Boater Safety Courses

 Upcoming Boater Safety Courses in Cayuga County:


Friday, May 18, 2012

Bass Pro Shop, Finger Lakes Mall, Auburn (Cayuga)Gray, Ralph (315)258-2700This class is for adults and children, register with customer serviceThe instructor charges a fee for this course. If you are 18 or older in addition to the class fee you will be required to pay NYS Parks a $10.00 fee for your boating safety certificate.

Saturday, June 09, 2012
Montezuma Town Hall, 8102 Dock St, Montezuma (Cayuga)Malenick, John (315)729-6611This course is for adults and children.The instructor charges a fee for this course. If you are 18 or older in addition to the class fee you will be required to pay NYS Parks a $10.00 fee for your boating safety certificate.

Saturday, June 09, 2012
Town of Summerhill, 13606 Rt. 90, Locke (Cayuga)Nedza, John (315)364-7251This class is for adults and childrenThere is no cost for this class. If you are 18 or older you will be required to pay NYS Parks a $10.00 fee for your boating safety certificate.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Fair Haven State Park, 14985 State Park Rd., Fair Haven (Cayuga)Woodard, Ro (315)947-5205This course is intended for students 18 years of age and olderThere is no cost for this class. If you are 18 or older you will be required to pay NYS Parks a $10.00 fee for your boating safety certificate.

Saturday, June 16, 2012
Scipio Fire Dept., 3850 St. Rt. 34 Scipio (Cayuga)Nedza, John (315)364-7251This class is for adults and childrenThere is no cost for this class. If you are 18 or older you will be required to pay NYS Parks a $10.00 fee for your boating safety certificate.

Saturday, June 23, 2012
Montezuma Town Hall, 8102 Dock St, Montezuma (Cayuga)Malenick, John (315)729-6611This course is for adults and children.The instructor charges a fee for this course. If you are 18 or older in addition to the class fee you will be required to pay NYS Parks a $10.00 fee for your boating safety certificate.

Saturday, June 30, 2012
Ira Fire Station, 12195 Rt. 176, Cato (Cayuga)Nedza, John (315)364-7251This class is for adults and childrenThere is no cost for this class. If you are 18 or older you will be required to pay NYS Parks a $10.00 fee for your boating safety certificate.

Saturday, July 14, 2012
Owasco Fire Dept., 7174 Rt. 38A, Auburn (Cayuga)Nedza, John (315)364-7251This class is for adults and childrenThere is no cost for this class. If you are 18 or older you will be required to pay NYS Parks a $10.00 fee for your boating safety certificate.

Save the date!

Lake Day 2012

Wednesday, June 27

Emerson Park, Auburn NY

3:00 - 6:30 pm

Planned Events Announced

Save the Date and Be There!

          Owasco Lake Day 2012 will feature guest speakers and information for adults as well as activities for children, pontoon boats rides, and other events for families.

          Owasco Lake Day 2012 will feature a keynote address by Distinguished Fellow Frederick L. Kirschenmann, of the Leopold Center at Iowa State University.  

Following the keynote address, a “Status of the Lake” panel will present information related to Owasco Lake; the speakers will include
Dr. John Halfman, of the Finger Lakes Institute, and Bruce Natale, from WQMA.

          In addition to the speakers, Owasco Lake Day 2012 will feature activities and games designed for children. Activities will also include learning about Owasco Lake and the importance of preserving and protecting and games and events just for fun.

          The popular resource fair and guided pontoon boat rides will again be held this year, along with a number of other activities.

          Additional updates on Owasco Lake Day 2012 will be posted here as they become available.

OWLA meeting this Wednesday!

Don't forget the OWLA meeting this Wednesday, May 2nd - 7pm, at the Springside Inn on West Lake Rd. in Fleming.

The public is invited!

