PLATTSBURGH "" Stewards stationed at three local boat launches on Lake Champlain this summer are helping boaters recognize the growing problems the lake faces from invasive species.

The stewards alternate between the Peru, Wilcox Dock and Point au Roche boat launches in an effort to reach as many boaters as possible about the dangers of inadvertently transporting such nuisances as zebra mussels, water chestnuts and Eurasian milfoil.

"We want to spread awareness of invasive-species spread prevention," said Meg Modley, aquatic nuisance species coordinator for the Lake Champlain Basin Program, who oversees the two seasonal stewards in New York, as well as those covering boat launches in Vermont.

"We're talking to anglers and recreational users about limiting the transfer of aquatic plants and animals to and from the Lake Champlain basin."

LESSENING THE IMPACT

The project does not involve any kind of enforcement but is simply being used as an educational opportunity.

"The human species leaves such a large impact on the environment," said Tyler Frakes, who spends most of his time as a steward at the Peru boat launch. "People don't always realize the impact they have."

Invasive species "" including non-natives such as water chestnuts and zebra mussels and native species like the sea lamprey "" have been causing problems in Lake Champlain for decades, but their assault on the lake's natural ecosystem has intensified of late.

"There are 48 known invasive species in Lake Champlain, but there are many more just on the horizon," Modley said. "The key is to keep them from jumping boundaries and keeping that number from growing."

DISRUPTION

Invasive species cause problems by disrupting the normal habitat of native varieties, quite often out-competing them for food and living space and forcing them out of the region.

The zebra mussel is a prime example, for it has decimated populations of fresh-water mollusks in the lake.

Zebra mussels first started appearing in North America about two decades ago, when they were transported to the Great Lakes in the bilge water of tankers from Europe. Their spread has been constant and overwhelming since then, causing tremendous economic and ecologic damage wherever they have turned up.

Yet, a potentially more dangerous invader, the quagga mussel, has also made it to North America from its native Ukraine and could someday reach the Lake Champlain basin.

"What we need is a coordinated effort from many agencies in both states (New York and Vermont) and Quebec," Modley said. "It's a basin-wide effort, and we need the support of a lot of people" to minimize the spread of invasives.