Adopt-A-Natural-Resource Stewardship Program
Osgood Pond Association
Stewardship Plan
The Osgood Pond Association will conduct the Volunteer Lake Steward activities at the Osgood Pond Fishing and Waterway Access Site. The purpose of this program is to prevent aquatic invasive species from contaminating Osgood Pond.
1. Pond Association members will be present at the Site as many hours as possible between June 1 and Labor Day. Priority times will be Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Since participation is voluntary, and is dependent on when members are in camp, it is impossible to commit a specific number of participants or hours that will be covered.
2. One member of the Association will act as scheduler. This member will keep track of which days and times are covered, so that volunteer time isn’t wasted by overstaffing.
3. Before being accepted as Stewards, volunteers will receive training at the Watershed Stewardship Program, Paul Smith’s College. This training is summarized in the Volunteer Lake Steward Handbook, developed by the Watershed Stewardship Program and the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program.
4. Ideally, Stewards will work in pairs.
5. While at the Site, Stewards will have three main goals: (i) to inspect incoming boats and trailers and remove any invasive species being carried to Osgood Pond; (ii) to gather data on the boats and boaters using Osgood Pond, including the lakes most recently visited; and (iii) to educate boaters on aquatic invasive species.
6. Stewards will carry out their activities by friendly, non-confrontational conversations with boaters. It is understood that Stewards have no enforcement authority.
7. A
brochure produced by the Watershed Stewardship Program titled “Clean Boats mean