Our region hosts hundreds of waterbodies: from large lakes, to backyard streams, to rivers, coastal plain ponds, and everything in between. These waterbodies are important to us for recreation, ecology, and even their beauty. At the same time, all can be vulnerable to aquatic invasive species– dozens of them– and LIISMA is working to get ahead of the curve.
LIISMA’s work has the greatest effect when we can stop invasive species before they cause harmful impacts. There are two ways of doing this: preventing an invasive species from entering a waterbody (thanks Boat Stewards!), or if that’s not possible, responding quickly when an invasive species is found. We want to make sure that we can find those new populations of invasive species, especially in highly valuable waterbodies. How do we figure out where to go? We made a model.
With the Long Island Metro Aquatic Invasive Species (LIMAIS) Task Force we’ve been working for years on prioritizing waterbodies for invasive species surveying and management. This year, we took it a step further– putting the prioritization into a GIS model and then WebMap, so that we can visualize which waterbodies we should put at the top of our list for surveying.
The model works like this: waterbodies are given points according to different features, like how close they are to conservation areas (like our Invasive Species Prevention Zones), if they have rare species or communities, and most importantly, if any emerging invasive species have been reported there in iMapInvasives. When we add up the points at the end, the waterbodies with the highest points become the highest priorities. We then take that list and survey these waterbodies– scanning the shorelines and plants above water, and using a double sided rake to sample plants below the water. A lot of times, we don’t find invasive species– and that’s great news! Sometimes we do, and then we work with partners to manage them as quickly as possible.
With strategic tools like this, we can protect the valuable aquatic resources that remain in our area. And we could use your help!
Take Action
- Prevent the spread: always be sure to clean, drain, and dry your watercraft before and after use.
- Help us with early detection: If you think you see an aquatic invasive species, be sure to report it on iMapInvasives or iNaturalist.
- Join the party: If you or your organization wants to learn how to survey for aquatic invasive species in your area, email abby@liisma.org.
- View the map: https://linpi.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=398dddcae97e4627b9259f4396ef5c5b
