Rudd Pond weed control: Broken harvester leaves town searching for solutions

NORTH EAST — It might sound strange to think of a weed harvester as an important piece of municipal equipment, but now that the town’s access to such a machine is gone, the weed harvester is sorely missed. 

The machine, meant to cut down overgrown and unsightly weeds at the Taconic State Park’s Rudd Pond in Millerton, has been key to keeping the waters clean. But the harvester, which was on loan from New York state, is now broken.

“The 19-year-old harvester has reached the end of its lifespan,” said town Supervisor George Kaye at a recent Town Board meeting. “The unit has to be surplussed.”

A new, smaller harvester, with a trailer and conveyor, would set the town back by more than $130,000, pretty much making it unattainable due to budget constraints.

“The price of a new harvester is over the entire yearly regional equipment budget,” noted Taconic State Park Manager Christopher Rickard in an email to Kaye. 

Kaye said a solution needs to be found, as Rudd Pond provides a place to boat, fish, swim and enjoy by park patrons. Last spring, the pond was stocked with 600 grass carp alone, and the weed harvester helped ensure that people could fish for those carp without hesitation. As a bonus, the carp were helpful in controlling the aquatic weed issue, according to Rickard.

The supervisor said that without the machine, such fishing could soon become impossible.

“It’s going to be left to go its natural way, and in several years we’ll see it turn into a swamp. We need to get together with the village and the state,” he said, before speaking specifically about the town’s relationship with the state. “I know they are not going to put a lot of money into the area. They’ve practically written us off.”

It was suggested at the April 13 Town Board meeting that an organization, like a Friends of Rudd Pond — similar to a Friends of the Library group — be formed.

Town Councilman Jim Campbell agreed that might be the way to go.

“I certainly think we have to get the public involved,” he said. “It’s not just camping, but kayaking, canoing, fishing — it would be a major loss. I believe the focal point of the park is the lake. Once you lose that, it all goes downhill.”

He agreed with Kaye’s statement that the state offers little support. But, he said, that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be local efforts made.

“Unless we do something to keep up interest in Rudd Pond — which does draw a lot of people into the town and village — unless we do something, we’ll lose that draw,” Campbell said.

Rickard wrote that the town does have one option on the table.

“Our only option at this point is for parks to contract harvesting both at Rudd Pond and Canopus Lake in Putnam County, at the cost of $10,000 a week at each location,” he stated. “Canopus has been contracted out the last three years for one week a year with marginal results. I am concerned we will not achieve the same results as we did with our old harvester if we just invest $10,000 for one week of cutting.”

Councilman Steve Merwin commented at the April meeting that he didn’t think a weed harvester was necessarily the best solution.

“You need to rip the weeds out by the roots. That’s what does it, and it’s a hell of a lot cheaper,” he said. “Maybe there’s some other option for that kind of money.”

From the audience, resident Bill Kish asked if it would make sense to get the state parks department to donate the broken weed harvester and then have the town pay to repair  it. 

“But if it’s never worked that well …” said Kish, noting it might not be worthwhile.

Kaye explained that the harvester is 19 years old with a hydraulics problem.

“I’m not sure the idea of restoration is really feasible,” he said. 

Merwin then spoke about how a backhoe could be mounted onto a small pontoon with a little boat motor.

“It doesn’t get any simpler,” he said, adding that years ago someone did exactly that at Rudd Pond. “Just get two floating barrels to put the weeds in. There’s a guy out in Maine that did that and pulled the weeds out by the roots. This thing was about as simple a machine as you can imagine, and it was more effective.

“Cutting is like mowing the lawn,” added Merwin, “the next week, it grows back.”

Kaye agreed the board should look into its options.

“I’ll try to get a meeting together and bring the state in. I’ll also speak to the village,” he said. 

The village has held its summer camp and recreation program at Rudd Pond in recent years — especially helpful since the closing of Denny Pool at Eddie Collins Field a few years back.

“I know a lot of people want to save it,” said Merwin about Rudd Pond. “When the rec program went over there a couple of years ago it was a big hit.”

To offer suggestions on how to help save Rudd Pond, call the Town Hall at 518-789-3300.