Milfoil eradication making progress

The Tri-County Skaneateles Lake Milfoil Project is well underway trying to rid the pristine lake of the last 10 or so acres of the invasive species.
Under the auspices of the Tri-County Skaneateles Lake Association, divers hit the water for the first time this year on May 18 and once again began pulling the weeds that plant themselves in the bottom of the lake. Divers swim to the bottom of the lake and pull the plants, then send them up to the surface and the boat through a suction device.
The dives are being restricted to less than an hour each because of the current water temperature. When the first dive took place this year the water was a chilly 47 degrees.
“We keep our dives down to about a half hour each,” said John Menapace, project manager for the group. “Right now we have three boats out so generally we have two divers out at a time.”
The group’s initial effort in cleaning up Skaneateles Lake was in 2006 when they did a pilot program to be sure their method of suctioning was going to work, Menapace said. In 2007 the organization had three boats and about 15 divers out in the water and by 2008 their fleet had increased to six boats and about 30 divers.
“They’re all certified divers. They all go through a test to make sure they understand the process,” Menapace said.
As project manager for the group, Menapace oversees everything with the exception of fundraising, which is a big focus at this time. This year the price tag is about $300,000.
To keep the divers in the water for the entire summer, the organization is in need of between $200,000 and $250,000 more than what they currently have, said Bob Werner, treasurer for the organization.
With the exception of a $100,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Conservation when the project began and another small grant from Onondaga County, all of the funds that have kept the project afloat have been private funds, Werner said.
“We hope to get some more donations from people at the south end of the lake,” he said. “There’s plenty of it down there, but there also was plenty of it at the north end.”
Much of the problematic weed has been removed from the north end of the lake and now the divers are focusing on pulling what’s left in the southern portion.
While the hills are higher in the south, Werner said there is plenty milfoil growing in the habitat at that end of Skaneateles Lake and “is getting pretty well filled in.”
To help raise money for the project, the organization was chosen to receive the funds raised during the Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce and Skaneateles Lions Club golf tournament recently. According to Werner, the unofficial money count from the tournament was $7,500 and the group also has other events planned to help raise funds for the milfoil eradication project.
“The key is getting the word out to as many people as possible,” he said.
Menapace said the funding is used to pay the divers and also for the insurance needed to cover the divers. All the equipment — the six boats and all of the suction equipment — has been paid for.
Once the lake is cleared of milfoil, the group will begin a maintenance program in which teams will dive a few times a week to pull out any milfoil that has grown back, Menapace said.
“The plan is right now to have one or two boats depending on how severe the regrowth is, and they will go and get any regrowth,” he said. “The regrowth has been very slow in Skaneateles Lake. We’ve been very lucky.”
Milfoil has been in the lake since 1974, Werner said. However, only in the last 15 years has the growth really picked up and now is the time to take care of the problem.
“No one’s exactly sure what the increase is from,” Menapace said, adding that the fact that it’s growing exponentially is a real issue. “Every time one breaks off it makes more problems. The more milfoil there is to break off and seed, the more plants you’re going to end up with.”
To donate funds toward eradicating milfoil in Skaneateles Lake, checks should be made payable to “Tri-County Skaneateles Lake Association” and sent to Skaneateles Milfoil, PO Box 862, Skaneateles, NY 13152.
To learn more about the organization or to donate electronically with a credit card, log onto skanmilfoil.com.
The Tri-County Skaneateles Lake Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

CATEGORY: Environment
TAGS: milfoil, eradication, funding, diving, suction
EDITION: Skaneateles Press

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