Schumer announces hydrilla funds

    FINGER LAKES—U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer convened a meeting in Watkins Glen, Tuesday, July 2, with federal environmental officials, Finger Lakes community leaders, and local business owners in order to craft a multi-year strategy to combat the invasive species hydrilla.
    Hydrilla is a fast-growing aquatic plant that can choke off waterways and make boating, fishing, and other forms of recreation nearly impossible, and can grow an estimated six to eight inches per day. Specifically, Schumer brought representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to assist in efforts already underway by Tompkins County in containment and eradication of hydrilla in the Cayuga Inlet. The plant appeared in Cayuga in August of 2011.
    Elected officials, district managers from Soil and Water Conservation Districts, environmental engineers, economic development, and planning specialists from Schuyler, Tompkins, Yates, Seneca, and Ontario Counties also attended the meeting.
The strategy would establish a larger prevention plan for the Finger Lakes. Schumer highlighted that the local, state, and federal government must establish a joint, long-term plan to combat this invasive species, which could have dire economic repercussions for an entire region if not contained.
    “Federal and local leaders must do everything in their power to keep hydrilla from taking root in Schuyler County and the surrounding Finger Lakes region,” said Schumer. “If we don’t take action now and hydrilla lands in Cayuga Lake or surrounding areas, it will spread at breakneck speed and leave millions of dollars in economic damage to New York in its wake.”
At the meeting Schumer requested the following:
    • First, that federal officials from the EPA, Army Corps, and Fish and Wildlife Service be briefed on the scope and magnitude of the problem by local specialists.
    • Second, that the federal officials in attendance provide a detailed briefing to their respective regional and national directors, as well as their representatives on the Great Lakes Task Force, on the specific aspects of this problem.  A designated point person from each agency should be assigned to work with the local officials represented at the meeting to implement a strategy moving forward.
    • Third, that the federal agencies then put together a list of federal action options for these local communities that could include help organizing new grant applications, technical planning help, or other federal funding opportunities within the discretion of the agencies overseeing the Great Lakes initiative.
    Schumer also announced that $380,000 in a federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funds will be used by the Tompkins County Soil and Water Conservation District (TCSWD) to fight hydrilla. The funding was approved in early June. The agencies will now develop a plan to use the funds. Schumer said he wants a portion of this aid to go towards prevention in Seneca Lake.