Alliance Project Manager Taylor West identifies invasive starry stonewort while surveying in Ashville Bay. Submitted photo

The towns of North Harmony and Chautauqua have been awarded state grants to help fight starry stonewort.

The grants were announced last week by state officials.

Starry stonewort is an invasive algae that functions like a plant but forms in dense stands that choke out native plant and fish populations. It has been seen sparsely in Chautauqua Lake since 2009, but has been seen more often in the last two years, specifically in the towns of North Harmony and Chautauqua at Ashville Bay and Prendergast Point.

The species can also be more difficult to remove because there is not one set technique that can be used each time, and the removal technique is very site specific.

Jay Young, Chautauqua Lake Watershed and Management Alliance communications coordinator, said the two grants secured give $100,000 to both North Harmony and Chautauqua and was made possible by the alliance pledging a 25% match. The grants are given through the state Department of Environmental Conservation invasive species grant program.

“This is a very competitive program and these were the only two project grants secured in Western New York,” Young said. “We are not always able to pursue grants for in-lake work, so this is exciting for us.”

The grants directly pay for the Chautauqua Watershed and Management Alliance doing a diver assisted suction harvesting effort at both points in the lake. This technique allows for the alliance to suction out the starry stonewort but leave the native plant and fish species that belong in the lake there.

Taylor West, project manager, explained the process, which is essentially the removal of plants using a diver, suction tube, a unique set of pumps mounted on a boat and a bagging or filtration system.

“Diver assisted suction harvesting removes both the stonewort and its seed from the setiment, which is a major positive because you want to remove the seed as well to stop it from growing in that spot again,” West said. “The diver is there to assist and connect it to the barge and it passes to the barge through screens to get the bycatch, which is the native plants and animals that you don’t want to remove, and then we put those back.”

One other major factor of starry stonewort is that it has the ability to spread quickly. So, if it is cut apart by a boat or some other way it has the ability to travel and spread itself into other plant populations quickly.

“It’s critical to try and contain or eradicate the species because of the negative impacts it can have on both the uses and ecology of the lake,” West said.

Young added that pilot programs and the state grants are key because the earlier starry stonewort can be eradicated the better. Starry stonewort also likes to grow in shallow or high use areas, meaning no matter why a person is using the lake for, it can still affect them.

Young said the starry stonewort species is a developing concern, and one where containment is very important. He said the Chautauqua Lake Watershed and Management Alliance knows it is in the lake and is working to deal with it. West congratulated both the towns of North Harmony and Chautauqua on the grants and thanked them for being willing to take the lead on the project.

For the public, Young said the most important focus is on helping to stop the spread.

“We will have stewards at places and events like boat launches with helpful information and the ability to help check that boats are clean,” Young said. “The public can make sure their boats and trailers and other equipment remains clean and help stop the spread of starry stonewort.”