Read the entire story at:
http://auburnpub.com/lifestyles/whatever-happened-to-the-emerson-park-merry-go-round/article_de63e8ef-9fbe-56b8-9f85-aa63ccf694db.html
Showing posts with label History of Owasco Lake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label History of Owasco Lake. Show all posts
Friday, April 5, 2013
Owasco Lake's Carousel
There is a nice article in today's Auburn Citizen about the merry-go-round that used to reside in Enna Jettick Park (now Emerson Park) at the foot of Owasco Lake. The carousel was in use from 1929 to 1944, when it was sold and moved to Hershey Park, Pennsylvania. Lakeside Park was a very popular park in the 30's and 40's and many area residents have fond memories of the park and carousel.
(Photo from rootsweb.ancestry.com)
Read the entire story at:
http://auburnpub.com/lifestyles/whatever-happened-to-the-emerson-park-merry-go-round/article_de63e8ef-9fbe-56b8-9f85-aa63ccf694db.html
Read the entire story at:
http://auburnpub.com/lifestyles/whatever-happened-to-the-emerson-park-merry-go-round/article_de63e8ef-9fbe-56b8-9f85-aa63ccf694db.html
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Owasco Flats Restoration
THE OWASCO FLATS RESTORATION PROJECT
In the spring of 2011, Cayuga County received $712,500 in funds from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation’s Green Innovation Grant Program for the Owasco Flats Wetland Restoration and Riparian Buffers Initiative. This project will be located on City of Auburn owned land off of Route 38 in the Town of Moravia. A portion of the Owasco Inlet will be reconnected with its floodplain with water control structures and the water will flow into existing and created wetlands to filter out nutrients and sediment. Riparian buffers will also be planted along agricultural drainage ways and along the Owasco Inlet to further reduce nutrients and sediment inputs. This work will also improve habitat for invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians and birds while reducing phosphorus and sediment that reaches Owasco Lake. The overall objective of restoration efforts is to reduce phosphorus and sediment loads to Owasco Lake. (Link to the Auburn Citizen article from 4/26/11:) http://auburnpub.com/news/local/article_4f8df484-6fb2-11e0-8c10-001cc4c002e0.html
Since its inception, the Owasco Lake Watershed Association has supported the restoration of the Owasco Flats. OWLA has helped finance land-use studies, road improvements and informational sign placement in this special area. Continuing this support, we will be soon be mailing all OWLA members with a copy of the inaugural newsletter from the Owasco Flats Nature Reserve.
HISTORY OF THE OWASCO FLATS
The Owasco Flats encompass approximately 1,500 acres of land within the Owasco Inlet floodplain. The Owasco Flats occur within the valley of the Owasco Inlet. As the name suggests, the topography of the Flats is almost level, with a change in elevation of less than 20 feet over the 2.8 miles between the southern end of Owasco Lake and the northwestern portion of the Village of Moravia and across the approximately 0.6-mile valley width. Land cover within the Flats includes swamps, forest, emergent marsh, active agricultural fields, successional old field communities, and sparse residential development. The Flats support 11 identified ecological communities and provide habitat for a wide diversity of plants and animals, including a number of state and federally protected species.
Almost the entire Owasco Flats and roughly half of the Village of Moravia occur within a 100-year floodplain. Natural functions of a floodplain include temporary storage of floodwaters, attenuation of peak flows, water quality improvement, and groundwater recharge, among many others. When undisturbed by human activities, the low lying, flat expanses of floodplains reduce sediment and nutrient loading by slowing down the velocity of water as it approaches the receiving water body, allowing sediment to settle and nutrients to be absorbed by floodplain vegetation.
However, the functionality of the floodplain wetlands has been compromised by human activity. Prior to the onset of agriculture, the Flats most likely consisted of a forested ecosystem that did not contain the present-
day diversity of ecological communities that have inadvertently resulted from the area’s agricultural history (e.g., clearing areas for agricultural fields that have since been left fallow). As the area slowly reverts to a forested landscape, a reduction of the present-day diversity of plants and animals may occur.
Prior to departing the Owasco Lake Watershed in the late 1700’s, the Cayuga Indians had an effect on the Owasco Flats ecosystem. The Cayugas subsisted on hunting and fishing, and cultivating corn, beans, pumpkins, tobacco, sunflowers, hemp, and fruit trees. Clearing and cultivation of the Owasco Flats by Native Americans created a rich meadowland throughout much of the area. The Village of Moravia was originally called Owasco Flats but was re-named Moravia in 1819.
