Managing Invasive European Frogbit through Research and Education in New York's Great Lakes Basin:
Education Programs

The Finger Lakes Institute and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County will provide regional educational outreach, including training workshops, conferences, and web-based resource information, to increase public knowledge about European frogbit and other invasive aquatic plant species. Research results will be disseminated to raise awareness about the effective management of this plant through early detection and rapid response initiatives.

The Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Marion Balyszak and Sarah Meyer
Onondaga Cornell Cooperative Extension
Amy Samuels and Kelly Somerlot

September 11 and 15, 2009
Water Chestnut Hand Pull on Keuka Marsh
Finger Lakes Institute at HWS worked with Yates Co. SWCD, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Finger Lakes Community College, Keuka College, and Keuka Lake Association to remove 2 truckloads of Trapas natans from the Keuka Marsh, adjacent to the village boat launch. Visitation to the site is scheduled for summer 2010 to check for infestation and removal.

July 21, 2009
Water Chestnut Hand Pull on Oneida Lake
Cornell Cooperative Extension worked with the Oneida Shores Rotary Club to conduct their annual water chestnut pull and BBQ on the west end of Oneida Lake. Volunteers pulled the remaining weeds quickly, as well as some European Frogbit, and noticed a large reduction in the density of water chestnut in the area.

July 11, 2009, 9am-2pm, Mercer Park, Village of Baldwinsville on Seneca River
Aquatic Plant Information Booth at Seneca River Days
Aquatic Plant Information Booth at Seneca River Days Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga Staff set up and manned a display booth at the river-side festival that promoted the pulling of water chestnut and provided general information about invasive aquatic plants and the "Adopt-A-Shoreline" program. In addition to information and printed publications, visitors to the booth also had a chance to get their photo taken with "Wally" the water chestnut mascot and to color placemats and magnets.

July 9, 6:30 pm, Finger Lakes Community College's Muller Field Station
Honeoye, NY
A Homeowner's Guide to Aquatic Plants (PDF)
Marion Balyszak, FLI Director
Cosponsored by The Finger Lakes Institute and Onondaga Cornell Cooperative Extension
To reduce the emergence and spread of invasive aquatic plants in the Finger Lakes, community members must be educated and supported in early detection, rapid response, and proper management techniques. In this evening presentation, participants will learn about various invasive aquatic weeds that wreak havoc and continue to threaten Finger Lakes waters, including frogbit, fanwort, water chestnut, Eurasian watermilfoil, curly pondweed. This evening program will focus on the types and benefits of aquatic plants, invasive and native plants identification, aquatic plant management, and nutrient management. This program is partially funded by the New York State Great Lakes Protection Fund Large Grant Program. Topics will include:
• Name that Plant - Distinguishing one aquatic plant from another by learning basic plant identification. Live plant specimens will be available for practice.
• Aquatic Plant Management - An overview of aquatic plant management, including in-water control options for invasive plants, volunteer opportunities, and case-study examples
• Don't Feed the Plants - A look at upland inputs of nutrients that promote excessive aquatic plant growth in the lake, and homeowner and community strategies for controlling nutrient inputs.
This program is free and open to the public.

July 8, 2009, 1-3pm, Turtle Bay
Water Chestnut Handpull on Turtle Bay, Otisco Lake
Due to the large recruitment effort at the pancake breakfast, the Turtle Bay Water Chestnut hand pull turned out a record number of volunteers in its 4 year history. The volunteers worked by canoe and kayak to pull all of the water chestnut plants out of the bay. A small group also scouted out a second possible location of water chestnut, according to citizen reports, but found that no water chestnut growing there – only water lilies. Due to a reduced number of water chestnut plants growing this year, the volunteers managed to pull all of the plants within a matter of hours and the event ended early.

July 5, 2009
Educational Booth About Aquatic Plants at the Amber Fire Department Pancake Breakfast
Cornell Cooperative Extension assisted the Otisco Lake Preservation Association in conducting an information and outreach event at the Amber Fire Department Annual Independence Day Pancake Breakfast. CCE supplied the volunteers (which attended the “train the trainer” program) with display materials, and informational publications. The OLPA volunteers coordinated the creation of additional signs and banners to hang up, and conducted outreach both at the display table as well as with people waiting in line. The volunteers emphasized the upcoming water chestnut handpull on the lake and also encouraged people to sign up for the "Adopt-A-Shoreline" program.

June 25, 6:30 pm, Finger Lakes Institute Classroom
A Homeowner's Guide to Aquatic Plants (PDF)
Sarah Meyer, FLI Community Outreach Coordinator
Cosponsored by The Finger Lakes Instutite and Onondaga Cornell Cooperative Extension
To reduce the emergence and spread of invasive aquatic plants in the Finger Lakes, community members must be educated and supported in early detection, rapid response, and proper management techniques. In this evening presentation, participants will learn about various invasive aquatic weeds that wreak havoc and continue to threaten Finger Lakes waters, including frogbit, fanwort, water chestnut, Eurasian watermilfoil, curly pondweed. This evening program will focus on the types and benefits of aquatic plants, invasive and native plants identification, aquatic plant management, and nutrient management. This program is partially funded by the New York State Great Lakes Protection Fund Large Grant Program. Topics will include:
• Name that Plant - Distinguishing one aquatic plant from another by learning basic plant identification. Live plant specimens will be available for practice.
• Aquatic Plant Management - An overview of aquatic plant management, including in-water control options for invasive plants, volunteer opportunities, and case-study examples
• Don't Feed the Plants - A look at upland inputs of nutrients that promote excessive aquatic plant growth in the lake, and homeowner and community strategies for controlling nutrient inputs.
This program is free and open to the public.

