Our final Paddle With  A Purpose for the season was on August 2. Volunteers and field workers removed 2000 pounds of invasive water chestnut plants. That makes our total for the year come to 18,500 pounds. (We removed 24,000 pounds last year. So, we’ve made progress in reducing this infestation.)

Many volunteers came out for multiple paddles. We thank all of them, along with our dedicated and hard-working field workers, for their service to save a precious and gorgeous wildlife habitat, the Floating Meadows!

Our program to remove these invasive plants from the Floating Meadows is funded by a 2-year (2024-2025) Aquatic Invasive Species grant from CT DEEP’s Fisheries Division. We plan to apply for another AIS grant so our program can continue next season.