2021 Sneak Peek of our ‘Year in Review’

Finger Lakes

Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM) 2021 Year in Review

2021_FingerLakesPRISM (pdf)

2021 Summary

The Finger Lakes PRISM consulted with CC Environment and Planning to update our 5-year strategic plan. The result is a more succinct plan with measurable goals and outputs. The Finger Lakes PRISM and Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges have been charging through our work plans and objectives. What follows is a small representation of what we’ve accomplished since January 1, 2021. While we have much more to finish before year’s end, we are proud of the work we’ve undertaken to prevent the spread and impact of invasive species in the Finger Lakes.

KEY OUTPUTS:

• WATERCRAFT STEWARD PROGRAM- 27 stewards, 4 lead stewards, 2 regional and 1 biology coordinator

• • 41,194 watercraft inspected; 82,711 interactions with people

• • 21 launches covered on 14 waterbodies
  • NEW! 7,795 new boater engagements where boaters answered ‘no’ to previous steward contact
• OUTREACH numbers were impressive! We reached 3,587 people across 96 different programs. This includes: 8 trainings (94ppl); 20 tabling events (1,778 ppl); 19 webinars (785 ppl); 4 in- person presentations (109 ppl); 7 workshops (120 ppl); 36 hands-on events (663 ppl); and 2 iMapInvasives trainings (38 ppl).
• MACROPHYTE SURVEYS- our field crew conducted over 16,300 rake tosses across 14 waterbodies in 10 counties.
• VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS engaged volunteers for early detection programs (trail survey= 20; macrophyte survey =28)
• GIANT HOGWEED field crew surveyed over 232 acres for high priority IS
• SLF CAMPAIGN targeted Broome County Parks where interns from Binghamton University surveyed for IS and set and monitored SLF traps
• Water chestnut project
  • 15 sites across 25 days and engaged 69 volunteers
  • 10,471 lbs. of Water Chestnut removed
• 5 acres of Hydrilla controlled at Finger Lakes Marine Service on Cayuga Lake
• Giant hogweed was controlled on 28.7 acres by FLI staff
• Gypsy moth were controlled over 150 acres via aerial spray; 2 workshops for the Canandaigua Lake Association to scrape gypsy moth egg masses
• Diver-assisted suction harvesting pilot control of SSW in Keuka Lake
• Control of HWA across 2 acres at a high-trafficked Scout Camp in Naples, NY