The Southern Central Railroad was completed and opened in 1869. It passed through the western portion of the Town of Moravia along the valley of the Owasco Inlet and crossed the Inlet at two locations. The railroad made significant efforts to control the course of the Owasco Inlet.
The City of Auburn began managing the lake levels in 1886. As a result of industrial water use, the lake levels were drawn down significantly during the summer season in the 1800’s/early 1900’s before electricity became available from other sources. The summer drawdowns provided drier soils for agricultural use in the Flats during this time period. In some areas, additional wetlands have been drained for the purposes of agricultural use.
In 1938, aerial photographs reveal that approximately 70% of the land was cleared for agricultural use. Since that time, some of the wetter land has been allowed to revert back to forest and shallow marsh so that now only about 25% of the land is classified by the Cayuga County Real Property Services database as agricultural. Much of the land that was apparently actively engaged in agriculture in 1938 is now used intermittently for pasture, hay or is fallow; the rest of the Flats today is covered by forest (30%) and open marshland (20%).
In addition, the Owasco Inlet was hydrologically separated from the Owasco Flats floodplain as a result of 1948 and 1960 Army Corps of Engineers flood control projects along the Owasco Inlet, Mill Creek, and Dry Creek in the Village of Moravia. “Improvements” to the Inlet included widening and straightening of the channel, enlargement of bridge openings, and removal of trees, gravel bars, and debris jams. Today, the Flats’ wetlands no longer filter floodwaters before they enter Owasco Lake to the extent that they would under more natural conditions, thereby increasing sediment and nutrient loads and impairing the water quality of the lake.
In the spring of 2011, Cayuga County received $712,500 in funds from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation’s Green Innovation Grant Program for the Owasco Flats Wetland Restoration and Riparian Buffers Initiative. This project will be located on City of Auburn owned land off of Route 38 in the Town of Moravia. A portion of the Owasco Inlet will be reconnected with its floodplain with water control structures and the water will flow into existing and created wetlands to filter out nutrients and sediment. Riparian buffers will also be planted along agricultural drainage ways and along the Owasco Inlet to further reduce nutrients and sediment inputs. This work will also improve habitat for invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians and birds while reducing phosphorus and sediment that reaches Owasco Lake. The overall objective of restoration efforts is to reduce phosphorus and sediment loads to Owasco Lake. (Link to the Auburn Citizen article from 4/26/11:) http://auburnpub.com/news/local/article_4f8df484-6fb2-11e0-8c10-001cc4c002e0.html
Since its inception, the Owasco Lake Watershed Association has supported the restoration of the Owasco Flats. OWLA has helped finance land-use studies, road improvements and informational sign placement in this special area. Continuing this support, we will be soon be mailing all OWLA members with a copy of the inaugural newsletter from the Owasco Flats Nature Reserve.
HISTORY OF THE OWASCO FLATS
The Owasco Flats encompass approximately 1,500 acres of land within the Owasco Inlet floodplain. The Owasco Flats occur within the valley of the Owasco Inlet. As the name suggests, the topography of the Flats is almost level, with a change in elevation of less than 20 feet over the 2.8 miles between the southern end of Owasco Lake and the northwestern portion of the Village of Moravia and across the approximately 0.6-mile valley width. Land cover within the Flats includes swamps, forest, emergent marsh, active agricultural fields, successional old field communities, and sparse residential development. The Flats support 11 identified ecological communities and provide habitat for a wide diversity of plants and animals, including a number of state and federally protected species.
Almost the entire Owasco Flats and roughly half of the Village of Moravia occur within a 100-year floodplain. Natural functions of a floodplain include temporary storage of floodwaters, attenuation of peak flows, water quality improvement, and groundwater recharge, among many others. When undisturbed by human activities, the low lying, flat expanses of floodplains reduce sediment and nutrient loading by slowing down the velocity of water as it approaches the receiving water body, allowing sediment to settle and nutrients to be absorbed by floodplain vegetation.
However, the functionality of the floodplain wetlands has been compromised by human activity. Prior to the onset of agriculture, the Flats most likely consisted of a forested ecosystem that did not contain the present-
day diversity of ecological communities that have inadvertently resulted from the area’s agricultural history (e.g., clearing areas for agricultural fields that have since been left fallow). As the area slowly reverts to a forested landscape, a reduction of the present-day diversity of plants and animals may occur.
Prior to departing the Owasco Lake Watershed in the late 1700’s, the Cayuga Indians had an effect on the Owasco Flats ecosystem. The Cayugas subsisted on hunting and fishing, and cultivating corn, beans, pumpkins, tobacco, sunflowers, hemp, and fruit trees. Clearing and cultivation of the Owasco Flats by Native Americans created a rich meadowland throughout much of the area. The Village of Moravia was originally called Owasco Flats but was re-named Moravia in 1819.
