RAY BROOK – The Adirondack Park Agency is accepting public comment for recently proposed agency guidance for the use of the herbicides to manage the aquatic invasive plant Eurasian watermilfoil.

The comment period will run through Nov. 7.

The agency wishes to provide clear direction on the use of the commercial aquatic herbicides Renovate and Renovate OTF to manage Eurasian watermilfoil.

Recent discoveries of the invasive plant have been found in the Raquette River, especially in Norwood Lake.

Mitigation plans for Norwood Lake are being worked out, but none of the plans so far mention use of any herbicide. The Norwood Lake Association says it intends to rely on "seek and destroy" methods, where they will search out the plants and pull them up.

Norwood Lake is not in the Adirondack Park, so it would not be affected by the agency;s advisory in any case.

According to the APA, their requirements would include prior use of non-chemical treatments (hand harvesting, benthic barriers), limiting herbicide applications to large dense beds and long-term strategies to use non-chemical options to prevent recolonization.

The guidance is intended to help achieve long-term control of the target species and avoid or limit impacts to freshwater wetlands and non-target organisms.

Eurasian watermilfoil can outcompete native plants, including New York State rare, threatened and endangered species resulting in decreased plant diversity and diminished.

To review the proposed Gidelines for Appropriate Use of the Aquatic Herbicides Renovate® and Renovate® OTF to Manage Eurasian Watermilfoil, an Aquatic Invasive Plant, visit http://apa.ny.gov/Hearings/RenovateGuidance-PublicComment.pdf.