It’s here …. and just in case you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard by now ….
Please come to the KLIA Community Hall on Saturday, June 17, 9:30 am to noon to see what your generous support has brought to Kinderhook Lake. Find out how and why the Eco-Harvester was selected and how it will be used to battle our invasive weed problems. Take a close-up look and learn how it works. The Eurasian Milfoil is already shaking in its stalks! Refreshments will be served.
To help reduce the spread of this aquatic invasive species, a water chestnut hand-pulling event is planned for Saturday, June 10, 9:00 am – 11:00 am. We need a dozen volunteers for this event to be successful. As in past years, please meet at the north end of the lake with your kayak, canoe, row boat, raft, or any vessel that can navigate very shallow water. Don’t forget a rake and heavy gloves. Weeds will be transferred to a larger vessel and brought to shore for disposal. Light refreshments will be provided. In the event of pouring rain, the event will take place the same time on Sunday, June 11. Please come and be part of the solution.
So, why don’t we do this with our new ECO-Harvester? Our DEC permit does not allow it. We’re just as sorry as you!
We want to thank our KLC members, neighbors, and friends who have already stepped up to help our effort to battle the invasive weed problems in Kinderhook Lake. Since February 1st, we have impressively raised nearly 75% of the funds needed to purchase the ECO-Harvester.
At a recent meeting with DEC, our harvesting permit was assured for this coming summer. When the harvester arrives at Kinderhook Lake around June 1st, the final payment will be due. We are close to reaching our $76,000 goal and remind those who have not yet had the opportunity to contribute to please help us get there. All ECO-Harvester donations will be dedicated to the cost and operation of the harvesting equipment. Please remember that all donations are tax deductible.
Please go to the MEMBERSHIP page to make your donation.
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.
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.
As you may be aware, the KLC has been experimenting with the use of benthic barriers to battle small areas of aquatic invasive species (AIS). Also known as lake bottom blankets, the barriers effectively cover the weeds and kill them off after only a few weeks without light. Whether or not they return to the same spot next year remains to be seen. So far the barriers have been working flawlessly and have now been moved to a third location at the south end of the lake. Benthic barriers are not appropriate for lake-wide use but are most often used in small areas to clear AIS at swimming areas or boating channels.
Riparian owners wishing to clear AIS along their shoreline or around their docks for swimming or boating can purchase benthic barriers online. The KLC has been using Lake Bottom Blankets by Derma-Safe, Inc. and have found them easy to install and move around. An internet search will bring up several companies selling the barriers, which come in many sizes, some small enough to be moved by hand. Please be aware that a DEC permit is now required for the use of benthic barriers even in small areas along the shoreline. Please contact DEC for further information.
This photo shows one of our benthic barriers being pulled by a boat to be relocated.
A small group of people showed up to pull water chestnuts at the north end of the lake on this less than inviting morning. Perhaps others stayed away due to the threat of rain, but this small group of volunteers still made a dent in fighting invasive species. The KLC sends a huge thanks to the following volunteers: Matt Dobrowski (Canadarago Lake Assoc.), Lisa Benfield, Dan and Robin Langer, Ken Bosen, Don Slovak and his son, and John Bruford. Thanks also to Steve Sigler for the use of his boat and to the Grandy’s for stopping by with refreshments.
The KLC is looking for a few volunteers to work with the KLC board to map invasive species in Kinderhook Lake this coming summer. If you are interested, please contact the KLC at klcweb@archman8.com and register for the Albany June 4th free iMapInvasives training couse below
 |
New York iMapInvasives will be holding spring training sessions throughout the state in May and June! Each session will be coordinated through the Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM), and will include training for basic and advanced data entry. There will also be species identification modules offered this year as well, with more details to come. Anyone interested in mapping invasive species locations and management efforts is welcome to attend these free sessions! Contact imapinvasives@nynhp.org with any questions. |
On July 17, 2015
, DEC issued a Press Release reporting that their action plan to combat aquatic invasive species (AIS) and protect New York’s natural resources and economy will be implemented across New York State. Here is the link to the AIS Management Plan.
We need to be vigilant about protecting our lake. Please make sure that you, your neighbors and friends follow all guidelines in the New York Boaters Guide to Cleaning, Drying and Disinfecting Boating Equipment before entering and after exiting the lake.
Follow Us on Facebook!