Successful Elements of a “grassroots” water chestnut control program

1. Successful Elements of a “grassroots” water chestnut control program Or, one size does not fit all!!

2. What is the Adopt-A-Shoreline Program? Volunteer Monitoring Education and Outreach • Control Days • Workshops and presentations • Unusual “Publications” • Media Partnerships!!!

3. Volunteers are the heart of the program Learn Act

4. Want to Adopt Some Shoreline? • Sixty volunteers “adopted”~2/3 Oneida, all Onondaga, some of Skaneateles and the Three Rivers • Eastern most point of infestation on Oneida eliminated • Western edge on Oneida “significantly” reduced

5. Remember to Recognize Volunteers

6. What else do volunteers want? • Thank you! • Informative Newsletters • Special assignments • Refreshments Chestnuts floating on an open pond… (Not!) Thanks so much for your help! From the Staff at Cornell Cooperative Extension Adopt-A-Shoreline Program

7. Outreach to the Public is Important

8. Have Fun with Control…

9. With Friends or Family

10. Work with the Media • Develop relationships • What is the angle? • Try again • And again Everyone likes a story about kids who volunteer! Adopt-a-Shoreline Volunteer 2007 Calendar Protecting our water bodies through early detection and control of invasive aquatic plants Save the Date - There are lots of opportunities for volunteers to get involved with invasive plant management this year! For more details about any of the events listed below, call Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County at (315) 424 - 9485 ext 230. May 12 Spring Refresher & Frog Bit Pull Has the long winter put a damper on your plant I.D skills? Can’t wait to get out on the water and grab those weeds early? Join us on Oneida Lake for a close up look at European Frogbit, one of the area’s newest invaders. This is a great practice session for reviewing plant identification at the water’s edge. We will also use the afternoon to hand pull frogbit—removing this invader early in the growing season should prevent the formation of a dense mat and prohibit the plants from dropping new buds! Canoes and kayaks will be needed. A rain date is scheduled for May 26th. Call to confirm date/time. May-June Native Water Lily Planting Over the past few years, a combination of mechanical and chemical control treatments, followed by volunteer hand pulling has erased a patch of water chestnut in Jack’s Reef, on the Seneca River. A common concern in weed management is what type(s) of plants will fill the newly created vacancy. Will water chestnut easily move back in? Will another invasive plant such as Eurasian watermilfoil or Frogbit take its place? To promote a native plant community that will provide fish habitat, as well as competition to other invasive weeds in the area, native water lilies will be planted as an aquatic habitat restoration project. Volunteers are need to help prepare the lilies. Call for more information on how to get involved. July 6-7 Seneca River Days– Weed Relay Race The first-ever water chestnut relay race will be held at the 2007 Seneca River Days in Baldwinsville. Teams will race the clock and each other as they paddle & pull water chestnut. This event will be open to numerous community organizations, as well as the general public. We would like to organize at least one team of Adopt-A-Shoreline Volunteers to enter the race– families and friends are welcome too! Call for more information about the race. To learn more about the Seneca River Days, visit www.rotarydistrict7150.org/Baldwinsville.htm CCE will host a water chestnut booth with brochures, kid’s activities, and photos with the water chestnut mascot! August 4th Otisco Lake Scavenger Hunt Last summer, water chestnut was discovered in Otisco Lake for the first time. What we don’t know is how long the weed has been there, or whether Turtle Bay is the only infestation in the lake. Join us for a fun-filled day on the water and help us search Otisco Lake for water chestnut! This scavenger hunt is a family friendly event that challenges participants to find dozens of items by boating around the lake. Each item found will win you points. And while you are searching for items on your list, remember to keep an eye out for water chestnut! Teams with the most points will win a prize. Call for more information on how to join the hunt. Water Chestnut Hand Pulls Boats, wheel barrows, and trucks are needed! July 10th, 11th. Otisco Lake County Park. 5-7 pm. Water chestnut was found in Otisco Lake for the first time last summer– making it the first infestation in the Finger Lakes! Help us stop the spread. Light refreshments will be provided. Pack a picnic dinner to enjoy at the park! Call to signup. July 16th. Oneida Shores 4 - 6:30 pm. Follow-up Picnic/BBQ at 7 pm. The Join one of the most successful hand pulling events around and help the Oneida Shores Rotary Club remove water chestnut on their “adopted section” of Oneida Lake. Call for details. *To be notified of other hand pull events as they are announced, as well as other updates, join the Adopt-A-Shoreline Volunteer Email List. To be added to the list, send an email to Kelly Somerlot at kes56@cornell.edu

11. Try New Ways of Doing Things Coming in 2007… • A water chestnut scavenger hunt, a water chestnut relay race, a water chestnut mascot • New educational partners

12. Partners and Plans

13. Thanks to Funders Past & Present • US Fish and Wildlife Foundation • US EPA • Oneida Lake Association • Great Lakes National Program Office • CNY Regional Planning & Development Board • Onondaga County DOH • Finger-Lakes Lake Ontario Water Protection Alliance • City of Syracuse • Onondaga Lake Partnership

14. Thank you! Click here to return to Home Page