Conservancy hired

to work on weeds

WEST HAVEN — The Vermont chapter of the Nature Conservancy has received a $20,000 contract from the state Department of Environmental Conservation to improve its work on removing an invasive weed from Lake Champlain.

The weed, known as water chestnut, is native to Europe, Asia and Africa and grows quickly. Left unchecked it can form dense mats that create problems for boaters and swimmers.

The seeds have four sharp spines and their decomposition can reduce oxygen availability in the water.

The Nature Conservancy has been working since 1988 to manage the water chestnut plant and has managed to eliminate its impact on most places in the lake where it was formerly abundant.

“We have prevented this invasive plant from overrunning a large number of valuable habitat in the south Lake Champlain area and made significant improvements to critical habitat for fish, plants, and other wildlife in the southern portion of the lake,” said Paul Marangelo, conservation ecologist for the Nature Conservancy.