Hydrilla - a new threat to upstate NY waters

Hydrilla was discovered in the Cayuga Lake Inlet in Ithaca in late August of 2011. There have also been several possible recent detections in other upstate waters. Folks in the Fingerlakes need to be vigilant and use best practices to prevent the spread of yet another invasive plant.

Rooted in the bottom sediment and growing up to an inch a day, Hydrilla verticillata, quickly out competes native vegetation and creates a dense mat of vegetation at the surface of the water. This dense mat inhibits boat traffic, displaces natural habitat, and discourages recreational uses of the water. Spread by seed, buds (turions), tubers and vegetative fragments; this plant is often referred to as one of the worst invasive aquatic plants in the world.  

Boaters and other water recreation users can help prevent the spread, see recent guidance from NYS Sea Grant:  http://www.owla.org/Hydrilla%20Marina%20Factsheet.pdf


Additional Hydrilla information on the Tompkins County CCE website:
http://ccetompkins.org/environment/invasive-species/hydrilla

Editorial on Invasives

With our early spring/summer weather this week, many people are thinking about getting the boat in the lake. As you begin to plan your season, please be aware of the invasive species we are working to control/eliminate in our local waters. Take a quick read of this recent article from the Auburn Citizen and also checkout a few of the links on invasive species at the bottom of this blog.

Enjoy the great weather!

Editorial:
http://auburnpub.com/news/opinion/editorial/our-view-don-t-let-invasives-hitch-a-ride/article_b1002be0-73cd-11e1-9f7e-0019bb2963f4.html
SeaGrant:
http://www.nyis.info/
FLI at HWS:
http://fli.hws.edu/aquatic_guidebook.asp

Workshop was a success

“Owasco Lake… OWN IT” was a great success this past Saturday. Over 50 people turned out for the workshop to educate and empower citizens in the protection of Owasco Lake. Attendees learned about the present state of the lake as well as the many influences to its deteriorating water quality.

Thanks to everyone who helped put this event together and the concerned citizens who participated.

Learn more in the Auburn Citizen article at:http://auburnpub.com/news/local/lake-advocates-taking-stock/article_eb8f36b6-65a4-11e1-9b99-001871e3ce6c.html

Can you help?

Owasco Lake is a beautiful place to visit or spend time on. Those of us who live near or recreate on it, know first hand how special it is. It not only is a recreational asset, but it is also a growing asset for tourism in our region. Sadly, the condition of the lake is deteriorating and the pressures from invasives, development and agriculture are mounting each year.

Invasive species have been a growing problem on the lake and the growing weed population has been an issue here for many years. Our county government and lake associations have worked for years to control the weed population in Cayuga County lakes. Unfortunately, funding, equipment and labor has been greatly reduced from what it was 10-15 years ago. In 2012 the Cayuga County budget for weed harvesting was cut again. Presently the weed harvester needs repair and with out immediate funding could miss doing any weed cutting in the county this summer. If you care about this important program, please contact your Cayuga County Legislator and tell them that we need to support the present program and also look at enhancing it in coming years. Read more about this issue at: http://auburnpub.com/news/local/needed-to-fix-weed-cutting-boat/article_8ac12410-56be-11e1-ad50-001871e3ce6c.html

If you are looking to learn more or get involved with the protection of Owasco Lake, there is an upcoming seminar developed especially for you. On Saturday March 3rd The "Owasco Lake... OWN-IT" workshop will include the current condition of Owasco Lake, nutrients entering the lake, invasive species and opportunities for citizen involvement.


The event runs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 3. If you’re interested in attending, please register by calling 252-8669 or visiting www.owascolake.org.


 Learn more about the event in this article: http://auburnpub.com/lifestyles/dive-into-owasco-lake-facts-march/article_bb538e9e-59dc-11e1-9ddf-001871e3ce6c.html

I hope you will consider getting involved with the protection of Owasco Lake.

......and don't forget our monthly OWLA meetings....the next one is Wednesday March 7th, 7pm at the Springside Inn on Rt. 38 in Fleming. We hope to see you there!