The Southern Central Railroad was completed and opened in 1869. It passed through the western portion of the Town of Moravia along the valley of the Owasco Inlet and crossed the Inlet at two locations. The railroad made significant efforts to control the course of the Owasco Inlet.
The City of Auburn began managing the lake levels in 1886. As a result of industrial water use, the lake levels were drawn down significantly during the summer season in the 1800’s/early 1900’s before electricity became available from other sources. The summer drawdowns provided drier soils for agricultural use in the Flats during this time period. In some areas, additional wetlands have been drained for the purposes of agricultural use.
In 1938, aerial photographs reveal that approximately 70% of the land was cleared for agricultural use. Since that time, some of the wetter land has been allowed to revert back to forest and shallow marsh so that now only about 25% of the land is classified by the Cayuga County Real Property Services database as agricultural. Much of the land that was apparently actively engaged in agriculture in 1938 is now used intermittently for pasture, hay or is fallow; the rest of the Flats today is covered by forest (30%) and open marshland (20%).
In addition, the Owasco Inlet was hydrologically separated from the Owasco Flats floodplain as a result of 1948 and 1960 Army Corps of Engineers flood control projects along the Owasco Inlet, Mill Creek, and Dry Creek in the Village of Moravia. “Improvements” to the Inlet included widening and straightening of the channel, enlargement of bridge openings, and removal of trees, gravel bars, and debris jams. Today, the Flats’ wetlands no longer filter floodwaters before they enter Owasco Lake to the extent that they would under more natural conditions, thereby increasing sediment and nutrient loads and impairing the water quality of the lake.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Owasco River Trail - City awarded grant to study feasability
Local newspapers are reporting this week that the City of Auburn has been awarded a grant to study the feasibility of building an Owasco River trail from Downtown Auburn to Owasco Lake. The grant of $590,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation will be used to hire a consultant to begin the planning for a multi-use trail.
The idea for this trail goes back over 40 years and has been studied several times. This idea has always excited me as a great recreation idea for our community. So I took a few minutes this morning to dig back in my files and find some history on the idea. The first reference I found to an Owasco River plan goes back to 1954. The next was the 1968 Master Plan for Emerson Park that referenced development of recreational areas along the river north of the Emerson Park. In July 1971, the Cayuga County Planning Board published a development proposal which included a plan called "Rediscover the Owasco River". In 1972, the board published a more detailed proposal entitled the "Owasco River Plan. I am not sure what happened with that plan, but I believe it remained on the shelf for another 20 years.
In 1996, The Owasco River Alliance was formed by several community leaders. The purpose of this group was to promote tourism and recreational development along the Owasco River. The idea was to start with the 1972 plan and update it to meet the ideas of the community. In the end, I believe funding became the obstacle to the progression of this effort, although I think this groups efforts helped to drive funding for the rebuilding of the seawall and bridges in Emerson Park.
These recent trail efforts have been an outcome of the development of the City of Auburn's Comprehensive Plan. The plan was a community wide effort to come up with ideas and plans for future development desires of Auburn residents.
We have a great start already with the seawall and rivers trails all the way north to Auburn High School. It would be great to develop bicycle/walking trails that would allow us to enjoy the river from downtown to the lake. Presently, my wife and I "cart" our bikes to Onondaga Lake Park, the Erie Canal trail east of Rochester or the old Erie canal trail between Manlius and Rome to enjoy these types of trails. We typically enjoy a meal and visit local shops while on these trips. It sure would we be nice to stay and spend in our own county as well as enjoy Auburn's "hometown" beauty.
I really hope that this time, the Owasco River trail from Auburn to Owasco Lake becomes a reality. I know OWLA will be behind the effort 100%. What do you think? Please let us know by posting a comment here.
- Lakeman
Monday, November 3, 2008
Steamboat at south end of Owasco Lake
Its been a while, but as I promised we will try to from time to time share some history of Owasco Lake.Here is an interesting post card from the early 1900's showing a Steamboat at possibly Cascade?
There were many steamboats that plyed the waters of Owasco back at that time. We are not sure which one is pictured in this scene. Maybe we will get a short article written over the winter about steamboats on Owasco Lake .
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Great article on Emerson Park History!
