The refuge is leading an attempt to avoid these impacts and costs by preventing the establishment and spread of this plant in the watershed, where it is a relative newcomer. In partnership with the City of Holyoke and Holyoke Gas and Electric, the refuge continued mechanical harvesting of the largest source population at Log Pond Cove in Holyoke. After 7 years of successful treatments, the seedbed in this cove is finally becoming exhausted, and the operation takes one-third as long as it did in previous years.

In addition, the refuge coordinated hand-pulling of the weed by volunteers at all the small infestations that have been discovered over the years. This year, 185 volunteers contributed 1,004 hours to pull 36.8 tons of the plants at 39 sites in three states. Although this was an overall increase in weight, many of the sites that have been pulled for three or four years are under control, with very small amounts being pulled out. For all sites that have been cleared before, the overall weight dropped from 21.3 tons last year to 7.7 tons this year. Control has resulted in the re-appearance of a state endangered aquatic plant (tiny cow lily) at three sites.

Unfortunately, two new sites were discovered and pulled this year, contributing 29.1 tons to the total! The results of the 80 or more searches by volunteers are not in yet, but three other new sites have been reported. Fortunately, the citizens reporting them had already pulled out the plants they discovered!

Deputy Project Leader Beth Goettel gave presentations regarding this project at the 2005 Universities Council on Water Resources/National Institutes for Water Resources Annual Conference in July and at the New England Invasive Plant Summit in September.