Paddle with Purpose: Become a Water Scout

June 10, 2025| Community, Environment, People

By: Donna Macalle-Holly

Do you love kayaking? Want to make a real difference for Lake Hopatcong? Join the volunteer Water Scouts to help protect our lake from the invasive water chestnut.

Water chestnut is an aggressive plant that can quickly spread and choke out native plants and wildlife. It can hitch rides on boats, trailers, or even wildlife. Finding and removing it early is one of the best ways to stop it from taking over.

Water Scouts paddle in any of the 22 designated scouting areas (see map) to search for water chestnut, and if found, pull it out and report any findings.  In 2024, Water Scouts pulled 23 plants with 34 rosettes in the Woodport area near Liffy Island down from 78 plants the year before. Our efforts are working! 

It is best to find and remove water chestnut plants early in their season before the hard seeds form and drop in the lakebed to fuel future growth, but Water Scouts continue to search for water chestnut through the end of the season. In 2023, a water chestnut plant measuring 12 inches in diameter, found and removed late in the season, still had 15 of its 18 seeds still attached (see video below).

Whether you’re new to kayaking or a seasoned paddler, your time volunteering on the water can help protect Lake Hopatcong from this aggressive invasive plant. Sign up as a volunteer HERE. Training resources are provided to volunteers.

BECOME A WATER SCOUT