By Phil Spadanuta
Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi and Nassau County Legis. Dave Denenberg (D-Merrick) worked with volunteers from the Nature Conservancy to remove the invasive plant species, the water chestnut, from Mill Pond Park in Wantagh on Tuesday.
An invasive species is any species, whether it is plant or animal, which resides in a location that it normally doesn’t belong in and has detrimental effects on the native species, resulting in overcrowding and competition for resources, such as oxygen and nutrients, needed to survive. While there are many invasive species on Long Island, eradicating the water chestnut is a priority of the county and environmentalists.
Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, Legis. Dave Denenberg (D-Merrick) and Kathy Schwager of The Nature Conservancy at Mill Pond in Wantagh on Tuesday.
“The best time of the year to remove this harmful plant is in late spring or early summer before it sets seed,” said Kathy Schwager, Invasive Species Ecologist for The Nature Conservancy. “The seeds are viable for up to 10 years so control efforts must be conducted for many years, but luckily this plant has only been found in two locations on Long Island.” The water chestnut is invading Oyster Bay too. But through early detection and rapid response, the water chestnut plants invasion can be curtailed before more damage to the environment occurs.
Water chestnut is a floating plant with bright green leaves that forms dense, floating mats on the water’s surface while rooted to the bottom. Leaves visible on the surface of the water are alternate and triangular in shape.
As Suozzi waded into the pond to remove water chestnut plants by hand, Denenberg followed closely behind him while holding a trash bag for Suozzi to put the plants in. The effort to remove plants by hand complements $20 million worth of pond improvement projects that the county has implemented at south shore ponds over the last few years.
“They not only damage the lands and waters that native plants and animals need to survive, they hurt economies and threaten human well-being,” Suozzi said.
In addition to removing the plants, Schwager hopes to get plants that are considered invasive species banned worldwide by the Horticultural Industry so they cannot be sold anymore or spread to other areas.
Special areas of land that are protected from invasive species completely, called invasive species prevention zones, have also been created by members of The Nature Conservancy to help combat the problem. According to Schwager, about 12 zones exist right now covering around 33,000 acres of land.
In addition to ridding Mill Pond Park of water chestnuts, Nassau is involved with at least eight other projects involving the improvement of other bodies of water in the county through dredging and adding vegetation. The parks projects include work at Camman’s Pond in Merrick, Milburn Pond in Freeport, Tanglewood Park and Preserve in Lakeview, Lofts Pond and Silver Lake in Baldwin, Roosevelt Pond and Massapequa Preserve.
“The natural beauty of Nassau County and its waterways are being threatened by invasive non-native plant species, and Nassau County’s ponds and bays need our help to keep them pristine, and this is one way of ensuring that the natural beauty of our communities will exist for generations to come,” said Denenberg.
For more information about The Nature Conservancy go to www.nature.org/longisland
