Starry Stonewort
The towns of Chautauqua and North Harmony are each receiving $100,000 to deal with starry stonewort in Chautauqua Lake.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced nearly $3 million in grants for 43 projects to reduce the negative impacts of invasive species. These grants are part of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation‘s Invasive Species Grant Program, which provides funding for aquatic and terrestrial invasive species spread prevention, early detection and rapid response, lake management planning, research, and education and outreach.
Starry stonewort is a micro-algae that can easily be mistaken for an aquatic plant at first glance. The algae is identified by its thin grass-like branches, which grow in whorls around a central stem. Starry stonewort can form dense stands in late-summer/early-fall, and can be difficult to detect before this growing season. The algae also reproduces via bulbils— small, white star-shaped structures that are produced on the branches and drop off onto the sediment just before most of the algae dies back over the winter. Between the bulbils, which form a seed bank in the sediment, and the fact that even a small algal fragment can grow into a new colony, this species can rapidly colonize a waterbody and survive during winter.
Chautauqua and North Harmony will use the funding toward Invasive Species Early Detection and Rapid Response and Control Terrestrial and Aquatic Species equipment.
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