You're invited to join the Delaware Riverkeeper Network as a community science monitor to help survey the Upper Delaware River for the spread of Hydrilla verticillata.

Hydrilla is an introduced submerged, aquatic perennial plant that is causing harm to locally evolved aquatic plants and animals in lakes, ponds, and rivers across the nation. It is a federally listed noxious weed that is illegal to possess, distribute, or transport in the US.

Hydrilla grows and spreads at an alarming rate, and can form thick mats that hinder recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. This aquatic plant harms fish and wildlife by altering the ecosystem and can displace locally evolved aquatic plants.

This summer, DRN will provide education and training to a corps of community science volunteer monitors. We will cover four different stretches of the Delaware River from Easton, PA to Point Pleasant, PA, in six mile stretches of the River. This will be an all day commitment! Before each paddle, volunteers will take part in a Hydrilla training session that will give them the confidence to correctly identify the plant. DRN will also cover best management practices (BMPs) that everyone recreating in or near the water should follow to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS).

JOIN OUR FLOTILLA

Friday, September 25

Following the flotilla, volunteers are required to commit to one day of outreach at recreational hotspots along the Delaware River to share information about Hydrilla and other AIS, as well as BMPs to limit their spread.

This is an American Canoe Association sanctioned event and is made possible through these funders:

This project received funding through U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funds under an award agreement with Chesapeake Research Consortium, Inc.

The Lower Delaware Wild & Scenic Management Council, as funded by the National Park Service, (www.lowerdelawarewildandscenic.org) supported, “Using Community Science Volunteers to Help Monitor for Hydrilla along the Delaware River and Educate to Prevent Its Spread.

The Hydrilla Flotilla was financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program Environmental Stewardship Fund under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation administered through the Pennsylvania Environmental Council’s Pennsylvania Water Trails Partnership Mini Grant Program.

Special thank you to Brain Koons from Delaware River Pedal & Paddle for providing kayak rentals and transportation for this flotilla.

Flotilla to Help Monitor for Hydrilla along the Delaware River

Free paddle opportunity with DRN to monitor for an introduced species