Invasive species prevention: An Adirondack paddler’s guide to clean, drain, and dry protocols 

A Pennsylvanian’s education on how paddlers can do their part to keep Adirondack lakes like Lake George as clean as possible

By Brenne Sheehan

In my 12+ years of paddling whitewater in Central Pennsylvania, I have never, really, deep cleaned my kayak after trips. That is, of course, with the exception of the occasional mucky disaster, where I’d risk the chance of random larvae spawning on the inside of my kayak in the middle of the Susquehanna.
When I received the details of the Lake George Association’s Invasive Species paddle on Friday, I was surprised by a request to sweep, rinse and clean my boat before entering the waters of the Northwest Bay Brook. But it didn’t take long for the logic to click. 

A trained master watershed steward through Penn State in my hometown, I knew that invasive species could travel to water by way of lumber ship, home landscaping project and even wildlife traveling between ecosystems. While Pennsylvania does require gear cleaning to prevent the spread of invasives, it isn’t nearly as extensive and visible as New York State’s commitment to enforcing regulations at its boat launches. 

According to Warren County Soil & Water specialists Jake Dunkley and Nick Rowell, the most common invasives on Lake George are European milfoil, vegetation that is most often spread aquatically. In order to alleviate this issue, New York State requires all paddlers to clean, drain and dry their non-motorized vessels before heading on the water. 

Ahead of my paddle with my new friends at the LGA, I checked out the Department of Environmental Conservation’s website, following the required steps to make sure my boat was up to state standards. 

The first thing I had to do was simple—check. By running my hand along the outside, fishing into the cockpit and shaking the rubber storage caps of my kayak to get rid of any vegetation I could see. Most of what I pulled were dead “helicopter seeds”  and dried pockets of mud from the Pennsylvanian Swatara Creek, but according to the DEC—many invasive species, and their seeds, can travel microscopically. 

At many state boat launches, you’ll find an invasive species disposal station to rid of your boat’s acquired vegetation. 

Next step: Clean. AKA—hose the heck out of my boat. The DEC suggests that you wash your boat with water 140 degrees or hotter in order to kill certain invasives like zebra mussels who are stubborn to normal rinsing. Considering my boat hadn’t touched water since March — I felt okay just using a hose to rinse the exterior. All over the park, there are free decontamination stations where park officials can help you clean your boat. 

After creating my own lake outside of my Saranac Lake condo, it was time to drain. For my Riot Enduro, this meant draining out all three awkwardly-weighted compartments onto the ground. It is important, the DEC notes, to not drain your boat into a body of water. 

Before you travel between bodies of water, the DEC recommends drying your boat for 5-7 days, baking in the hot sun for the most effective disinfection. Given that — being the procrastinator that I am — I washed my boat the day before my big paddle, I figured an overnight dry was okay. 

Granted, all of these steps apply to equipment as well. Per the DEC’s suggestion, I soaked my watershoes, paddles and drybag in hot water to disinfect. 

While the process seemed a little tedious, it all became real once I set out on the Northwest Bay Brook. A native of Lancaster County, I’m used to the brown, murky and dire quality of the Conestoga River — constantly in peril by agricultural pollutants, algal blooms and other urban waterway characteristics. 

Needless to say, I was astonished by the Northwest Bay Brook’s neighborhoods of beaver dams and food caches, lush vegetation and clear waters. 

While much of the paddle was dedicated to identifying invasive plant life, most of it consisted of Warren County Soil & Water specialists Jake Dunkley and Nick Rowell identifying powerhouse native vegetation that keep the Lake George ecosystem steady. 

Raking the brook, they were able to scrounge up all kinds of local native gems. I was amazed  to learn about the carnivorous plant utricularia, which traps small organisms like mosquito larvae in its small pod-shaped gills. 

It was also particularly fascinating to discover that there are several species of plant that, depending on their subspecies, could either be an essential native or a noxious weed — particularly milfoils and pondweeds.

As we left the brook, I took the time to wipe the plant debris from the bottom of my boat, depositing it into the disposal station. It’s a routine I’m now committed to following after all my Adirondack paddling adventures —because doing my part is essential to protecting these ecosystems and keeping the park safe for everyone.