Review of the 2019 Finger Lakes Watercraft Steward program presented by Sam Beck-Anderson

1. 2019 WATERCRAFT STEWARD PROGRAM
FINGER LAKES INSTITUTE AT HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

2. 2019 PROGRAM OVERVIEW
 Role of stewards
 Volunteer inspections, education and
outreach, data collection
 23 FLI Stewards
 2 Coordinators, 1 Education Steward
 MGMT structure
 Responsibilities, focus, projects
 New for 2019
 WISPA program-wide
 Pittsford Erie Canal Launch
 Scouting, behavior change,
continuous training

3. WSP coverage PRISM 2019
Cazenovia
FLI
FLI, Parks
KLA
LMA
OEI
Parks
SLA
Town of Wayne
C-OFOKLA
"WISPA" = 'No'
"WISPA" = 'Yes'
FingerLakesPRISMCounties
Access Sites With WISP Coverage 2019
Finger Lakes PRISM
Author: Sam Beck-Andersen, Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges
November 1, 2019
Data Sources: NYS GIS Clearinghouse, Google, Finger Lakes Institute
 New locations for
FLI
 Large geographic
range
 Opportunities for
expansion?
 WISPA coverage –
most groups
contributing to
state database

4. TRAINING
 Week before Memorial Day
 Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith
Colleges, Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park
 23 FLI stewards trained throughout season
 Many more trained from various organizations
 Onondaga Earth Corps
 Keuka Lake Association
 Town of Wayne
 Cortland-Onondaga Federation of Kettle Lake
Associations

5. ONGOING TRAINING
 Included:
 Bi-weekly meetings
 Presentations
 Guest speakers
 Quizzes
 And more…

6. 0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
CanandaiguaLakeStateM…
WoodvilleDECBoatLaunch
EmersonPark
FrontenacPark
CluteParkWatkinsGlen
LongPointStatePark
CanadiceLakeDECBoatLa…
GenevaPublicBoatLaunch
AyraultRoadErieCanalLa…
PortofRochester
OtiscoLakeCampground
HemlockLakeDECNorthB…
CayugaLakeStatePark
HoneoyeLakeBoatLaunc…
OtiscoLakeMarina
PittsfordErieCanalLaunch
DeansCoveStateMarineP…
MyersPark
Number of Inspections Across Boat Launch Sites
FL PRISM - 2019
Canandaigua
Lake
Owasco Lake
Cayuga Lake
Canadice Lake
Seneca Lake
Erie Canal
Genesee River
BOAT TRAFFIC
Highest Traffic Launches – Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park 60 boats per day
Total Inspections –29,806
Total People Reached – 63,679
Busiest Day: June 23rd - 1,267 watercraft inspected, 2,844 people reached
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
CanandaiguaLakeStateMa…
CanadiceLakeDECBoatLau…
HemlockLakeDECNorthBo…
CluteParkWatkinsGlen
WoodvilleDECBoatLaunch
EmersonPark
FrontenacPark
LongPointStatePark
eansCoveStateMarinePark
PortofRochester
CayugaLakeStatePark
AyraultRoadErieCanalLau…
OtiscoLakeCampground
HoneoyeLakeBoatLaunch…
GenevaPublicBoatLaunch
MyersPark
OtiscoLakeMarina
PittsfordErieCanalLaunch
Boat Traffic Rates Across Boat Launch Sites
FL PRISM - 2019

7. USER GROUPS
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
User Groups Found at Boat Launch Sites
FL PRISM - 2019
Research Recreation
Government Fishing
Commercial
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
All Launches
Average User Group
FL PRISM - 2019
Trends: recreation and angling prevail at all launches, but proportions of
those two vary greatly
Implications: Managers equip stewards differently depending on user
group composition at the launch

8. 0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
SumofEelGrass
SumofNativepondweed…
SumofEurasianWatermilfoil
SumofCurlyLeafPondweed
SumofAttachedDebris(Mud,…
SumofCoontail
SumofElodea
SumofZebraMussel
SumofUnknownSpecies
SumofStarryStonewort
SumofBrazilianelodea
SumofQuaggaMussel
SumofVariable-leafMilfoil
SumofNativelily
SumofBrittlenaiad
SumofSpiny/FishhookWater…
SumofWaterChestnut
SumofBladderwort
SumofFrogbit
Most Common Species Found During Retrieving Inspections
FL PRISM - 2019
INTERCEPTIONS
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Most Common Species Found During Launching Inspections
FL PRISM - 2019
Trends: Native species and wide-spread invasives dominate overall; many more
findings during retrieval, rather than launch
Implications: Although common invasives are most common, stewards must
remain vigilant to protect waterbodies outside FLX where species are less
common; people continue to not clean their boats properly;

9. WISPA
 Beneficial capabilities
 Real-time inspection
data
 Better employee
accountability
 Stronger managerial
capacity
 Statewide collaborative
process for program
development

10. OUTREACH
 Benefits
 Reaching new audiences
 Steward and community enrichment
 Some events from 2019
 Nature at the Market – ROC Public Market,
Rochester
 Bassmasters Elite Tournament – Union
Springs
 Lake Association Annual Meetings
 Various other fishing derbies and
tournaments

11. ADDITIONAL AIS PROJECTS
 WSP administers small grant
program for lake associations and
other organizations
 Some projects from 2019
 Lake-resident AIS fact sheet packets
 Clean, Drain, Dry video promotion
 Volunteer uniforms and supplies
 Billboards
 AIS Disposal Station
 Regional AIS signage
PRISM
FINGERLAKES
• Invasive species have invaded many
waterbodies in the Finger Lakes
• Launching contaminated watercrafts
can cause new invasions
• Help protect the Finger Lakes
STOP!
You can help stop
the spread of
invasive species
Northern snakehead Bloody-red shrimp Round goby
Hydrilla Stem and WhorlParrot featherWater Chestnut
CLEAN, DRAIN and DRY
your watercrafts

12. BLOG
 Communication,
documentation
 Topics: education and AIS,
stewardship, community
development, steward bios,
program background and
contact information, more!
 “Keeping Our Stewards
Sharp…”
 Flisteward.com

13. LOOKING FORWARD
 Funding for 2019 program from
PRISM, FLRWA
 Continued funding from various
lake associations, Monroe County
 Continued program development
and improvement
 Strategic expansion within FL
PRISM
 Recruiting and hiring
 Maximize messaging capacity
 Derby and tournament coverage
 Communication/management
tweaks
WSP coverage PRISM 2019
Cazenovia
FLI
FLI, Parks
KLA
LMA
OEI
Parks
SLA
Town of Wayne
C-OFOKLA
"WISPA" = 'No'
"WISPA" = 'Yes'
FingerLakesPRISMCounties
Access Sites With WISP Coverage 2019
Finger Lakes PRISM
Author: Sam Beck-Andersen, Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges
November 1, 2019
Data Sources: NYS GIS Clearinghouse, Google, Finger Lakes Institute

14. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
 Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association
 Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council
 Conesus Lake Association
 Otisco Lake Preservation Association
 Keuka Lake Association
 Cayuga Lake Watershed Network
 Livingston County Planning Board
 Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation
District
 Cayuga County
 Onondaga County
 Finger Lakes Regional Watershed Alliance
 Finger Lakes PRISM
 Cornell Cooperative Extension Livingston County,
Yates County
 New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation
 United States Fish and Wildlife
 Finger Lakes Lake Ontario Watershed Protection
Alliance