Take care - Lakeman

Owasco Lake workshop

The registration is now open for “Owasco Lake… OWN IT” a two part workshop focused on the current condition of Owasco Lake and opportunities for citizen involvement. The workshop is being held in two parts and includes optional participation in a special training for citizens who want to participate in the long term protection of the Lake. Registration for the morning session will remain open until the day of the event, Saturday, March 3^rd.

The registration for the afternoon training that will follow the morning sessions will be on a first come first serve basis with only about 25 seats open. The afternoon workshop is a hands-on training program by iMapInvasives, a multi-state program focused on invasive species. Please see: http://imapinvasives.org/nyimi/map/

 The event is being sponsored by:

The Owasco Watershed Lake Association (OWLA)

The Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology (IAGT)

Cayuga Community College (CCC)

The Finger Lakes Institute (FLI)

Cayuga County Water Quality Management Agency (WQMA)

Topics Include:

•         The Condition of Owasco  lake

•         The sources of nutrient entering the lake

•         Invasive Species in the lake

•         Opportunities for Citizen Involvement

•         iMap Invasives hands-on training

                        “Owasco Lake, OWN IT”

Time:               9am- noon and 1pm -3:30pm

Date:               March 3rd, 2012

Location:        Bisgrove Theater, Cayuga Community College

199 Franklin Street  

Auburn, NY 13021 

Sign up today to reserve your seat.  There is no registration fee for the morning or afternoon sessions. Pre-registration is recommended for both events however and in fact required for the afternoon invasive species training program. A brown bag lunch is suggested for those registering for the afternoon workshop.  

 To register by phone or for additional information call: 315.252.8669    

On-line registration opened on February 3^rd at: www.Owascolake.org

Guest Speakers:

Dr. John Halfman has been studying Owasco Lake for years and has recently completed synthesis of his data for the summer of 2011. His picture of phosphorus levels during the summer created concern when it was clear that high levels of phosphorus had again been discharged into the lake from the Groton Sewage treatment plant. He will present his findings in the morning session. His work is supported by the Cayuga County Water Quality Management Agency and the Owasco Watershed Lake Association.    

Dr. Barry Evans completed the only nutrient allocation model for Owasco Lake. This milestone work uses a combination of science and geo-spatial technology to identify and estimate the sources of nutrients entering the lake from throughout the watershed. Nutrients remain a primary if not the most significant threat to the condition of the lake. He will present his findings during the morning session. His work was supported by the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology at Cayuga Community College.

This workshop is a companion event to Lake Day 2012, to be held at Emerson Park on the shores of Owasco Lake on June 27th, 2012. SAVE THAT DATE!  

Gilda Brower, Chair, Owasco Lake Watershed Association (OWLA) Lake Day Planning Committee

Is Owasco Lake getting worse?

A recent article in the Auburn Citizen describes an interesting debate between two local experts about the water quality of Owasco Lake. Eilleen O'Conner, the Director of Environmental Health and Bruce Natalie, a Cayuga County Planning Engineer have opposite takes on this important issue. I feel most people that live on or spend much time on the lake would agree that it is getting worse. The various new invasives, weed growth issues, and continuing problems with phosphorus from sewage treatment plants and agricultural run off are influencing the water quality in Owasco Lake significantly.

We hope the debate continues with the WQMA in 2012. Hopefully, the new Chairman Keith Batman can focus a strong response on some of these issues. Owasco Lake definitely needs more attention.

Can you help? Come to the OWLA meeting this Wednesday Feb. 1st at 7pm at the Springside Inn in Fleming to learn more and maybe help spur some new solutions.

What do you think?  Leave us a comment..........

- Lakeman

Read the article: http://auburnpub.com/blogs/the_sixth_floor/is-owasco-lake-getting-worse/article_f1330a5c-37cd-11e1-9374-0019bb2963f4.html