A Champlain boat-launch steward practices decontamination with high-pressure hot water. LCBP
The September issue of Interstate Waters, NEIWPCC’s semianual magazine, includes feature stories on efforts to deter and control non-native species in Lake Champlain and on the ongoing work of the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve.
The magazine also brings news of recent issues in water-operator certification, PFAS, federal efforts to weaken water protections, and other developments.
Summer boat-launch stewards employed by the Lake Champlain Basin Program are the main line of defense against invasive aquatic species, which spread when contaminated boats visit an uncontaminated water body.
The magazine describes how the stewards, stationed at popular boat-launch sites, educate and train boat owners in “clean, drain, dry” and other decontaminating practices before and after sailing, paddling, or motoring on the lake.
Post-sail decontamination can prevent the spread of these organisms from Champlain to other water bodies. Lake Champlain has accumulated 51 non-native species since 1883.
Tides travel up the Hudson River for more than 150 miles. To understand better the impact of sea-level rise and other dynamics on wetlands, the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve manages four sentinel sites within that tidal reach.
The September issue describes this work and the Research Reserve’s close relationships with partners and a national network of estuarine research reserves.
Many members of the Reserve staff, and all of the Champlain boat-launch stewards, are Commission employees.
Another magazine story looks back on the Commission’s support for a New York program to speed recovery from Hurricane Sandy and other storms, a project that is winding down. The Commission’s involvement ended in August.
Interstate Waters is NEIWPCC’s magazine. Recent issues have included stories about work on aquatic trash, the dynamics of nutrient pollution in estuaries, the value of riparian buffers, and other water topics.
