State announces $2.8M in grants to combat invasive species

FINGER LAKES--Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced more than $2.8 million in grants have been awarded to 42 projects that will reduce the negative impacts of invasive species in water bodies through control or removal activities, research, and spread prevention.
"New York state is leading the way in invasive species management to ensure our environment remains sustainable, healthy and strong," Cuomo said. "Through joint efforts by our state, community and organizational partners, we are developing new programs and initiatives to combat the threat of invasive species that could damage New York's waterways, agricultural crops, and invaluable forest lands."
Awarded projects are spread across four categories:
• $594,464 for eight Aquatic Invasive Species Spread Prevention projects to deploy watercraft stewards to conduct voluntary boat inspections and conduct outreach to educate recreational boaters;
• $1,163,139 for 16 Terrestrial and Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response and Control projects that promote the removal of invasive species through physical and mechanical removal, chemical treatments and biocontrol release;
• $865,960 for 10 Terrestrial and Aquatic Invasive Species Research projects that help improve invasive species control methodologies; and
• $233,899 for eight Lake Management Planning projects to help address the underlying causes of aquatic invasive species infestations and provide context for their control and management.
Awards were made in the Finger Lakes, capital region, central New York, Long Island, Mid-Hudson, New York City, Southern Tier, Mohawk Valley, north country and western New York.
In the Finger Lakes, the following awards were made:
• Cooperative Extension Association in the State of NY Yates County: $77,361 for Keuka Lake aquatic invasive species prevention program.
• Hobart and William Smith Colleges: $100,000 for understanding the impacts of Starry Stonewort on New York state ecosystems.
• Rochester Institute of Technology: $99,985 for using artificial intelligence on street view imagery to detect five key invasive plant species in New York state.
• Research Foundation for SUNY Brockport: $85,577 formile-a-minute (Persicaria perfoliata) discovery and control in western New York.
• City of Canandaigua: $76,281 for preventing the spread of invasive species on Canandaigua and Honeoye Lakes through watercraft inspections, education, and outreach.
• Town of Canandaigua: $15,618 for the Barnes Gully hemlock wooly adelgid eradication project.
• Town of Macedon: $11,133 for terrestrial invasive species control at Canal Park.
The rest of the awards across the state can be seen at https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-28-million-grant-awards-combat-spread-invasive-species.
In addition to funding, New York state has formed a comprehensive plan of attack to prevent the spread of invasive species. State DEC regulations prohibit boats and equipment from entering or leaving DEC launch sites without first being drained and cleaned. Boaters should take precautions--"Clean, Drain and Dry"--prior to launching a watercraft or floating dock into public waters.
Recently, the state opened the most advanced boat inspection and decontamination station at the recently completed Adirondacks Welcome Center on Interstate 87 in Queensbury, Warren County. The DEC's Adirondack Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Program conducted nearly 100,000 boat inspections to intercept more than 4,600 invasive species incidents in 2018.
New York has collaborated with not-for-profit, academic, and municipal partners, in improving water quality, protecting wildlife and stopping the spread of invasives in all waterbodies.
The Invasive Species Grant Program is administered by the Bureau of Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health in the DEC's Division of Lands and Forests. For more information, visit DEC's website at https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/265.html.