Help Your Neighbors AND Have Some Lakeside Fun On August 20!

Hey Great Swamp Enthusiasts!

Our friends and neighbors at the Musconetcong Watershed Association (MWA) need our help on Saturday, August 20.

100 volunteers are needed to help MWA and others hand-pull non-native, invasive water chestnut (Trapa natans) plants from Lake Musconetcong.

Lake Musconetcong is home to the largest infestation of Water Chestnuts in the state of New Jersey.  These highly invasive, nonnative aquatic plants were introduced into U.S. waters in the late 1800s. Since then they've been crowding out native water plants and choking the life out of waterways throughout the northeastern U.S.  Check out this map of the water chestnut invasion created by the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.

Here are a few more facts about invasive water chestnuts and Lake Musconetcong:

• 1/3 of 2,600-acre Lake Musconetcong provides suitable habitat for growing water chestnut plants.
• Each new water chestnut plant can divide itself into 10-15 floating rosettes every summer (Water Chestnut: A Guide to Identify And Report).
• One water chestnet rosette can produce 15 nuts every season (Water Chestnut: A Guide to Identify And Report).
• Each nut can remain viable for 12 years (Water Chestnut: A Guide to Identify And Report).
• One acre of water chestnut produces enough seed each year to cover 100 acres the following year (Water Chestnut: A Guide to Identify And Report).
• Boats and birds could easily spread the infestation upstream into Lake Hopatcong, NJ's largest lake.

Here are some event details:

What: Water Chsestnut Removal at Lake Musconetcong

When: Saturday, August 20, 2011; Starting at 9AM

Where: Parking lot next to Arbolino Park (Center Street in Netcong)

• Row boats, canoes and possibly kayaks will be provided to those who want them.
• Volunteers are needed for pulling out plants, running event registration, cooking, parking and post-event clean-up. (There's lots to do!)
• Download the event flyer here.

More information is available at by contacting Chris Trainor and MWA at 908-537-7060, or by emailing Chris at americorps@northjerseyrdc.org.

MusconetcongWaterChestnutPullFlyer.pdf Download this file