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Post-treatment surveys show major milfoil dieback in Blairs and Sheep Meadow Bays
Summary
Presenters told the Lake George Park Commission that 30- and 60-day post-treatment surveys of Blairs and Sheep Meadow Bays found extensive Eurasian watermilfoil mortality in treated zones and early recovery of native plants in edges; some fragments and residual patches remained near the treatment boundary.
The Lake George Park Commission heard a detailed post-treatment summary on Sept. 24 showing substantial dieback of Eurasian watermilfoil in treated areas of Blairs and Sheep Meadow Bays following a ProcellaCor application. Nick Rowell, natural resource specialist with the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District, said divers and videography documented large dead patches in the treatment center and a shift toward native plants at bay edges. "Because the milfoil was so dense in here, it covered, you know, 99% towards the center," Rowell said as he reviewed pre-treatment and 30-day post-treatment footage.
Presenters showed 30- and 60-day imagery and dive-survey results demonstrating mostly dead milfoil stocks in the treatment center and small rooted or fragmentary plants at the margins. They reported that, within the treatment area at Sheep Meadow, staff "found no surviving leaf plants," while in Blairs Bay most of the center showed near-total mortality and only scattered fragments remained at the southern edge. Commissioners asked about depth, fragment origin and monitoring plans; presenters said follow-up sampling and plant-bag collections would help distinguish surviving plants from fragments that drifted into bays. The commission did not make a formal management decision at the meeting; staff said full reports and mapped data would be distributed to commissioners when finalized.
