The Moravia Central Schools - Stream Team!

There was a very nice article in the Auburn Citizen this week covering an innovative, hands-on environmental education program with children from the Moravia School District. The "Stream Team", left the classroom to work in the field with educators from the Moravia Middle School and Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES. The goal was to learn about science and conservation first hand. Another group of students will continue this program in the spring of 2010.

Our "hats are off" to seventh grade teacher Karen Camp and BOCES environmental educator Ann Moore for their efforts to get kids outside and involved in these innovative environmental education programs. These kind of programs are very important to exposing students to both the science and issues that impact our water quality.

Link to the January 29th, 2010, Auburn Citizen article: http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2010/01/29/lake_life/lakelife01.txt

Film on effects of Hydrofracking coming to APT February 5th & 6th

From the APT flyer:

Auburn Public Theater presents the film SPLIT ESTATE which documents the devastating effect that oil and gas drilling is having on the health of families and the environment in the Rocky Mountain West.

FRI • FEB 5 • 8:00pm - followed by a Q&A session about hydrofracking

SAT • FEB 6 • 7:45pm - followed by a Q&A session with Dr. Hilary Lambert, Cayuga Lake Watershed
Network and Helen Slottje, Shaleshock Action Alliance

Whistler Swans on Owasco Lake this past weekend

Did anybody see the Whistler Swans on Owasco Lake Saturday and Sunday?





Two groups totaling about 50, were spotted flying on to the lake both Saturday  and Sunday morning. They were seen on the east side of the lake across from Ensenore.

A few facts: The average weight of the female Whistler Swan is 13 1/2 pounds and males are 15 1/2. Their breeding area is the North American tundra. They are also bred in China. The Whistler Swans winter along both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts as well as in southern China. The Swans make their nests along shores of lakes or ponds, and occasionally on islands. The female lays from three to five white eggs, which take 30-32 days to incubate. These swans are white with a black beak and a yellow dot below the eye. Normally swans mate once a year and are very protective of their territory during this time. Whistlers mate with one partner for life and don't mate outside their own species.

The debate continues on hydrofracking - where does your elected representative stand?

There is an interesting article on where local representatives stand on hydrofracking in today's Syracuse Post-Standard. As the debate for and against hydrofracking continues across the state, people are trying to better understand the potential economic and environmental impacts. We encourage you to become informed and consider the potential environmental impacts on the Owasco Lake Watershed. Also, please contact your elected representatives and let them know your feelings on this issue.

Link to today's Syracuse Post-Standard article:

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/central_new_york_lawmakers_str.html

Please see our previous blog on this very important topic:
http://owlanews.blogspot.com/2009/12/hydro-fracking-last-call-for-proposed.html


Link to the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Natural Gas Development Resource Center:
http://cce.cornell.edu/Community/Pages/NaturalGas.aspx

January 2010 Finger Lakes Institute Happenings - See the article on Owasco

January 2010 Happenings

Read the entire FLI Newsletter Here

Research

·         New Release: HWS Professor Brown Publishes Owasco Lake Research

Community Outreach

·         Finger Lakes Research Conference A Success

o   Congratulations to Sam Georgian for winning this year’s Best Student Presentation $100 Award!!

·         Watershed Reps United!

·         January FLI Events

o   January 21- The Geography of Wetlands

o   Save the Dates

Feb. 3- Enhancing Water Quality through Native Plants

Feb. 11- The Geography of Finger Lakes History

Read the entire January 2010 FLI Happenings Newsletter online at http://fli.hws.edu/pdf/2009/publications/January2010.pdf  

Sincerely,

Sarah A. Meyer

Community Outreach Coordinator

http://fli.hws.edu

Office: (315) 781-4382

Fax: (315) 781-4399

Finger Lakes Institute

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

601 S. Main Street

Geneva, NY 14456

Recipient of the 2009 ENERGY STAR Small Business Award

Happy New Year!

We hope you all had a nice holiday season!

As we start a new year, we want to first say THANK YOU to all of the OWLA members and volunteers who have helped us in the past year!

Also, a big Thank you to the Springside Inn for hosting our monthly OWLA meetings! They have been terrific hosts and we look forward to their continued support in 2010!

Please come and join us at our first OWLA meeting of the New Year on Wednesday February 3rd, 7pm at the Springside Inn in Fleming. Come out and learn about what is going on in the Owasco Lake Watershed.

Best Regards - Lakeman.............

