By Douglas Johnson
Efforts to eradicate the invasive plant Japanese knotweed from the Adirondacks are making great progress.
The Regional Inlet Invasive Plant Program (RIIPP) has expanded each year from 2008 to 2014 with the help of many dedicated volunteers, generous donations, and support from the town of Inlet, Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District (HCSWCD), Adirondack Invasive Plant Program (APIPP), and the Adirondack Watershed Institute.
From 2008-2014 the Town of Inlet took the lead, and in 2015, HCSWCD will coordinate efforts.
An eight-person team met Sunday, June 28 to discuss plans for 2015 which include treating existing and new sites, and coordinating with Zack Simek who is leading APIPP’s terrestrial invasive plants efforts.
In 2014 RIIPP treated approximately 240 existing and new sites with the herbicide glyphosate, injecting tens of thousands of canes and spraying plants too small to inject and began treating Wild Parsnip.
The program’s volunteers received the “Adirondack Conservation Hero Award” from the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy for their efforts.
Sites include those in Blue Mountain Lake, Brant Lake, Chestertown, Cranberry Lake, Croghan, Eagle Bay, Forestport, Garnet Lake, Indian Lake, Inlet, Johnsburg, Keeseville, Piseco, Lake Placid, Lake Pleasant, Long Lake, Old Forge, Otter Lake, Morehouse, North Creek, North River, Riparius, Saranac Lake, Speculator, Star Lake, Town of Webb, Tupper Lake, Wanakena, Warrensburg, and Wells.
The program has been very successful. Knotweed has been eradicated at many sites, and is a tiny fraction of what it was at others.
The community has pitched in, with volunteers identifying sites and obtaining property owner permissions.
Invasive plant coordinators include Ellen Collins (Blue Mountain Lake), Jan McCann (Chestertown), Terry DeArmas (Indian Lake), Patty Wittmeyer (Inlet, Eagle Bay), Larry Master (Lake Placid), Chuck Taylor (Long Lake), Elizabeth Mangle (lower Hamilton County), Evelyn Greene (North Creek, North River), Roy Keats and Bob Manning (Garnet Lake), Nick Rose (Old Forge), Katy Weil (Piseco Lake), Leslie Karasin (Saranac Lake), and Scott Chartier (Tupper Lake).
Paul Smith Water Stewards helping in 2015 include Paul Garrison.
Applicators include Ryan Burkum, Lenny Croote, Doug Johnson, Avery Menz, Eric Menz, and Kathy Vanselow.
Japanese Knotweed forms dense thickets of thick bamboo-like hollow stems, with mature heights over 10 feet and an extensive network of underground roots.
The leaves are somewhat heart-shaped with white lacy flowery clusters that form in August.
We recommend not cutting knotweed at all, or not after June 1 so there is enough growth to allow effective herbicide application in August/September.
Digging the plant/roots is not recommended since tiny root fragments can start new plants.
Treatment with herbicide done properly is very effective.
Treatment of sites near rivers and streams is important to prevent downstream spread of knotweed.
Wild Parsnip tends to grow along roadsides, produces yellow flowers that appear similar to Queen Anne’s Lace, and its sap can cause burns to the skin.
We thank Patty Wittmeyer and John Frey of Inlet for all their help over many years, Elizabeth Mangle of HCSWCD in her new role with RIIPP, and the donors and volunteers who have made these efforts possible.
While there is no cost to property owners for the herbicide applications, tax-deductible donations and additional volunteers are needed for these efforts to continue.
Donations should be made payable to: Hamilton County SWCD – RIIPP, and mail to: HCSWCD PO Box 166, 103 Country View Drive Lake Pleasant, NY 12108 with your name, phone, address, and email.
Contact Elizabeth Mangle at (518) 548-3991, hcswcd@frontiernet.net with questions or to volunteer. The website: noknotweed.org, includes a slide show and provides detailed information for property owners, volunteers, and how to treat knotweed.