Boaters and Marina Owners Key to Hydrilla Fight
It is OK to launch boats in Cayuga Inlet and in the lake. Please take the precautions listed below
All types of watercraft have the potential to spread hydrilla including canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, personal watercraft and sail boats in and out of the water. Help stop this highly invasive aquatic plant that threatens Cayuga Lake. Inspect all watercraft and remove and destroy plant materials.
Cayuga Lake boaters and marina owners are a key link in stopping the spread of hydrilla from infested areas of the inlet to uninfested areas, the lake and other waterbodies. It is essential that marina staff inform boaters of the new precautions (see below) to be taken while boating on Cayuga Lake. It is more important than ever to follow clean boating practices to ensure the protection of all waterbodies. Marina owners are encouraged to consider building a simple plant disposal station for any vegetation removed during the cleaning process (plans provided by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation). View the letter sent to marina owners.
Watch for boat stewards on Cayuga and other Finger Lakes this summer.
New precautions to stop the spread of hydrilla:
- Avoid passing through ANY dense patches of vegetation in the Cayuga Inlet or the shallow areas at the south end of Cayuga Lake.
- Stay in the NAVIGATION CHANNEL in the Cayuga Inlet when exiting to Cayuga Lake or traveling to destinations south on the inlet.
- Stock your boat with plastic trash bags. If you bring ANY vegetation up from the Inlet or Lake on the anchor, lines, fishing gear, prop, paddles etc., DO NOT RETURN it to the water. Place it in a trash bag and dispose of it back on shore at a plant disposal station or trash receptacle. Check for, remove and dispose of ALL vegetation in or on your boat after each use.
- If you think you find hydrilla in the lake, take a picture of the plant, bag the plant, GPS or write down the location where it was pulled it up noting on-shore landmarks, and report it at: ccetompkins.org/report-hydrilla
Continue to follow these clean boater practices:
- Boats should be cleaned before they go in the water and immediately after they are taken out. Remove all weeds, mud and other material by hand.
- Boat trailers need to be carefully inspected, looking especially for material trapped between the boat and trailer, inside any open tubing on the trailers, around taillights and license plates.
- Remove and dispose of all vegetation in a trash can, plant disposal station or above high water
- Allow boats and trailers to fully air dry (5 days or more) so any hidden plants will completely dry out between boating in different bodies of water OR take boats to the nearest car wash for a good cleaning
- Bilges, drop keels, live wells and anything else on the boats that can retain water should be drained, dried, and cleaned before moving to another water body.
For Marina Owners
- Make sure all boaters understand the importance of clean boating practices.
- Boat yards should set up silt curtains or hay bales, or something similar to let the water filter off while capturing any plant material, and to avoid draining directly back into water bodies.
- If the boat yard is doing repairs and has to repeatedly put the boat in and out of the water, lifts and trailer equipment should be checked and cleaned each time it is used.
- Consider building plant disposal stations and make sure your boaters know where they are and how to use them correctly.
- Marina staff should sign up to Get Hydrilla Updates via Email, participate in invasive species identification training sessions (upcoming events) and make sure that all of their boaters are informed about the current hydrilla status.
The cooperation and support of boaters and marina owners is essential to the Hydrilla Task Force of the Cayuga Lake Watershed's containment and eradication strategy. It is also needed to prevent the spread of hydrilla into the other Finger Lakes, the Great Lakes and all other water bodies.
Aquatic Invaders to Look Out For:
Boat cleaning helps stop the spread of many invasive species including Hydrilla. Please read the tip sheet to see what you can do to help protect our lake.