I told you a while back that I would try to throw in some Owasco Lake history once in a while. Well, here is an interseting story from Laurel Auchampaugh; who is quite an exceptional historian and writer. Laurel writes a monthly column on local history for the Auburn Citizen. She is also the Owasco Town Historian as well as story teller and very active contributor to her community. If you have not read one of her stories; its about time you did:
Park offered sea plane rides
By Laurel Auchampaugh
Sunday, August 24, 2008 11:17 PM EDT (from The Auburn Citizen - Mon. 8/25/08)
The picture shown here is from an old tin-type loaned to me by James Moore. If you look closely, in the background you can see the faint image of the Owasco River and the bridge going from the main park to the island where the arcades and amusement rides were located. I did some research and found that there was indeed a sea plane ride at the lake. The name Island Park provides the clue to the approximate date of the tin-type. Before it became Enna Jettick Park and later Emerson Park, it was called Island Park.
These were the years of “the Coney Island” atmosphere created by visionary Michael Carmody. Cayuga County historian Sheila Tucker aptly described the park evolvement in her “Legends in the Dust” columns in the 1970s. She wrote, Michael Carmody bought the park in 1899 and ran it for 20 years. I believe the tin-type was taken in 1919.There were attempts by the owners prior to Carmody to make the park profitable that resulted in financial distress. One even skipped town to avoid his creditors.
When the dedication of the seawall was held in 2001, I prepared a “Timeline and History of Emerson Park.” It describes the various owners and names the park held over the years. This timeline chronicles the woes of the owners prior to Carmody, and if anyone wishes a copy of this history, please send a request for this information with a self addressed stamped envelope to: Owasco Historian, 3 Bristol Ave., Auburn NY 13021.
My memory gates opened wide as I thought of the park and our personal family experiences. I remember the cement monkey pit on the main part of the park as a 5-year-old in 1942. Years later as a young wife, I took my daughter and her friend to ride the miniature train on the Island side under a car with scalloped canopied ceilings. I can still hear the sound of the train whistle as we rode through the shade in the grove of trees along side the lake and the shock when we burst out into the brilliant hot sunshine. To our left was the Deauville Hotel surrounded by its expansive porch facing the lake.My senses were aware of the sights and sounds, even the smell of the train engine.
But it is the merry-go-round that holds a special place in my memory. Recently, my daughter and I went to see “Les Miserables” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse. It was a special outing provided by her husband for her 50th birthday. Once inside and as the theater building filled up, I looked around especially up at the ceiling. This building was built in 1930 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company with a lattice roof to house the carousel that is now restored at Hershey Park, Pa.Yes. The same ceiling that covered the second carousel is now housed in Long Island. I remember the striking animals of so long ago on their endless trek around the moving floor. I could still picture the Ostrich, with one leg up racing alongside the cat, dressed in a little coat with gold tassels. The frog and rooster so jaunty and colorful. Can you remember them too?
We were living in a three-room upstairs apartment at 24 Franklin St. 50 years ago when I read in The Citizen the Merry-Go-Round was sold and being dismantled. My husband, Milo, was stationed overseas in Germany with the Army. How he would have laughed at my plan to ride the Owasco merry-go-round one last time. (I did write him later and confess to him what I did.)I left baby Lynne with our landlords, Floyd and Marlea Montross, and drove alone to the park. I approached the merry-go-round and found a solitary attendant. I was the only person there. He did not reproach me when I asked if I could ride one last time, but patiently allowed me to ride until I was satisfied.Each time I gave him my quarter I rode a different horse. The first was a black steed on the inside that went up and down. When I rode, the band box would start up with a stirring of the drums and then the rest of the hurdy gurdy music would play a rousing march or a series of melodies - just for me.I could see all the miniature lights around the center and overhead highlighting the golden painted panels with each featuring a different scene. I remember it all so well.Last of all, I climbed astride a stationary horse on the outside. I tucked my black flat in the shiny sliver stirrup and pulled myself up. I then put my left arm around the brass pole, and with my right arm, swung out as far as I could reach trying to catch the coveted “brass ring” from the box mounted outside of the ride. With each revolution, I saw the attendant waiting at the side watching me. I would wave to him exultant and sad at the same time.When I was done, I climbed down and returned the silver rings I had managed to snare, but alas no brass ring! I drove back home to face the loneliness of waiting for my husband to come home.Home to meet the little daughter he had never seen or held. It was 1958, the time of the “Berlin Crisis, and the Berlin Wall.” We saved our money living in our little apartment and eventually purchased our home in Owasco in 1961.
