OSWEGATCHIE RIVER, New York (WWNY) – You’re invited to take a trip to the Oswegatchie River to potentially save it.
On Saturday, June 25, the St. Lawrence Eastern Lake Ontario Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management will host a cleanup event.
The target is invasive water chestnuts. Their seeds pose a threat to swimmers, being small enough to miss but sharp enough to puncture shoes and skin.
If left unchecked, the pesky plants can cover an entire body of water, destroying its native ecosystem in the process.
“The infestation is really large. What we’re trying to do is suppress it. It’s going to be an annual effort. It’s not going to be an ‘alright we’ll go down there one time, pull out a water chestnut and we’re done.’ It’s going to have to be something that’s done annually,” said event organizer Megan Pistolese.
If you’d like to participate in the cleanup effort, you’ll need to bring some sort of watercraft ranging from a kayak to a small motorboat.
For more information about volunteering or offering services and equipment, click here.
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