BOATERS LAUNCHING AT MANY NEW HAMPSHIRE LAKES THIS SUMMER HAVE BEEN GETTING A QUICK LESSON ABOUT INVASIVE PLANTS.
THEY'RE GREETED BY NEW GUARDIANS OF THE LAKES, CALLED LAKE HOSTS--PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO KEEP INVASIVE AQUATIC PLANTS OUT OF THE STATE'S WATERS.
THE KEENE SENTINEL'S CAROLYN MARTIN REPORTS.
(CASEY1: ``DO YOU MIND IF I DO A QUICK INSPECTION AND SHOW YOU WHAT TO LOOK FOR?...PLEASE..THAT WOULD BE GREAT. AND YOU FOLLOW ME AROUND...YES.'')
THAT?S JACKIE CASEY, A LAKE HOST AT SPOFFORD LAKE, TALKING TO MATTHEW NICHOLS ABOUT HIS SAILBOAT. ON A TYPICAL SATURDAY, SHE TALKS TO 50 OR 60 BOATERS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF INVASIVE PLANTS.
LAKE HOSTS, LIKE CASEY, ARE STATIONED AT 44 LAUNCH SITES ACROSS THE STATE. THEY LOOK OVER EACH KAYAK, CANOE AND ANY OTHER BOAT BEFORE IT ENTERS AND AFTER IT LEAVES THE WATER.
IF CASEY OR HER COLLEGUES FIND ANY VEGETATION HANGING FROM A BOAT OR TRAILER, THEY BAG THE PLANT AND SEND IT TO THE N.H. DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES FOR IDENTIFICATION.
THE PAID WEEKEND HOSTS ARE PART OF A NEWLY ORGANIZED STATEWIDE EFFORT TO PREVENT NON-NATIVE PLANTS FROM TAKING OVER. INVASIVE AQUATIC SPECIES ARE NOW IN 54 N.H. LAKES AND RIVERS.
THE NEW PROGRAM TARGETS BOATS BECAUSE THAT?S HOW INVASIVE
PLANTS USUALLY ENTER LAKES. A BOAT THAT?S BEEN IN ONE CONTAMINATED LAKE CAN TRANSPORT THE PLANTS TO ANOTHER.
HOSTS LIKE CASEY ASK BOATERS TO LOOK IN ANY SPOT WHERE NVASIVES COULD LIVE--IN THE TRAILER AXLE, UNDER THE LIGHTS, OR AROUND THE HITCH.
(CASEY2: WE LOOK FOR PLACES THAT ARE VERY VERY TINY...LIKE HERE AND HERE..ALL THESE LITTLE NOOKS AND CRANNIES HERE.)
THE INSPECTIONS ARE HELPING. THIS SUMMER, THE HOSTS ARE CREDITED WITH SAVING THREE LAKES FROM THE DREADED MILFOIL--A FAST GROWING INVASIVE PLANT ALREADY IN 50 N.H. LAKES.
HOSTS FOUND IT ON BOATS LAUNCHING AT NEWFOUND LAKE IN BRISTOL, NUBANUSITT LAKE IN MARLBOROUGH, AND SPOFFORD LAKE (NEAR KEENE?)
SAILOR MATTHEW NICHOLS FROM BRATTLEBORO, VT. THINKS THE INSPECTIONS ARE A GOOD IDEA AND SHOULD BE EXPANDED.
(NICHOLS: ``I THINK THEY SHOULD BE AT EVERY LAUNCH SITE, IN EVERY LAKE, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT HAVEN'T BEEN SPOTTED WITH EURASIAN MILFOIL. IT?S A PROGRAM THAT I THINK SHOULD BE FUNDED PARTICULARLY TO PRESERVE THE NATURAL LAKES IN THEIR NATURAL STATE IN THE NEW ENGLAND AREA.'')
IN THIS BATTLE BETWEEN PEOPLE AND INVASIVES, THE PLANTS HAVE BEEN WINNING.
EACH YEAR, MILFOIL INFESTS THREE TO FIVE NEW LAKES. IT THEN TAKES OVER ITS NEW HABITAT. IT CHOKES THE LAKE, CROWDING OUT NATIVE SPECIES.
BASS FISHERMAN SEAN COLBURN OF MARLBOROUGH WAS ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH MILFOIL, BUT HE STILL LEARNED SOMETHING NEW AFTER CHATTING WITH CASEY.
(COLBURN: ``RIGHT OFF THE BAT, I WAS INTRODUCED TO IT AND STARTED CHECKING FOR IT, ALTHOUGH I DIDN'T KNOW THAT A QUARTER OF AN INCH COULD CONTAMINATE A WHOLE PLACE. THAT?S REALLY GOING TO MAKE ME OPEN MY EYES MORE.'')
(( NAT SOUND...LAKE WATER LAPPING)))
TOTALLY ELIMINATING MOST OF THE PLANT SPECIES ISN?T A REALISTIC OPTION, SO BIOLOGISTS AIM TO CONTROL THEIR SPREAD.
THAT?S WHERE THE LAKE HOSTS COME IN.
ALONG WITH INSPECTING THE BOATS, THEY ALSO ASK A FEW QUESTIONS, SUCH AS: HOW OFTEN DO YOU GO BOATING? AND WHERE WAS THE BOAT MOST RECENTLY IN THE WATER?
KNOWING THE BOAT?S WATER HISTORY SERVES TWO PURPOSES: IT HELPS TRACK THE MOVEMENT OF INVASIVES IF THEY?RE FOUND. IT ALSO ALERTS BOAT OWNERS IF THEY?VE BEEN IN HIGH-RISK WATER.
WHEN CONNECTICUT RESIDNET ANGELA GRANO PUT HER BOAT IN SPOFFORD LAKE, SHE?D NEVER HEARD ABOUT MILFOIL. ONE WEEK LATER, WHEN SHE PULLED THE BOAT OUT, SHE WAS PLEASED TO HAVE IT CHECKED AGAIN.
(GRANO: ``NOW THAT WE KNOW, WE?LL KEEP OUR EYES OPEN, DEFINITELY.'')
THE INSPECTIONS AND SURVEY TAKE ABOUT 5 MINUTES, DELAYING BOATERS FROM LEAVING THE LAUNCH SITE. LAKE HOST CASEY SAYS MOST PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PATIENT AND UNDERSTANDING.
(CASEY3: ``IT?S BEEN VERY POSITIVE. I HAD ONE PERSON WHO WAS A LITTLE GROUCHY ABOUT IT BECAUSE HE COULDN?T TAKE HIS BOAT OUT AS FAST AS HE WANTED. HE DIDN?T WANT TO HEAR ANYTHING; I GUESS HE HAD A BAD FISHING DAY.'')
THIS YEAR, THE NH LAKES ASSOCIATION ORGANIZED THE LAKE HOST PROGRAM WITH FUNDS FROM A FEDERAL GRANT.
NEXT SUMMER, THE N.H. DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES IS EXPECTED TO TAKE OVER THE PROGRAM USING STATE FUNDS.
FOR NHPR NEWS, I?M CAROLYN MARTIN IN KEENE.