Last year, a young father from Owasco now living in Pennsylvania took his three young children to Hershey Park. They rode the merry-go-round there. He called his mother afterwards to ask about the name plate posted on the ride. The plate stated the machinery and all the animals were from Enna Jettick Park in Auburn.“Mom,” he asked, “where was Enna Jettick Park?”My sister Barbara will come for a visit in September from Seattle. We three sisters - all in our 70s - always take a trip together. As a surprise, I have planned a trip to Hershey Park to create two special memories. Barbara craves chocolate, and one of her fantasies will be realized surrounded by all that chocolate.In 2006, for our 50th wedding anniversary, coming back from Washington D.C., Milo and I stopped at Hershey Park. It was November and the amusement park including the rides were closed and boarded up. I pleaded with the staff to just be able to see the Owasco merry-go-round to take a picture - but it was not possible .This fall, I intend to take another ride in the park on the old merry-go-round from Enna Jettick Park that we rode as young children.-
Sources: Hershey Park Web site: links - rides, carousel - shows a picture of the restored Philadelphia Toboggan Company Carousel from Enna Jettick Park on Owasco Lake; Sheila Tucker's “Legends in the Dust;” Hillary Ford with the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, and http://www.merry-go-round.com/ “How the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse came to Emerson Park”Laurel Auchampaugh is the Owasco historian and can be reached at the Owasco Town Hall
from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoons or at nowthenwasco@aol.com
Link to article: http://auburnpub.com/lifestyles/article_1f02f872-b3c4-57c8-a3fb-10e94f957888.html
Park offered sea plane rides
By Laurel Auchampaugh
Sunday, August 24, 2008 11:17 PM EDT (from The Auburn Citizen - Mon. 8/25/08)
The picture shown here is from an old tin-type loaned to me by James Moore. If you look closely, in the background you can see the faint image of the Owasco River and the bridge going from the main park to the island where the arcades and amusement rides were located. I did some research and found that there was indeed a sea plane ride at the lake. The name Island Park provides the clue to the approximate date of the tin-type. Before it became Enna Jettick Park and later Emerson Park, it was called Island Park.
These were the years of “the Coney Island” atmosphere created by visionary Michael Carmody. Cayuga County historian Sheila Tucker aptly described the park evolvement in her “Legends in the Dust” columns in the 1970s. She wrote, Michael Carmody bought the park in 1899 and ran it for 20 years. I believe the tin-type was taken in 1919.There were attempts by the owners prior to Carmody to make the park profitable that resulted in financial distress. One even skipped town to avoid his creditors.
When the dedication of the seawall was held in 2001, I prepared a “Timeline and History of Emerson Park.” It describes the various owners and names the park held over the years. This timeline chronicles the woes of the owners prior to Carmody, and if anyone wishes a copy of this history, please send a request for this information with a self addressed stamped envelope to: Owasco Historian, 3 Bristol Ave., Auburn NY 13021.
My memory gates opened wide as I thought of the park and our personal family experiences. I remember the cement monkey pit on the main part of the park as a 5-year-old in 1942. Years later as a young wife, I took my daughter and her friend to ride the miniature train on the Island side under a car with scalloped canopied ceilings. I can still hear the sound of the train whistle as we rode through the shade in the grove of trees along side the lake and the shock when we burst out into the brilliant hot sunshine. To our left was the Deauville Hotel surrounded by its expansive porch facing the lake.My senses were aware of the sights and sounds, even the smell of the train engine.
But it is the merry-go-round that holds a special place in my memory. Recently, my daughter and I went to see “Les Miserables” at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse. It was a special outing provided by her husband for her 50th birthday. Once inside and as the theater building filled up, I looked around especially up at the ceiling. This building was built in 1930 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company with a lattice roof to house the carousel that is now restored at Hershey Park, Pa.Yes. The same ceiling that covered the second carousel is now housed in Long Island. I remember the striking animals of so long ago on their endless trek around the moving floor. I could still picture the Ostrich, with one leg up racing alongside the cat, dressed in a little coat with gold tassels. The frog and rooster so jaunty and colorful. Can you remember them too?
We were living in a three-room upstairs apartment at 24 Franklin St. 50 years ago when I read in The Citizen the Merry-Go-Round was sold and being dismantled. My husband, Milo, was stationed overseas in Germany with the Army. How he would have laughed at my plan to ride the Owasco merry-go-round one last time. (I did write him later and confess to him what I did.)I left baby Lynne with our landlords, Floyd and Marlea Montross, and drove alone to the park. I approached the merry-go-round and found a solitary attendant. I was the only person there. He did not reproach me when I asked if I could ride one last time, but patiently allowed me to ride until I was satisfied.Each time I gave him my quarter I rode a different horse. The first was a black steed on the inside that went up and down. When I rode, the band box would start up with a stirring of the drums and then the rest of the hurdy gurdy music would play a rousing march or a series of melodies - just for me.I could see all the miniature lights around the center and overhead highlighting the golden painted panels with each featuring a different scene. I remember it all so well.Last of all, I climbed astride a stationary horse on the outside. I tucked my black flat in the shiny sliver stirrup and pulled myself up. I then put my left arm around the brass pole, and with my right arm, swung out as far as I could reach trying to catch the coveted “brass ring” from the box mounted outside of the ride. With each revolution, I saw the attendant waiting at the side watching me. I would wave to him exultant and sad at the same time.When I was done, I climbed down and returned the silver rings I had managed to snare, but alas no brass ring! I drove back home to face the loneliness of waiting for my husband to come home.Home to meet the little daughter he had never seen or held. It was 1958, the time of the “Berlin Crisis, and the Berlin Wall.” We saved our money living in our little apartment and eventually purchased our home in Owasco in 1961.
