Aquatic invasive species (AIS) impose growing ecological and economic costs in the Lake Champlain Basin. Conventional surveys are logistically intensive and can miss low-abundance taxa, so managers need more sensitive, scalable tools and predictive products. This study addresses this gap by rigorously testing passive eDNA against conventional eDNA and traditional field surveys, targeting sensitivity, operational efficiency, and concordance so that monitoring can expand without proportional cost growth. The work is framed to deliver actionable, basin-wide decision support, aligning with LCSG goals to strengthen science-based management and ecosystem protection. The project also advances forecasting. It evaluates whether lake\u2013landscape AIS risk models trained in the Adirondacks can transfer reliably across all LCB waterbodies, reducing uncertainty about applying models beyond their training domain. By validating eDNA methods and transferring models, the project will produce\u00a0accurate, map-based risk layers that help target prevention, surveillance, and rapid response where they matter most. This closes key knowledge gaps on detection sensitivity, cost-efficiency, and model applicability, and provides managers with scalable, data-driven tools.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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