The Water Chestnut Plant
MAYVILLE – County officials have announced that a mass search on Chautauqua Lake for the invasive water chestnut will be held on Saturday, July 20, 2013 at 8 a.m. at the Stow Park landing of the Bemus Point-Stow Ferry.
The water chestnut is a rooted, aquatic annual plant that can reach up to 15 feet in length and has a rosette of floating leaves, which are green, glossy, and triangular with toothed edges. A single water chestnut plant can produce up to a total of 75 nutlets annually, helping it to quickly spread across the lake. Once established, water chestnuts can form dense floating mats that can negatively impact the aquatic ecosystem and recreational activities on the lake.
Last summer local volunteers conducted several searches of the 42 miles of shoreline along Chautauqua Lake and 17 water chestnut plants were successfully removed from the lake near Bemus Creek and the mouth of the Chadakoin River.
Individuals interested in participating in the mass search should report to the Stow Ferry Park where they will be given a short presentation on the water chestnut before being assigned to a zone. Volunteers should also call the watershed hotline at (716) 363-4499, (716) 753-4499, or (716) 661-7499 for more information.
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