Invasive Water Species Alert!

Mon, 03/17/2014 - 3:18pm -- Jacquie Gardner
Water Chestnut plant and nutlet

A new aquatic invader has been identified in the neighboring County of Chautauqua.  The Water Chestnuts have moved in and practically taken over the Jamestown Audubon's Big Pond, in just six years after first identification.  With efforts from volunteers, continually over the summer, the Audubon is working to reverse and prevent more occurances.  More recently, these plants have been pulled from Chautauqua Lake, and then 14 more plants were found in Akeley Swamp in 2013.  This swamp is adjacent to the Conewango Creek which is a tributary to the Allegheny River.  So far it has yet to make it into any bodies of water in Cattaraugus County - and let's keep it that way!

What causes this plant to be so dangerous is that it is easily transferable.  It lives in shallow water, dropping spiky nutlets into the mud that grow into new water chestnuts. The nutlet is like an anchor with a long stem leading to a floating circle of leaves at the surface. The leaves crowd out native plants and can completely cover shallow water.  The stem that leads from the nutlet to the leaves on top is very stringy and long.  The nutlets themselves, also have spiked barbs.  Both of these factors make it easy to be transferred by birds or boats as they are hard to remove and can go unnoticed. 

If you see any of these plants on your small pond or while out enjoying one of our waterways, please contact the Conewango Creek Watershed Association at 814 726-1441 or info [at] conwangocreek.org.  See their website for more info and webinar dates as well. 

 

 

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