June 15, 2009, 7-9pm, Otisco Lake Community Center
Train the Trainer Program for Otisco Lake Preservation Association
A sub-group of the Otisco Lake Preservation Association attended a training session, conducted by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County, for further information about invasive aquatic plant issues, and to strategize their future outreach efforts to the local community.

June 15, 7:00 pm
Talking and Teaching About Aquatic Weeds: A Workshop for Educators
Kelly Somerlot, Onondaga Cornell Cooperative Extension
Interested in getting the word out about weed issues in Otisco Lake? Want to increase your knowledge-base about aquatic plants so that you can better answer questions from the public? Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County is offering specialized, more detailed aquatic plant classes open to community group/municipal leaders, educators, civic spokespeople, and anyone else who interfaces with the public about aquatic plant issues. This class will review local cases of nuisance plants in the Finger Lakes and greater Central New York region, as well as past and upcoming management strategies and research projects. Participants will also be provided with a sampling of educational materials and ideas for successful public outreach campaigns. For more information, contact Kelly Somerlot.

June 13, 2009, 10am-12pm, Otisco Lake Marina
General Workshop: Homeowners Guide to Aquatic Plants
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County presented a general information workshop for the Otisco Lake Preservation Association, as well as the general public. Participants were given a general overview of aquatic plant issues, manangement, and plant identification and also had the opportunity to handle a variety of live specimens of aquatic plants.

June 11, 2009, 7-8pm, Onondaga Lake Yacht Clubhouse
Aquatic plant presentation/talk to the Onondaga Lake Yacht Club and Syracuse Power Squadron
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County staff offered an informational presentation about common aquatic plants of Central New York, including both native plants as well as invasive plants and "watch weeds." In addition to the powerpoint presentation, participants also had an opportunity to see a collection of live and dried plant specimens.

• Give us your feedback about aquatic plants! Coming Soon!

• Coming soon to a waterway near you!

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• Eurasian Watermilfoil Biomass Associated with Insect Herbivores in New York
• Submersed Aquatic Plant Communities In Western New York: 50 Years of Change
• Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Aquatic Invasions Research Directory
• Aquatic Plant Communitites in Waneta Lake and Lamoka Lake, New York
• Predicting Invasion of European Frogbit in the Finger Lakes of New York
• Alteration of Ecosystem Function by Zebra Mussels in Oneida Lake: Impacts on Submerged Macrophytes
• A Comparison of Irradiance and Phosphorus Effects on the Growth of Three Submerged Macrophytes

• Management Options for Aquatic Plants
• Final Report of the New York State Invasive Species Task Force
• NYSDEC Permitting for Physical Control Techniques-Partial Lake
• A Primer on Aquatic Plant Management in New York State
• Best Management Practices in Support of Fish and Wildlife Habitat
• Instructions for Building a Benthic Barrier: Wood Frame Construction
• Weeding Out the Good from the Bad: A Workshop on Managing Aquatic Plants in the Finger Lakes
• Honeoye Lake Macrophyte Management Plan

• Aquatic Plant Identification Guide
• The Invasive Plant Detective Whiz Game
• European Frog-Bit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae) - Floating Invader of Great Lakes Basin Waters

• European Frogbit (JPG)

Finger Lakes Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM) seeks to reduce the spread and impact of invasive species through coordinated prevention, detection, and control measures throughout Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Onondaga, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Tompkins, Tioga, Steuben, Wayne, and Yates counties.

Weeds Watch Out (W2O) an education and outreach program that will attempt to thwart the spread of invasive aquatic plant species into, within, and from the Oswego River Basin, a sub-basin of Lake Ontario.

Montezuma Alliance for the Restoration of Species and Habitats (MARSH) a volunteer group working to control invasive species in Montezuma grassland, shrubland, forest, marsh and river.

Invasive Plant Council of New York State provides information for invasive plant identification, research and management to the general public; local, state, and federal government and their agencies; the academic and scientific communities; the business community; and not-for-profit organizations concerning invasive plant issues in New York State.

Economic Impacts of Aquatic Invasive Species Workshop obtained workshop participants’ individual views on potential conceptual frameworks and bioeconomic tools for use in the subsequent development of national and regional estimates of the market and non-market economic impacts of aquatic invasive species.

The Volunteer Monitor: Aquatic Invasive Species

Stop the Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species and Fish Diseases in New York State

USGS Non-Indigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) site serves as a central repository for introduced aquatic species in the United States.

Management of Pond Plants

NY Sea Grant National Aquatic Invasive Species Database

Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Task Force is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to preventing and controlling aquatic nuisance species, and implementing the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act (NANPCA) of 1990.

Principal Investigators:

Bin Zhu, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
More About Bin

Lars Rudstam, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Cornell University Biological Field Station
More About Lars

Meghan Brown, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Biology Dept. Hobart and William Smith Colleges
More About Meghan