Last year, a young father from Owasco now living in Pennsylvania took his three young children to Hershey Park. They rode the merry-go-round there. He called his mother afterwards to ask about the name plate posted on the ride. The plate stated the machinery and all the animals were from Enna Jettick Park in Auburn.“Mom,” he asked, “where was Enna Jettick Park?”My sister Barbara will come for a visit in September from Seattle. We three sisters - all in our 70s - always take a trip together. As a surprise, I have planned a trip to Hershey Park to create two special memories. Barbara craves chocolate, and one of her fantasies will be realized surrounded by all that chocolate.In 2006, for our 50th wedding anniversary, coming back from Washington D.C., Milo and I stopped at Hershey Park. It was November and the amusement park including the rides were closed and boarded up. I pleaded with the staff to just be able to see the Owasco merry-go-round to take a picture - but it was not possible .This fall, I intend to take another ride in the park on the old merry-go-round from Enna Jettick Park that we rode as young children.-
Sources: Hershey Park Web site: links - rides, carousel - shows a picture of the restored Philadelphia Toboggan Company Carousel from Enna Jettick Park on Owasco Lake; Sheila Tucker's “Legends in the Dust;” Hillary Ford with the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, and http://www.merry-go-round.com/ “How the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse came to Emerson Park”Laurel Auchampaugh is the Owasco historian and can be reached at the Owasco Town Hall
from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoons or at nowthenwasco@aol.com
Link to article: http://auburnpub.com/lifestyles/article_1f02f872-b3c4-57c8-a3fb-10e94f957888.html
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Article about OWLA's first 20 years.........
Intersting article on OWLA's history by Dorothy Long - Syracuse Post-Standard.
Association has lake's best interest at heart through the Owasco Lake outlet near Groton, a popular area. The state DEC recently agreed to issue a draft permit limiting Groton's phosphate discharge to two pounds per day by 2010 when its new wastewater treatment plant is up and running. The 20-year-old Owasco Watershed Lake Association considers the rule a victory.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
By Dorothy Long
Contributing writer
When NYS announced that it was going to build a prison just outside the village of Moravia, and town and village officials saw it as a sure way out of the economic slump the area had wallowed in for years.
With communities all over the region vying for a state prison, no one in Moravia wanted to endanger the deal by admitting the village's antiquated sewage treatment plant - which releases it's effluent into the Owasco Lake inlet - might not be able to handle the additional sewage from the prison.
But OWLA wanted assurance that the new prison wasn't going to be a new source of pollution.
"When the prisonwas proposed, as far as we were concerned, there was a void in how to handle the additional waste at the Moravia sewage treatment plant. We didn't believe it was big enough to handle it," Lattimore remembers.
OWL A's concerns caught the ear of the county health department, the city of Auburn and other local agencies. The state dug in its heals, Moravia stuck it's head in the sand and OWLA kept pushing.
"At first, the state didn't want to add anything to the plant. But we kept the pressure on and told them we thought they were wrong. They finally agreed and paid 100 percent of the upgrade," Lattimore said.
Moravia ended up with a prison and a state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant.
And OWLA ended up with a reputation as a tough group that gets things done.
But the group didn't stop with a single success. They lobbied for weed cutters for the lake and began a program of water-quality testing that continues today.
But it wasn't the end of fighting with the state, especially the DEC.
OWLA's second president, Tony Hart took over in 1996.
"I got involved in setting up the water testing with Chris Ryan and Professor Harry Greer, from Cayuga Community College," Hart said. "OWL started in 1988. Now we have quite an extensive portfolio of data that is shared with agencies in the watershed."
OWLA volunteers collect samples from the lake, Hart said and volunteers at the Auburn sewage treatment plant do the testing.
While Hart was president the organization got involved in another program that didn't make it popular in the rural southern part of the county. They pushed for the county health department's septic system inspection regulations. "It was one of the first in the state to have a program that strict," Hart said. "Several other counties have modeled theirs after it."
