I am a Senior Research Scientist for the Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute and this is one of several pieces made for a project called Wool and Water.

Wool and Water is a data art project that blends fiber art with scientific data to create visual representations of changing water quality conditions in the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain Basin. In association with the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, the Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute has embarked on a collaborative fiber arts project supported by the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership to showcase the legacy of protecting clean water in the Lake Champlain Basin and beyond.

Non-native aquatic plants, animals, and microorganisms are serious threats to the Adirondack Park. These organisms are distributed outside of their indigenous range mostly through human activities and can become invasive in their new environments. A species is considered “invasive” when it is alien to introduced locations and causes detriment to the economy, environment, and/or human health. The Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute operates the Adirondack Aquatic Invasive Species Spread Prevention Program, a network of boat inspection and decontamination stations spread across northern New York, with the goal of preventing the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species to waterways across the region. These necklaces highlight 3 species that are among the many we work to prevent in the area – zebra mussel (top), Asian clam (middle), and water chestnut (bottom). Zebra mussels and Asian clams are bivalve mollusks that inhabit freshwater habitats at relatively shallow depths. Zebra mussels attach to a variety of hard surfaces while Asian clams are found in the sediment. These invasive mussels displace native species, attach to and cover many surfaces, and are a nuisance to humans. These filter feeders remove particles from the water and can affect the clarity, content, and ultimately the food chain of aquatic ecosystems. Water chestnut is a fast-growing, floating annual found in quiet, high nutrient waters with soft substrate. Water chestnut creates impenetrable mats that can cover large expanses of water, altering water quality and clarity, negatively impacting native aquatic plants, and creating hazards for fishing, swimming, and boating.

Data/information: adkwatershed.org and nyimapinvasives.org.
Pattern: improvised using crochet thread and invasive organisms collected by AWI boat launch stewards.