Watercraft Inspection Steward Program Application (WISPA)

​​Project Overview

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• The Watercraft Inspection Steward Program Application (WISPA) was developed to collect real-time data of invasive species through the trained eyes of stewards throughout boat launches in New York State.

• The WISPA database is made available to partner organizations and state and federal agencies to track and analyze invasive species trends to aid in prevention, education, and treatments across the state.

• Since the pilot launch year of 2017:

  • The number of partner organizations doubled from 8 to 16 and collected over 150,000 surveys throughout the State of New York​.

  • The most common invasive species detected was Eurasian Watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum).

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Partnerships

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The WISPA Project is a collaborative effort utilizing participation of numerous public and private organizations. For the 2019 season, our WISPA partners include:

• The Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM) participating organizations:

  • Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI)

  • Capital Region PRISM (CRP)

  • Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP)

  • Finger Lakes (FLI)

  • Long Island Invasive Species Management Area (LIISMA)

  • Lower Hudson / Teatown

  • St. Lawrence Eastern Lake Ontario (SLELO)

  • Western NY (WNY)

• Chautauqua Lake Association (CLA)​

• Keuka Lake Association (KLA)

• Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP)

• Lake George Park Commission (LGPC)

• New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC)

• New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation

• Skaneateles Lake Association (SLA)

• Saratoga Lake Protection and Improvement District (SLPID)