Unless we act now to combat invasive species in Lake George, this "environmental menace" will, as stated in the editorial "Lake George needs help, now," Dec. 5, exact an exceedingly high price on both the ecology and economy of the lake for generations to come.
The science is clear and the experience of other places couldn't be more compelling. In the case of Lake Tahoe, considered a "sister" of Lake George, failure to act fast to stop the spread of Asian clams, a species now being confronted in Lake George, resulted in major clam infestations that have degraded water quality and impacted local businesses.
Understanding the gravity of the threat, the Lake George Park Commission, the state body charged with protecting the lake, has developed a comprehensive prevention plan that learns from Lake Tahoe and others. In making the case for mandatory inspection and decontamination of boats entering Lake George, a major source for introducing invasives, the commission cites the enormous economic stakes of inaction: More than $350 million in lost lakeshore property values and annual losses of tourism revenues as high as $50 million.
Compared with these staggering figures, the price of prevention is a bargain. Start-up of the commission's prevention plan is roughly a million dollars. Local governments, businesses and conservation interests have already come together appealing to Gov. Andrew Cuomo for leadership on this urgent matter. It is now time for all those who care about the Queen of American Lakes to add their voices to the call for state action so the message is heard before it's too late. ERIC SIY
Executive director
The FUND for Lake George
Lake George