OCCA Invasive Species ‘Paddle & Pull’ Event at Goodyear Lake

Otsego County Conservation Association will be observing New York State’s Third Annual Invasive Species Awareness Week with two activities during the week of July 10.  The mission of New York State’s Invasive Species Awareness Week is to promote knowledge and understanding of invasive species and the harm they can cause by engaging citizens in a wide range of activities across the state, and empowering them to take action to stop the invasion.  On Sunday, July 10, OCCA hosts “Paddle and Pull” at Goodyear Lake. Participants will canoe around the upper portion of Goodyear Lake—known as the Stump Lot—in search of water chestnuts and other invasive species, and will hand-pull any water chestnuts found.  Participants will meet at 3 p.m. at the New York State Fishing Access Site on State Route 28 in Portlandville. Participation is free, but pre-registration is required to reserve space in one of OCCA’s canoes. For landlubbers, OCCA is “Digging Knotweed” at Mohican Farm in Springfield on July 13 at 5 p.m. in an attempt to get an infestation under control.

The plant, whose stem resembles bamboo, grows in dense clumps that kill off underlying vegetation and can cause soil erosion.  Participants will meet at OCCA’s office, located at 7207 State Highway 80 at 5 p.m. and will walk across the street to the project site.