OWLA began to work closely with agriculture, not as an opponent but as a partner, Hart said. "The large farms have the potential to be detrimental to the lake," he said. "But most of these guys are becoming very good stewards."
Then came Smith Corona. The business machine manufacturer planned to dump ground water used to flush a hazardous waste site in Groton directly into the inlet. Once again, OWLA joined forces with county agencies and state and local politicians to pressure the DEC to come up with a more satisfactory way of disposing of the ground water and, after a long fight, Smith Corona was forced to clean up the site without pouring pollutants into Owasco Lake.
Hart is still active with the group but enjoys working in the background. "Leading was tough. There were harsh critics and you have to keep people motivated." In 2002, when Hart stepped down, Alan Kozlowski stepped up.
Things went along quietly for a while. Testing continued and the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology at Cayuga Community College got involved. Then came the word that somehow Owasco Lake had slipped from one of the cleanest to possibly the dirtiest lakes in the Finger Lakes.
Kozlowski made the rounds of agencies and municipalities demanding a watershed inspector. It took time, and a state grant secured by state Sen. Michael Nozzolio, but finally the city of Auburn and the town of Owasco agreed to cooperate and created the position.
Trouble was brewing in Groton again. A fish farm was creating a phosphate problem there, but though the DEC agreed to require their water to go through the village sewage treatment plant, the agency planned to permit the sewage treatment plant to release 4 pounds of phosphates a day into the inlet. OWLA, Nozzolio and local residents argued if Moravia could limit its phosphates to 2 pounds a day, so could Groton.
Just in time for OWLA's 20th anniversary celebration in July, the DEC agreed to issue a draft permit limiting Groton's discharge to 2 pounds per day by 2010 when its new wastewater treatment plant is up and running. The public comment period on the draft permit ended Aug. 8 and the DEC is reviewing the comments.
Now, Kozlowski said, is the time to get everyone involved in protecting the lake.
"There is a lot at stake in this period. There is a lot of significant stuff going on now," Kozlowski said. "We need more inspectors and stewards to visit the towns. We need to rewrite the rules.
Fleming is rewriting its plan to be lake friendly. That's a milestone, one of the most encouraging." The towns that surround the lake will have the most responsibility for cleaning up the lake, Kozlowski said. And it looks like they are ready to step up. "I feel very good about where we are going now verses five or six years ago," he said.
Joe Wasileski became president the first of June. Wasileski lived his entire life on the lake, and when he heard about OWLA forming, he wanted to get involved. He went to the first meeting and asked to be on the board of directors. He was the first chair of the membership committee and in those early days, membership spiked to 1,500.
"We worked hard," he said. "Sometimes there were 10 to 15 people stuffing envelopes."
Membership has dropped to 500 but Wasileski hopes to see it rise again. On the first of July, OWLA held Owasco Lake Day, hoping to attract new members and bring back some that have dropped out.
"My job is to rally everybody," Wasileski said. " People want tourism and jobs to improve the economy. The lake has to be the epicenter of the whole thing."
Wasileski has been working on an eight-part plan for the future of OWLA.
He said his original plan was more of a dream plan but other members pulled him back to reality. Here are the goals:
1. WasileskiÕ Ö Work with the village of Groton to resolve problems at their sewage treatment plant.
2. See the municipalities in the south that make up the watershed, and in the north that use the water, work together to protect the lake.
3. Protecting Owasco Flats, at the south end of the lake and restoring its wetlands.
4. Work with local agriculture.
5. Help support the watershed inspector with volunteers helpers.
6. Help form the Owasco Watershed Network, allowing agencies to share data on line and with a DVD newsletter.
7. Educate everyone about Owasco Lake with curriculum for elementary and high school and Cayuga Community College students, and create a speakers' bureau to reach out to the community.
8. OWLA will work with Robert Johnson, of Cornell University, and Dr. John Halfman, from the Finger Lakes Institute, in hopes of controlling weed growth.
"My personal goal is to rally the community and everybody in the county to get them involved and help save Owasco Lake," Wasileski said.
22
© 2008 The Post-Standard. Used with permission.
Copyright 2008 syracuse.com. All Rights Reserved.
Association has lake's best interest at heart through the Owasco Lake outlet near Groton, a popular area. The state DEC recently agreed to issue a draft permit limiting Groton's phosphate discharge to two pounds per day by 2010 when its new wastewater treatment plant is up and running. The 20-year-old Owasco Watershed Lake Association considers the rule a victory.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
By Dorothy Long
Contributing writer
When NYS announced that it was going to build a prison just outside the village of Moravia, and town and village officials saw it as a sure way out of the economic slump the area had wallowed in for years.
