Letter to the Hon. Scott Pruitt, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency - In Support of the Application Submitted by the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges for Funding Through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Invasive Species Control Grants Program

Letter

I am pleased to write in support of the application submitted by the Finger Lakes Institute (FLI) at Hobart and William Smith Colleges for funding through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Invasive Species Control grants program. Such funding will enable FLI to help protect and enhance the ecosystem integrity of the GL Basin through control of a high risk infestation from Cayuga Lake.

Through a mixture of eradication, education, and outreach, the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges goal is to prevent the further spread of Hydrilla in Cayuga Lake, the other Finger Lakes, and the Great Lakes. Hydrilla is the world's most successful aquatic invasive plant, rapidly spreading and causing severe impacts to water quality, native plant and fish communities, recreation, irrigation, and water treatment facilities.

With funding, FLI will target thirty acres of Hydrilla for control offshore from Aurora, NY and strategically targeted areas at high risk for invasion will use mobile teams to survey for new Hydrilla populations. High risk locations will include areas along Lake Ontario and embayments, and neighboring bodies of water in close proximity to the current Hydrilla infestation within the Finger Lakes. I applaud the FLI for its foresight, and sincerely hope the application meets with your approval.

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