CLAY -- Some local volunteers are taking action against an invasive species.
Members of the Salt City Bassmasters club spent hours pulling water chestnuts out of the Oneida River in Clay Tuesday night. Water chestnuts are an invasive species that grow like weeds and cover waterways. The plants can create problems for boaters and swimmers, as well as depleting the water's oxygen supply for other organisms.
Volunteers have done this once a year for four years on the Oneida River. They say there has been a difference. Salt City Bassmasters President Patrick Grady says, "We're staying ahead of it here, but there are other portions and other waterways in Central New York that are drastically impacted by these weeds, and there just isn't the funding or awareness that these things need to be taken out of our system now before they become even more of a problem."
Grady says his group is teaching others what to do if they see water chestnuts to help fight the invasive species.
