Invasive Species

BEAT is just starting an invasive species webpage – mainly because we have spent a lot of time trying to help control Eurasian Milfoil in Onota Lake and, more recently, we spent time pulling Water Chestnut out of both Pontoosuc and Onota Lakes.
Invasive Plant Atlas of New England’s (IPANE)  An online database of invasive plants
USDA Invasive Species for Massachusetts Website provide lots of good links to more information

Pulling Water Chestnut

Pontoosuc Lake – August 5, 2007

Onota Lake – August 17, 2007

On August 5, 2007 Jane and Bruce Winn from BEAT, Carolyn Sibner from the Housatonic Valley Association and Friends of Pontoosuc, and Jenny Hersch pulled Water Chestnut (Trapa natans) from Pontoosuc Lake north of Bull Hill Road.
three cars with canoes and kayaks for pulling water chestnut
canoe and kayak looking near the causeway
paddling further from the causeway
water chestnut rosette
We arrived at Pontoosuc about 8 am. Here Jenny and Carolyn start looking near the causeway. We didn’t find much near the causeway, so we headed upstream. We did find some water chestnut, but according to Carolyn, not as much as the previous year.
water chestnut nut growing under the rosette
water chestnut rosette showing a small white flower
view of lake in front and cattails then trees in the background s in background
view with lake in front and mountains behind
The sharp, pointy nut of the water chestnut grows below the rosette. You must be careful to grab the rosette from below to avoid having the mature nuts fall off where they could sprout and re-infest the lake. Water chestnut produces a small white flower.We pulled all the water chestnut that we could find. Looking north from the lake north of the causeway was a pretty view on this beautiful day. And looking northwest, toward the mountains, was equally spectacular.

 

On Friday, August 17, 2007, Jane Winn from BEAT, Carolyn Sibner from the Housatonic Valley Association, Jenny Hersch from the Housatonic River Museum, and Bob Race from Lake Onota Preservation Association launched north of Dan Casey Memorial causeway into the relatively small area where Churchill and Daniels Brooks enter Onota Lake. To our surprise, this area had so much water chestnut that we could not pull it all. We will have to come back.
Long aluminum canoe with Bob Race leaning over to pull water chestnuts
Jane and Jenny with their load of water chestnut
Carolyn in her kayak with a huge load of water chestnut piled high
bucket full of water chestnut
bags and buckets full of water chestnut by the side of the road
Carolyn and Bod pulling Bob's canoe out and over the guardrail
Jenny helping carry Bob's canoe
turtle on a log
We hauled out bags and buckets full of water chestnut. In all we had 5 fairly full 45 gallon bags of water chestnut. Bob estimated our total haul conservatively at 150 gallons.

 

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