Developing models to predict recreational boater activity, aquatic invasive species distributions, and landscape level connectivity to inform aquatic invasive species management across New York State

Adirondack Watershed Institute

Michale Glennon, Dan Kelting

The Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) has worked to protect water quality in the Adirondacks and northern New York state since 1989. Its flagship Stewardship Program is the primary vehicle for aquatic invasive species spread prevention, achieved through direct engagement with recreational boaters. Since 2017, more than 100 watershed stewards at boat launches throughout the region inspect incoming and outgoing vessels and collect vital data from the recreational boating community. The long history of AWI and the Stewardship Program, together with the regional partnerships that have developed coordinated survey methodologies across this large geography, have resulted in a wealth of data that can inform the prevention, introduction, spread, management, and ecology of invasive species in our region and elsewhere. We used these data to broaden our understanding of the current distribution of AIS in the Adirondack ecosystem, the role of recreational boating activity in their dispersal across the landscape, the connections among waterways that result in a range of invasion risk among Adirondack waters, and the means by which our understanding can provide tools and recommendations for efficient deployment of limited financial resources for AIS prevention and management in other areas of the State.

Our project goal was to help managers to allocate AIS spread prevention resources efficiently by quantifying the axes of invasion risk and potential pathways of distribution in the Adirondacks and Northern New York and by developing a generalizable model that can be applied to prioritize management actions throughout New York State and other regions. Our objectives were to: (1) model the spatial pattern and intensity of recreational boating activity in the Adirondack landscape, (2) model the abundance and distribution of aquatic invasive species in Adirondack waters, (3) identify and predict connections and most likely pathways of spread between established AIS populations and additional waterways, and (4) disseminate findings, demonstrate uses and applicability, and encourage their adoption to inform landscape level AIS management across New York State.