By Buzz Roberts
The SLA watercraft steward program is progressing well this summer. Our stewards, Elyse Dubois, Will Thomas, Griffin Dunn, Jeremy Castle, Sara Signorelli, Alex Frank, and Anna Denhoff, inspect boats entering Skaneateles Lake to ensure they are “Clean, Dry, and Drained” prior to launching. The stewards are present at the DEC state launch on West Lake Rd. 7 days a week and at the Mandana and town of Scott launches on weekends.
Twenty -four percent (24%) of boats entering the lake have been on a previous body of water. The concern is that they will bring in additional invasive species (we already have milfoil and zebra mussels). Hydrilla, now growing in 25 acres in Cayuga Lakes off the shore of Aurora, poses a threat. It is more prolific than milfoil and requires chemical treatment to remove it (now being done on Cayuga). Left unchecked, it can change the character of a body of water to a weed choked lake with extensive matting on the lake’s surface.
Because of the heavy use of the NYS DEC Boat Launch in the late summer and fall the SLA wants to extend our Steward coverage to include that period. We need additional Stewards in order to do so. If interested in one of these positions please go to the “contact us” tab of our website, SkaneatelesLake.org, and send us a message indicating your interest and contact information.
Source: Skaneateles Press