

Coordinator at 315-522-1258 with any questions.

This event is supported by SLELO PRISM, The Black Lake Association, NYS Office of

Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation, NYS DEC, Indian River Lakes Conservancy,

Save The River, Thousand Island Land Trust, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of St.

Lawrence County, the Village of Heuvelton Fire Department, the City of Ogdensburg

Fire & Rescue, Brookfield Energy, the town of Morristown, the Chippewa Bay Fish and

Game Club, St. Lawrence Waterfowlers, St. Lawrence Valley Sportsman Club, St.

Lawrence Federal Credit Union, Comprehensive Weed Control of Northern New York,

and many volunteers.

The St. Lawrence–Eastern Lake Ontario Partnership For Regional Invasive Species

Management (SLELO PRISM) is one of eight PRISMs that span the state of New York.

The PRISM network stemmed from recommendations from the NYS Invasive Species

Task Force in 2005 and became fully established in 2014. PRISMs are funded by the

NYS Environmental Protection fund in coordination with the NYS Department of

Environmental Conservation and various partners. PRISMs have made tremendous

progress towards preventing the introduction and spread of invasive species and

mitigating the impacts of existing invasive species within the state.

SLELO PRISM is hosted by The Nature Conservancy and was formally recognized by

NYS in 2011. Their mission is to protect native habitats, biodiversity, natural areas,

and freshwater resources, utilizing a collaborative and integrated approach to

invasive species management with an emphasis on prevention, early detection, rapid

response, education and outreach. The work that they do provides region-wide

coordination for invasive species monitoring and management across the terrestrial

and aquatic ecosystems within our 7,600-square mile PRISM region – which

encompasses the counties of St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida and Oswego

outside of the Adirondack Park, as well as portions of the Lake Ontario watershed and

shoreline and the Oneida Lake northern watershed.