[Watersheds] Freshwater invasive species in RI

[Panciera, Ernie (DEM)]

New RI DEM freshwater invasive species documents now on DEM website, including 15 species-specific distribution maps and the annual state-wide distribution map.
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EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES - YOU COULD BE SPREADING THEM!
Whether you are working OR playing in a lake or river, please be aware how easy it is to unintentionally spread an invasive plant,
snail or freshwater clam from one lake to another or introduce species to rivers (if you are not careful). RIDEM has documented
the widespread presence of aquatic invasive species in 98 lakes and 24 rivers around RI (as of the end of 2017), and we have
summarized this information and posted updated fact sheets, new documents and updates to our website:
http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/water/quality/surface-water/aquatic-invasive-species.php See links below for more specific
documents that are now available online to download today! Most notably, RIDEM releases the newly updated
species-specific statewide distribution maps for 15 invasive species (large pdf document):
http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/benviron/water/quality/surfwq/pdfs/aisridist.pdf

WHAT ARE AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES, AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are non-native plants and animals that have been introduced (accidentally or intentionally)
into lakes and rivers. They generally do not have local predators, or have different reproductive strategies than native species,
giving them advantages when competing with native plants and animals. Their rapid and successful growth causes loss of beneficial
native species, decreases biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems, changes fish and wildlife habitat, disrupts food webs,
degrades water quality, and impedes recreation such as boating, swimming and fishing. These nuisance conditions may
reduce waterfront property values, impact local tourism and affect businesses in the community. Once established, trying
to control and manage an invasive species population is a long-term project that annually costs substantial amounts of money.
Therefore, the most cost-effective and useful strategy against AIS is to prevent their introductions to lakes and rivers.
Please use the links and info below to learn how YOU can prevent the spread of invasives to lakes in rivers in our state.

ARE INVASIVES IN YOUR LAKE OR RIVER?
RIDEM has documented invasive species in 98 ponds and 24 rivers in Rhode Island. Knowing where they are, and if they are
in your lake can help reduce your risk of unintentionally spreading these invasives to other lakes. To encourage people to
be more aware of the invasive species that are currently in a specific lake or river they may frequent, please check the
statewide map and list of lakes, ponds and rivers that currently have one or more invasives species:
http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/benviron/water/wetlands/pdfs/invasive.pdf
This pdf is updated every year to reflect changes in the map, new ponds, rivers, plants or animals. If you are heading to one
of these ponds or rivers, be sure to take precautions so that the invasives are not spread to more locations.

WHAT INVASIVE SPECIES ARE IN RI, and WHERE?
If you are interested in the different species and where they are in the state, we have also updated 15 species-specific
distribution maps and made links available in a table for both factsheets (left column) or for the distribution map and list
of locations (right column) for: plants: http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/water/quality/surface-water/aisplant.php
snails or freshwater clams: http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/water/quality/surface-water/ais-animals.php
If you wish to look at ALL of the species-specific distribution maps, we have compiled them into one large pdf document
(be patient when downloading, this file is very large due to the number of maps and pictures it contains, but it may be easier
than downloading 15 separate maps): http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/benviron/water/quality/surfwq/pdfs/aisridist.pdf

We have also compiled all the factsheets we have available in one pdf document for ease of downloading:
http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/benviron/water/quality/surfwq/pdfs/allaisfs.pdf

WHAT CAN I DO WHEN HEADING TO A LAKE OR RIVER?
As always, when heading out into our local freshwaters, please make sure to:


  *   CHECK waders, watercraft, trailer & gear, before and after each use
  *   CLEAN all weeds and plant fragments from boats, boots, toys & gear
  *   DRAIN boat, motor, bait buckets, and live wells far from water
  *   DRY boats & waders out of the water at least 24 hours before next put-in
  *   DISPOSE of bait, shellfish, pet fish and plants in the trash; do not release them into a lake or river

For more information on what you can do to prevent the spread of aquatic invasives, see http://stopaquatichitchhikers.org/prevention/

I hope you find this information helpful, please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Katie DeGoosh-DiMarzio
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