Water view: Educator spotlights threats to lake's wildlife
Natural habitats like Lake Arthur are constantly under attack from foreign entities and invasive species, and Moraine State Park is marking those dangers for the 50th anniversary of the lake's creation.
Mike Shaffer likened it to humanity's bout with the coronavirus. As an environmental education specialist for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Shaffer has observed countless invasive species populate Lake Arthur.
On Wednesday morning, Shaffer took several people on a kayaking tour from McDanel's Boat Launch to one of the lake's many inlets. Shaffer spent much of the paddling trip pointing out both native and invasive flora and fauna in the lake. He noted that about 95% of what the participants were seeing were invasive species — from the strings of aquatic vegetation choking the lake's floor to certain turtles and fish that break the balance of the area's local ecology.The 3,225-acre man-made lake was created in 1970 by impounding Muddy Creek with a dam, flooding the area into its current size. Originally, the site of mining and oil drilling, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and the state undertook a reclamation effort of the area, sealing mines and capping oil and gas wells while planting trees and vegetation throughout the area to restore it to its former natural state.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the lake's creation, but coronavirus concerns canceled most of the events planned to mark the occasion.“We did this just to get people outdoors and to learn and appreciate the wetlands, and we wanted to make sure people are aware of the invasive species,” Shaffer said.Ruth Fertelmes, of Cabot, joined the tour.“I thought it was interesting. We saw turtles, wood ducks, kingfishers,” Fertelmes said. “I like to see wildlife. It was a nice morning.”Natalie Simon, another environmental education specialist for the DCNR who was on the trip, noted that invasive species pose a problem because since they aren't from the region, they do not have any natural enemies that would retard their growth.Instead, aquatic vegetation, such as Hydrilla, commonly known as water thyme, and Eurasian Watermilfoil grow unrestrained, blanketing the lake's bed in certain areas.“They're so bad because they choke out native species, lessening diversity and resilience of the ecosystem,” Simon said. “Nothing eats them, so they're not under control and they go hog wild.”
Shaffer and Simon used the morning tour with the group of kayakers to point out problems in one of the inlets.“All of the problems here come from us,” Shaffer said. He noted that many of the invasive species made their way into the lake through boats that were on other bodies of water and weren't cleaned before being used on Lake Arthur. He also said that people dump contents of their aquariums into the lake, introducing a variety of foreign entities.During the leisurely trip, Shaffer and Simon also pointed out man-made nesting areas created for birds, such as wood ducks, that like to nest in dead trees.They said dead trees have become scarce for cavity nesting birds, and the park has set up dozens of habitats that mimic dead-tree cavities along the lake to help birds find nests.
Additionally, Shaffer warned kayakers on the tour to prevent the spread of the Ranavirus, a series of viruses that are infectious to amphibians and reptiles, from one body of water to another.“They've been dealing with viruses for a long time,” Shaffer said.As the group returned to the boat launch, a lone osprey was seen gliding through the air. Like a fighter pilot, the large raptor descended straight into the water, slapping on the surface before flying back up. In its mouth, it had a fish.“Osprey are very good hunters,” Simon said.
