The EPA has announced a series of grants under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to target invasive species. Among those receiving money is a small college in the midst of the Adirondacks.
Five organizations in New York State will receive a total of 1-point-4 million dollars to assess and reduce the spread of invasive species. Paul Smith’s College’s Watershed Stewardship Program will receive just under 400-thousand dollars to continue a watercraft inspection program at boat launches in the western Adirondacks. Director Eric Holmlund.
Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program Director Hilary Smith calls the stewardship program one of the premier programs that is educating boaters and intercepting invasive species.
The Watershed Stewardship Program’s Eric Holmlund notes that as more invasive species threaten lakes and ponds, there is more information for stewards to master and pass on to the public.
The Nature Conservancy, Cornell University and the Research Foundation of SUNY Buffalo also received EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants to combat invasive species.