The fifth year of our long island aquatic invasive species (AIS) program is intended to control and contain aquatic invasive species in nassau and suffolk counties

This Project Grant award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Fish and Aquatic Conservation - Aquatic Invasive Species (CFDA 15.608) program provides $125,247 to continue the Long Island Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Program for the fifth year. The award supports the work of an AIS Coordinator and multi-purpose AIS team to control and contain aquatic invasive species in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, New York. Key activities include watercraft inspection, aquatic plant surveys and removal, monitoring, public education, and collaboration with local stakeholders. Expected outcomes include increased public awareness, expanded native plant and animal populations, and improved recreational access in impacted water bodies. The Research Foundation for the State University of New York, acting on behalf of Stony Brook University, is the prime awardee for this grant.

In the past four years we have made considerable progress in managing and preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species but continued efforts are needed. We will continue to build upon this work with our aquatic invasive species coordinator and multi purpose AIS team who will act as watercraft inspection stewards on weekends from memorial day to labor day weekend and assist with regional aquatic invasive species surveys control efforts and research. The AIS coordinator will ensure consistency of the watershed steward program with new york state watercraft inspection steward programs across the state and with data collection and techniques used for surveying monitoring and delineating aquatic invasive plant infestations. The AIS coordinator will continue to provide education and outreach at local events and participate in fishing clinics for women and spanish speakers. The AIS coordinator and the AIS team will provide support for the peconic river aquatic plant control project by conducting macroinvertebrate surveys pre and post treatment and monitoring dissolved oxygen in several ludwigia infestations pre during and post treatment. In addition the AIS coordinator will generate aerial images via drone of aquatic plant infestations pre and post treatment to improve our ability to document treatment efficacy and measure changes in infestation area. The AIS coordinator will also attend local and regional meetings and work with liisma and other stakeholders to identify describe and promote voluntary approaches to address prevention of AIS spread to and within new york state and continue to recruit and train volunteers to work alongside the AIS team to delineate aquatic plant populations and to conduct aquatic plant removal efforts at select locations. The AIS team will continue to assist with filling in knowledge gaps about species distribution and coverage conduct needed hand removal efforts at select locations and engage water recreationists anglers and pedestrian visitors to launches and parks about AIS spread prevention measures. In addition the AIS team is needed to assist with boat launch assessment for AIS disposal station and signage needs. Their work will support the efforts of the long island metro AIS task force which is led by the new york state department of environmental conservation (nysdec) invasive species coordination section. Under the direction of the AIS coordinator the AIS team will continue to assist with documenting tracking and in some cases removing aquatic plant infestations that impact recreation and native species in lakes and rivers in nassau and suffolk counties on long island. Aquatic plant surveys will be conducted at all locations to monitor efficacy of the removal efforts. Expected outcomes include increased public awareness about aquatic invasive species increased coverage by native plants along with increases in native animals at locations where removal efforts have occurred and increased access for water recreation. Intended beneficiaries are the public who use and appreciate aquatic environments in new york. There are no subrecipient activities.