Invasive Species Committee

At the January 2023 Board meeting the PLPA Board unanimously approved the creation of a new committee to research the growing (literally) problem of invasive species, and learn what we can do to prevent further infestation at the lake. The committee will also be researching available remediation options to remove or reduce invasive species that have already been identified. Donna Coffey has graciously agreed to chair the committee.

Working with the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP), the Invasive Species Committee (ISC) and the APIPP have come up with an Invasive Species Adaptive Management Plan specifically for Peck’s Lake. Many thanks to Invasive Species Chair Donna Coffey, Committee members Fred Greenberg, Kathleen Perrott, Tom Bielli, Bob Kossowsky, Lorrie Mott, Ellen Greenberg, John Blaum, Karen Jones, Lou Decunzo and Peck family representatives Albee Peck and Tammy Warner. Thanks also to Brian Greene of the AIPPP for his invaluable assistance.

In 2021 Adirondack Research (adkres.org), a not -for-profit organization that “monitors, assesses, and manages invasive species” completed an Adirondack Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detection Survey for Peck’s Lake. That survey found “Dense beds of Microphyll spicatum (Eurasian watermilfoil)…in the southern end of the lake and central areas in small bays.” A cause for concern. Our neighbors at Caroga Lake, for example, have been battling invasive plant species for some time now, and are presently considering using chemicals to destroy and/or slow the spread of invasives. By being vigilant and proactive, we are hoping to stem the spread of invasives here at Peck’s Lake before we have to resort to more dramatic measures.

In July 2023 the ISC invited Brian Greene to Peck’s Lake for an updated assessment and to educate ISC members on how to identify invasive species. “The really good news,” ISC Chair Donna Coffey told the PLPA Board, “is that Brian found no evidence of Eurasian Watermilfoil. We visited  the sights where it was reported in 2021 at both ends of the lake and Beaver Bay and it was not present.” That is good news. However, Donna cautioned, “We do have variable-leaf watermilfoil which is also invasive but not nearly to the extent that the Eurasia Watermilfoil is. The area of the lake with the largest concentration is the little bay next to Beaver Bay. It is very thick in there and Brian was able to 100 percent identify it by the flowers poking out of the water.  It is an area of concern.”

Donna reported that “Brian feels we need to be vigilant in keeping invasive plants such as Eurasian Watermilfoil out of the lake through our clean, drain, dry education. We also need to set up a monitoring system around the lake such as the lake protector program.”

So please, if you bring your boat, kayak, canoe, even your fishing gear, from another lake, make sure you follow the Clean Drain Dry protocol.

• Clean– After each trip, inspect your boat, trailer and anything else that came in contact with water (buoys, anchors, ropes, etc.) for attached mud, plants and debris. Remove and dispose of anything found.
• Drain– Identify any standing water in boat compartments, bilge tanks, motors or live wells and drain the water from them.
• Dry– Let your gear and equipment dry completely for at least 48 hours, but ideally five days, before your next trip. For canoes and kayaks, you can also towel dry.

For a printable version of the Peck’s Lake Aquatic Invasive Species Adaptive Management Plan, with a map of where invasive species have been identified in the lake, click the link below. To download a copy, click the “Download” button.