Hydro-fracking - Last call for proposed regulation comments!

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) released the draft supplement to the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for Oil and Gas Drilling in New York State on September 30 of this year. These proposed guidelines specifically identify procedures for high volume hydro-fracking shale formations, including the Marcellus formation. There is quite a bit of debate on the potential water quality and infrastructure impacts of drilling into the Marcellus Shale formations. These proposed regulations will have significant impacts on how oil and gas exploration will be handled in the Finger Lakes watersheds. There are many properties that already have signed exploration leases in the Owasco Lake Watershed.

Please become informed and send your comments to the DEC and your elected officials.

All comments on the proposed regulations are due by the end of the day 12/31/09.

Information from the NYS DEC on the DSGEIS:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/58440.html

Information on CCE’s Hydro-fracking campaign:

www.citizenscampaign.org/marcellus

See our earlier blog on this important topic:
http://owlanews.blogspot.com/2009/10/gas-drilling-in-marcellus-shale-of.html

Submit comments to the DEC:

• Email: dmnsgeis@gw.dec.state.ny.us
• Online: www.dec.ny.gov/cfmx/extapps/SGEISComments/
• Written: ATTN: dSGEIS Comments, Bureau of Oil & Gas Regulation, NYSDEC Division of Mineral Resources, 625 Broadway, Third Floor, Albany, NY 12233-6500

Please call or write:

• Governor Paterson: http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/index.html
• Your NYS Assembly member: To find out who your Assembly member is and their phone number, visit: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/
• Your NYS Senator: To find out who your Senator is and their phone number, visit: http://www.nysenate.gov/senators

Asian Carp threaten the Great Lakes and potentially the Finger Lakes

Several states and concerned citizen groups are seeking help from the Federal Government to stop the migration of this invasive species into the Great Lakes and waterways of the North East. Various mid-west states have already initiated law suits seeking blockage of infected waterways that connect with the Great lakes.

This is a threat that we also need to be very conscious of in the Finger Lakes. We encourage you to become more informed on the issue and urge our representatives in Washington to support controls on this serious threat to Upstate NY's fisheries.

Description of the Threat from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission:

Asian carp are a significant threat to the Great Lakes because of their size, fecundity, and ability to consume large amounts of food. Asian carp can grow to 100 pounds and up to four feet. They are well-suited to the cold water climate of the Great Lakes region, which is similar to their native Eastern Hemisphere habitats. It is expected that they would compete for food with the valuable sport and commercial fish. If they entered the system, they would likely become a dominant species in the Great Lakes.

Two species of Asian carp-the silver and the bighead carps-escaped into the Mississippi River from southern aquaculture facilities in the early 1990s when the facilities were flooded. Steadily, the carp have made their way northward, becoming the most abundant species in some areas of the Mississippi, out-competing native fish, and causing severe hardship to the people who fish the river. The Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal connects the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes. Currently, the carp are in the canal and have been sighted approximately 40 miles from Lake Michigan.

Links to more information on the Asian Carp threat:

http://www.asiancarp.org/rapidresponse/

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/79646167.html

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-asian-carp-suit-22-dec22,0,4864610.story

http://www.outdoorsniagara.com/asiancarp.htm

Planning for Owasco Lake Day 2010 - Looking for interested volunteers!

Dear OWLA members,

Many OWLA members were unable to attend the meeting on December 3, so I offered to send an update and review of the Lake Day 2010 discussions and to ask for input from members.

During the meeting Kathy Cappella distributed copies of a draft outline that she proposed (attached). After much discussion, the date for Lake Day that appeared to work best is Thursday, July 1, 2010, from about 4 pm to 7:30 pm., and everyone agreed that we should expand the event to include more community and area participants. The proposal also includes formation of a “Leadership Team” to carry out the goals of the event. Joe Wasileski, Sue Muldoon, Stas’ Kott, Kathy Cappella and I have already agreed to be on the team, and we welcome other OWLA members to join us. If you are interested, please let me know and also state the area of participation you would like to lead.

Please take a few minutes review the attached proposal and send me your thoughts and ideas for Lake Day 2010. Kathy and I will then update the proposal so that we can move forward early in 2010 to make this the best Owasco Lake Day ever.

I know this is a busy time of year for everyone, but if you can send comments, ideas, suggestions by December 15, it will help us move forward.

Many thanks,

Norma Leone

Please e-mail us at OWLANEWS@gmail.com if you would like more information or get to contact Norma Leone.