Officials rip harmful plants out of historic lake: 'We will need to go back next year'

Wildlife officials and conservationists partnered up to pull a few hundred water chestnut plants from a lake in upstate New York. 

While this initiative is undoubtedly beneficial to the local ecosystem, experts have noted that it will require an annual effort to fully eradicate the invasive species.

According to WCAX, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation worked with wildlife groups near Lake Champlain to remove water chestnut plants that had grown over at a dock close to Plattsburgh. Nearly a dozen people rode out on kayaks to uproot the plants, per WMAC Northeast Public Radio. 

Lake Champlain Basin Atlas noted water chestnuts were first introduced into the water body in the 1940s. They are a non-native plant that can crowd out native species and prevent oxygen from reaching animals living in the lake. 

If the plants are removed before they can drop seeds, they can be eliminated. But water chestnuts are an annual plant that blooms yearly.

"We will need to go back next year and check that same location and continue for multiple years of removal from that location, once it starts growing," Erin Vennie-Vollrath, an environmental analyst for the DEC, told WCAX.

This is the northernmost area of New York where water chestnuts have been found, but they've invaded other parts of the state, too. In July, the DEC led another removal effort at Mill Pond on Long Island. Around 1,600 pounds of the plant were pulled up by volunteers. 

While invasive plants can harm aquatic ecosystems, they can also create havoc in home gardens. Plants like English Ivy and bamboo might have aesthetic value, but they can be detrimental to ecosystems, crowding out native plants and leading to a loss of biodiversity. 

Those plants can even cause property damage, resulting in costly repairs and a time-consuming cleanup. 

That's why planting native species is much better for both the planet and your wallet. Because native plants are adapted to local soil and weather conditions, they are less expensive to maintain and require less water, helping gardeners save money and conserve a precious resource. 

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Back at Lake Champlain, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation has worked with the Army Corps of Engineers to eliminate the plant since the 1980s, according to Lake Champlain Basin Atlas. 

The agencies run a harvesting program to control its northward spread. Starting in 2000, the New York DEC and Canal Corporation began to contribute funding for mechanical harvesting on the lake. 

Still, more needs to be done to prevent this invasive plant from choking out native species. New major infestations were found at four locations in Vermont in 2003. In New York, DEC officials have been unable to remove the largest known infestation in Dead Creek. 

If removal efforts continue, ecosystems once oppressed by the presence of the plant can thrive once more.

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