Seeking volunteer Water Scouts

May 26, 2022| Environment, People

By: Donna Macalle-Holly

The Lake Hopatcong Water Scouts program is designed to find and eradicate invasive water chestnut on Lake Hopatcong. Water chestnut plants, and similar invasive species, can be transported to Lake Hopatcong via boats, trailers, waterfowl, and other means. Unchecked, they have been known to take over and impoverish entire lake ecosystems.

In 2021, Lake Hopatcong Water Scouts located and hand-pulled 32 water chestnut plants, containing 41 rosettes, in the Woodport section of the lake, near Liffy Island. The number of plants removed was considerably less than in 2020 when 58 plants, containing 154 rosettes, were hand-pulled near Liffy Island and the Jefferson Canals.

To protect our lake and keep the number of water chestnut plants from increasing, we are seeking more volunteer Water Scouts! Water Scouts select areas of shoreline to monitor from their own kayak or canoe a few times throughout June and July. If water chestnut is found, the scout removes it and reports their findings. Training is available. 

Interested in becoming a Water Scout? Click HERE for more information and resources.  

In celebration of our 10^th anniversary year, we’re sharing a throwback video from 2015 which shows how big water chestnut plants can grow and how, without this important volunteer effort, water chestnut could easily take over entire sections of our beautiful lake.