Jenna Pasternak was on duty Tuesday morning, June 20, as the Mirror Lake watershed steward. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

LAKE PLACID — The watershed stewards for Mirror Lake recently began their summer program, teaching the public about invasive species and inspecting watercraft for any potential organisms that may spread into the lake.

Meanwhile, Mirror Lake Watershed Association officials are reporting that their fundraising efforts to pay for a daily steward at the lake this summer have been successful. A local resident who heard about the money shortfall contacted the association to make up the difference, according to MLWA co-chair Bill Billerman.

“It feels good that an individual stepped up and said, ‘If this is what you need, I can get it to you,'” Billerman said on Wednesday, June 21. “Also, it’s great that the village and town recognize the importance of what we’re trying to do in protecting the lake.”

It will cost about $26,000 this year to pay for the Mirror Lake watershed steward program, which is administered through the Adirondack Watershed Institute at Paul Smith’s College.

Money pledged is coming from the town of North Elba ($6,000), village of Lake Placid ($5,000) and the Henry Uihlein II and Mildred A. Uihlein Foundation ($5,000). The MLWA has also submitted a request to the Ironman Foundation for $2,500, and Lake Placid resident Kevin Fountain is donating $7,500, according to Billerman.

The Mirror Lake watershed steward sign is seen on Tuesday, June 20. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

On May 8, MLWA board members decided to sign a contract with the AWI for the watershed steward this summer. The Mirror Lake program began in 2021, two days a week. In 2022, the program was expanded to four days a week, and this year it will be every day from mid-June to late August.

A steward is posted at the boat launch near the tennis courts from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Look for the sandwich sign that states: “FREE BOAT INSPECTION; STEWARD ON DUTY.”

Watershed stewards inspect boats — mostly canoes and kayaks since gas-powered motorboats are not allowed — and educate their users about the “Clean, Drain, Dry” philosophy and invasive species, such as Eurasian watermilfoil, variable-leaf watermilfoil, zebra mussels, hydrilla and spiny waterflea.

Two invasive plants — purple loosestrife and the yellow iris — are already impacting Mirror Lake. With an “active infestation” of purple loosestrife around the entire lake, MLWA volunteers pull those plants before they go to seed. Last summer, 258 purple loosestrife plants were removed.

In 2022, the steward counted almost 1,200 boats entering the lake, of which 53 had organisms on them, none of which were invasive species.

A paddler explores Mirror Lake on the morning of Wednesday, June 21, 2023. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

Last summer, officials at the AWI reminded the public about a new state law that affects anyone using a motorboat inside the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park, and within 10 miles of its boundary. Boaters must carry a certificate showing their watercraft has been cleaned, drained and dried for every trip.

Certificates are not needed for canoes or kayaks. However, paddlers are also required to clean, drain and dry their vessels and equipment.

For more information about the Mirror Lake Watershed Association, visit mirrorlake.net.

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Watershed steward

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On Tuesday, June 20, Jenna Pasternak was the watershed steward on duty at Mirror Lake. She’s a senior at Paul Smith’s College, studying environmental science. She works four days a week as a steward — two days at Mirror Lake and two days at Follensby Clear Pond near Fish Creek. She mainly deals with paddlers in canoes and kayaks, and that’s a much different situation than dealing with motorboats.

“The big thing is that with motorboats, their engines may carry water in them, so it’s really important to check those engines and make sure that they don’t have water coming out of them actively,” Pasternak said. “Because if they do, that means that they could be carrying something in that water from a different lake when they come to launch.”

Most of the motorboats also have drain plugs that stewards check to make sure there isn’t water coming out.

“With kayaks and canoes, it’s a lot easier to look at it and see if there is standing water or not or vegetation,” she said. “You have to be a little more critical when you’re looking at motorboats.”

By and large, people seem to be responsive to the watershed steward program’s message.

“Most of the people I have met so far have been really open and welcoming,” Pasternak said. “A lot of them are already aware of the program, which is great because that means it’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to be doing.”

It’s important for paddlers to know where they are coming from, what that lake might already have, as far as invasive species.

“For Follensby Clear, for example, that has Eurasian watermilfoil,” Pasternak said. “So I always tell boaters when they’re launching, if you see plants stuck to your boat, it’s important to check to make sure what it is. And it it’s Eurasian watermilfoil, we know it’s in the lake already, but make sure that you’re not bringing it to another lake when you are leaving.”

Even though Pasternak is mostly dealing with canoes and kayaks, she’s seen village employees launch a larger piece of watercraft in Mirror Lake.

“The electric company for Lake Placid has come in a few times, and they have a barge, so that’s a whole different vessel altogether,” she said. “They’re super cooperative. They know what I’m doing. Everybody’s really great about that.”

This is Pasternak’s first year working as a watershed steward, and she’s received some sage advice from seasoned veterans at the AWI.

“It doesn’t hurt to give a thorough check of the boat twice, really make sure that there is nothing on there,” she said.

Another key message from her training is to be as cooperative as possible and understand that watershed stewards are not law enforcement.

“The inspections and the decon, all of that is free to the public, so whether or not they want to do that is really up to them,” Pasternak said. “We try to persuade the, but at the end of the day, if they’re just not listening to the message, it’s out of our hands. … I think a lot of people really do take the message and want to clean their boats.”

The AWI also has watershed stewards on duty from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily this summer at the Lake Placid lake state boat launch off George & Bliss Lane, near the village’s water treatment facility.

For more information about the AWI’s free boat wash stations in the Adirondack Park, visit adkcleanboats.com.