Lake Carmi Boat Launch Steward

Since 2015, each summer there has been a Boat Launch Steward present at Lake Carmi. The purpose of this role is to check boats before and after entering Lake Carmi for aquatic invasive species. Stewards survey boats and report these surveys to a statewide effort to track and minimize the spread of these invasive species. In 2021, we had two greeters present for the first time, which helped increase the effectiveness of our work to prevent the spread of invasive species. Funding for this effort was made possible by a grant we were awarded by the Lake Champlain Basin Program.

2023 Greeter Program

This year we were able to hire two Boat Launch Stewards for summer 2023. Through their efforts they collected numerous surveys from boaters from June to August. Their work was vital to keeping aquatic invasive species from entering or exiting Lake Carmi. One of our greeters even stopped some zebra mussels that were hitching a ride on a boat! Aquatic invasive species are extremely difficult or impossible and costly to remove. They can have devastating impacts to native ecosystems because they outcompete native species for space and resources. Anyone familiar with Lake Carmi is familiar with the long-standing infestation of Eurasian Watermilfoil which has proven that removing an invasive species is a colossal task. This is why preventing infestations before they happen is so important and we thank our greeters for their hard work this summer! We are also thankful to the Lake Champlain Basin Program and the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission for funding the program. 

We had two greeters this year: Olivia and Max (not pictured)

Seaweed with zebra mussels removed from a boat