Weeds! Weeds! Weeds! Do you find yourself trapped by weeds? Weeds wrapped around your propellers? Weeds clogging your jet ski motor? Floating weeds trapped around your dock or shoreline? Unable to get away from your shoreline without passing through weeds? Tangled in weeds while swimming, paddling or sailing? Fishing lines tangled in weeds? Embarrassed to show off your lake to friends? Worried about your property values? Weeds! Weeds! Weeds!
Aquatic weeds are essential to a healthy lake ecology and are important to the spawning and growth of our fish population. Weeds have always grown in Kinderhook Lake. However, due to the recent infestation of aquatic invasive species, along with a warm winter and spring in 2016, the quantity of invasive and native weeds has exploded. Exploded!
During the summer of 2016, over 70 acres of dense invasive aquatic weed beds were mapped in Kinderhook Lake. This includes 65 acres of Eurasian milfoil mixed with curly-leaf pondweed and 5 acres of water chestnuts. In addition, approximately 15 acres of dense nuisance native weeds, water star-grass, were observed but not mapped. Boating and recreational activities in 2016 were virtually impossible in these dense weed beds all around the lake.
So, what’s the answer? After a year of considerable research, the KLC Weed Committee has recommended weed harvesting using an ECO-Harvester.
Different from the common weed harvester, which simply cuts the top of the weeds off like a lawn mower, the ECO-Harvester pulls out the entire weed along with its roots. The Committee’s research has shown this is the best approach to a long-term, effective, environmentally friendly, and sustainable weed management program. Implementing a weed management program with a new ECO-Harvester in the spring of 2017 may avoid a potentially catastrophic summer for boating and recreational activities.
Recent capital improvements at the dam and annual copper sulfate purchases to keep the lake free of blue-green algae have put a considerable strain on KLC’s financial reserves. None of this would have been possible without the generosity of membership gifts and donations. However, to keep this weed invasion manageable, we need to react right away, and once again have to ask for your support.
Our goal is to raise $76,000 to cover the cost of an ECO-Harvester. Our goal can be achieved through donations by everyone who loves and uses Kinderhook Lake and wants to see it thrive in the future.
To reach our goal and help save our lake from being overtaken by weeds, we request your support and donations in one of the following categories.
- Patron: $200-$399
- Golden Patron: $400-$649
- Eagle: $650-$999
- Golden Eagle: $1,000-$1,499
- Diamond: $1,500-$2,400
- Platinum Leader: Over $2,500
Think about it this way, the ECO-Harvester is expected to operate for at least 10 years. If you donate $1,000, your one-time Golden Eagle donation would be equivalent to $100/year. Certainly, you would agree that it’s worth $100/year to save our lake from the destruction that will be caused by the continued expansion of invasive and native weeds. And if you are lucky enough to own property on the lake, you would also agree that it’s worth $100/year to assure your property values continue to rise.
Please help us reach our $76,000 goal to start our weed management program this coming spring.
Simply click this link ECO-Harvester Donations (or the green bar at the top of the page) to easily make your donations online using a credit card or PayPal. Online payments are processed through PayPal for security purposes. If you prefer, you may mail a check in the amount of your donation to the Kinderhook Lake Corporation, PO Box 53, Niverville, NY 12130.
Thank you for helping to preserve Kinderhook Lake.
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