N.Y. looks at Vt. law to control invasive species
Toolbox
By Tom Mitchell Herald Staff - Published: November 12, 2008
LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. — A key issue facing the first chairman of a new invasive species advisory committee for all of New York is whether the state would be able to adopt an exotic plant transport law similar to Vermont's, to help check the spread of invasive aquatic plants between lakes.
James Hood, communications director for the Lake George Association, has been named chairman of the newly formed New York State Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC).
"I am very excited and honored to be the first chairman of the Advisory Committee," Hood said Friday. He has already served as representative for the New York State Federation of Lake Associations (NYSFOLA) on the committee.
The Advisory Committee, formed in the last few months, is comprised of 25 nongovernmental stakeholder groups, representing academia, industry, local government and environmental advocacy, LGA officials said.
"Not having industry representatives at the table (in the past) was a glaring weakness in previous efforts to control invasives" in the state Hood said. The wide range of representation will be crucial to developing comprehensive strategies to prevent the introduction of invasive species in water bodies and to control existing infestations, he said.
"This puts the LGA and New York state lake federation in a very advantageous position," Walt Lender, the LGA's executive director, said.
"New York's lakes have been heavily impacted by aquatic invasive species, (like Eurasian water milfoil) and now we will be able to have a say in how the state manages invasives," Lender said.
In Lake George, LGA has managed milfoil and zebra mussels for a number of years. The group began a stewardship program that implemented boat inspections at access areas that was well received last summer, Hood said.
Meg Modley, invasive species coordinator for the Lake Champlain Basin Program in Vermont, developed the idea of using the Green Mountain State's transport law as a model and has provided guidance on the matter for them, Hood said.
Vermont's law prohibits the spread of exotic species like milfoil between lakes.
A provision allows officials to write tickets for offenders who don't comply with the law. Such a penalty will be needed in New York to make a new regulation or law work there as well, Hood said.
"If one state is doing something well, we want to consider implementing that in our own plans."
The idea of having continuity in regulations between neighboring states has also had appeal in this case.
The committee will also draw on work Modley has done with the Adirondack Park Agency.
"It's not just a lake by lake issue" but transcends watershed boundaries, becoming more of a "regional issue," Hood said.
The new invasive species advisory committee will look into whether a regulation could suffice initially in New York to address aquatic plants like Eurasian milfoil or a state law would be needed.
Once committee members come up with a proposal they would likely present to the Invasives Species Council, a statewide group representing nine state agencies. The council was formed last year to help develop a strategy to deal with invasives.
"I look forward to working with the members of the Invasive Species Council, to make sure that New York is prepared to deal effectively with the huge challenges presented by invasive species," Hood said.
New York Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward has also done some initial work on a draft proposal for legislation that could be considered on a separate track in the New York Legislature, Hood said.
Currently, the new invasives committee will likely propose addressing the spread of exotic fauna like zebra mussels and other animal species through education programs rather than regulations, Hood said.
Another species the group could address is the potential for spiny water flea to move up the Champlain Canal to Lake George from Great Sacandaga Lake to the south by boat or bait bucket, Hood said.
The exotic flea collects on fishing line like gobs of jelly and can cause a clumping of the line and clog eyelets of fishing rods.
Hood, who has been with the Lake George group for the past six years, is a member of the NYSFOLA and chairs that group's Invasive Species Committee.
Vermont state officials, who have been active on the issue of controlling aquatic invasive species, have also worked to control the spread of terrestial species.
A quarantine regulation banning the sale of plants like purple loosestrife is in effect in Vermont.
Recognizing the threat of terrestrial exotic species, Hood emphasized the need to control the species that spread over land.
"Nurseries and landscapers all have a huge role to play in stopping the sale and spread of invasive plants, and foresters must be engaged to prevent the spread of invasive insects, such as emerald ash borer and Asian long-horned beetle," Hood said.
Hood has been involved in invasive species from an advocacy perspective, since joining the LGA in 2002.
He has represented the LGA on several local, state and regional invasive species groups, including the Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Society, officials said.
In 2003, legislation was passed creating the NYS Invasive Species Task Force, an ad hoc body charged with studying the effects of invasive species throughout the state and making recommendations for the next steps, LGA officials said.
In September 2007, that group was made permanent as the NYS Invasive Species Council (ISC), officials said.
Comprised of representatives from several state agencies, the council has been charged with carrying out the recommendations mapped out by the original task force, officials said.
The ISC created the Advisory Committee to engage stakeholders and receive input on how the state should proceed, officials said.
The ISAC consists of nongovernmental groups from industry, academia, environmental conservation and advocacy, and local government. NYSFOLA was invited as a statewide organization of lake associations, LGA officials said.
Contact Tom Mitchell at tom.mitchell@rutlandherald.com.
23