A recent editorial “Expansion of Starry Stonewort in Chautauqua Lake Is Worrisome” rightly raises concerns about Starry Stonewort in Chautauqua Lake, but it lacks important context and accuracy.

As stated in the editorial, Dr. Rob Richardson of NC State, presenting at last weekend’s lake symposium, noted its presence in both basins, but Starry Stonewort is currently only thriving in two dense, but relatively small growth areas: at the mouth of Prendergast Creek (north basin) and Ashville Bay (south basin). While it has long existed in the northern basin, it has not spread significantly. Monitoring by the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy (CWC) and others confirms its limited presence, making eradication efforts there unnecessary and impractical. Similarly, reports of fragments in Greenhurst, Elmhurst, and the outlet are expected due to natural water movement, but Starry Stonewort is not actively growing in those areas.

The urgent issue at hand is controlling those two dense populations. These areas are near busy marinas, increasing the risk of boat propellers spreading fragments. Additionally, their locations at creek mouths allow water currents to push plant material farther into the lake.

This year, a pilot program using Diver-Assisted Suction Harvesting (DASH) will be deployed. Since this method is relatively new, careful monitoring is essential to assess its effectiveness. Understanding why Starry Stonewort has exploded in just two areas despite being in the lake for years is also crucial. So far, chemical treatments have been ineffective — most algaecides don’t work on Starry Stonewort, and some even trigger a stress response that accelerates its growth. Due to its dense structure, chemicals often fail to penetrate beyond the outer layer. Breaking up the mats to improve treatment effectiveness risks spreading fragments to new areas. While new chemical control options will undoubtedly emerge in the future, it’s important to avoid using algaecides or herbicides in the two active DASH areas to ensure accurate monitoring of that method’s effectiveness.

While addressing Starry Stonewort is critical, we must also prioritize prevention. The opportunity to eliminate curly leaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil from Chautauqua Lake passed decades ago, but we still have a chance to contain Starry Stonewort–if we act quickly. More importantly, we must ask why so much time and money is spent on reactive management rather than stopping new invasives from entering the lake in the first place.

Our best defense is strengthening underfunded programs like the Chautauqua Lake Association’s boat steward initiative and CWC’s invasive species early detection efforts. Each summer, CWC staff and volunteers remove invasive water chestnut from the lake’s outlet and monitor for new invasive species lake-wide, enabling early intervention. It was this early detection program that first identified the two problem areas for Starry Stonewort. Since then, CWC has led collaborative response efforts and continues to monitor affected sites to provide actionable data for the DASH pilot program.

Public education is one of the simplest and most cost-effective prevention tools. Boaters and anglers must recognize Starry Stonewort (unfortunately, the image accompanying an earlier article showed Eurasian watermilfoil instead), know how to report it, and clean their equipment before entering the lake. More boat inspections, wash stations, and better signage at launches could significantly reduce the risk of new invasives. Hydrilla–an even greater potential threat than Starry Stonewort – is currently only one careless boat launch away from invading Chautauqua Lake.

I appreciate ongoing lake symposiums and increased media coverage on these important topics but do worry that they are not including the right audiences or focusing on the most impactful solutions. We need a shift toward prevention. Without it, we will remain stuck in an endless–and increasingly costly–cycle of reactive management. Let’s make Starry Stonewort the last new threat Chautauqua Lake faces!

Twan Leenders is the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy’s conservation director.