With communities all over the region vying for a state prison, no one in Moravia wanted to endanger the deal by admitting the village's antiquated sewage treatment plant - which releases it's effluent into the Owasco Lake inlet - might not be able to handle the additional sewage from the prison.
But OWLA wanted assurance that the new prison wasn't going to be a new source of pollution.
"When the prisonwas proposed, as far as we were concerned, there was a void in how to handle the additional waste at the Moravia sewage treatment plant. We didn't believe it was big enough to handle it," Lattimore remembers.
OWL A's concerns caught the ear of the county health department, the city of Auburn and other local agencies. The state dug in its heals, Moravia stuck it's head in the sand and OWLA kept pushing.
"At first, the state didn't want to add anything to the plant. But we kept the pressure on and told them we thought they were wrong. They finally agreed and paid 100 percent of the upgrade," Lattimore said.
Moravia ended up with a prison and a state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant.
And OWLA ended up with a reputation as a tough group that gets things done.
But the group didn't stop with a single success. They lobbied for weed cutters for the lake and began a program of water-quality testing that continues today.
But it wasn't the end of fighting with the state, especially the DEC.
OWLA's second president, Tony Hart took over in 1996.
"I got involved in setting up the water testing with Chris Ryan and Professor Harry Greer, from Cayuga Community College," Hart said. "OWL started in 1988. Now we have quite an extensive portfolio of data that is shared with agencies in the watershed."
OWLA volunteers collect samples from the lake, Hart said and volunteers at the Auburn sewage treatment plant do the testing.
While Hart was president the organization got involved in another program that didn't make it popular in the rural southern part of the county. They pushed for the county health department's septic system inspection regulations. "It was one of the first in the state to have a program that strict," Hart said. "Several other counties have modeled theirs after it."
OWLA began to work closely with agriculture, not as an opponent but as a partner, Hart said. "The large farms have the potential to be detrimental to the lake," he said. "But most of these guys are becoming very good stewards."
Then came Smith Corona. The business machine manufacturer planned to dump ground water used to flush a hazardous waste site in Groton directly into the inlet. Once again, OWLA joined forces with county agencies and state and local politicians to pressure the DEC to come up with a more satisfactory way of disposing of the ground water and, after a long fight, Smith Corona was forced to clean up the site without pouring pollutants into Owasco Lake.
Hart is still active with the group but enjoys working in the background. "Leading was tough. There were harsh critics and you have to keep people motivated." In 2002, when Hart stepped down, Alan Kozlowski stepped up.
Things went along quietly for a while. Testing continued and the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology at Cayuga Community College got involved. Then came the word that somehow Owasco Lake had slipped from one of the cleanest to possibly the dirtiest lakes in the Finger Lakes.
Kozlowski made the rounds of agencies and municipalities demanding a watershed inspector. It took time, and a state grant secured by state Sen. Michael Nozzolio, but finally the city of Auburn and the town of Owasco agreed to cooperate and created the position.
Trouble was brewing in Groton again. A fish farm was creating a phosphate problem there, but though the DEC agreed to require their water to go through the village sewage treatment plant, the agency planned to permit the sewage treatment plant to release 4 pounds of phosphates a day into the inlet. OWLA, Nozzolio and local residents argued if Moravia could limit its phosphates to 2 pounds a day, so could Groton.
Just in time for OWLA's 20th anniversary celebration in July, the DEC agreed to issue a draft permit limiting Groton's discharge to 2 pounds per day by 2010 when its new wastewater treatment plant is up and running. The public comment period on the draft permit ended Aug. 8 and the DEC is reviewing the comments.
Now, Kozlowski said, is the time to get everyone involved in protecting the lake.
"There is a lot at stake in this period. There is a lot of significant stuff going on now," Kozlowski said. "We need more inspectors and stewards to visit the towns. We need to rewrite the rules.
Fleming is rewriting its plan to be lake friendly. That's a milestone, one of the most encouraging." The towns that surround the lake will have the most responsibility for cleaning up the lake, Kozlowski said. And it looks like they are ready to step up. "I feel very good about where we are going now verses five or six years ago," he said.
Joe Wasileski became president the first of June. Wasileski lived his entire life on the lake, and when he heard about OWLA forming, he wanted to get involved. He went to the first meeting and asked to be on the board of directors. He was the first chair of the membership committee and in those early days, membership spiked to 1,500.
"We worked hard," he said. "Sometimes there were 10 to 15 people stuffing envelopes."
Membership has dropped to 500 but Wasileski hopes to see it rise again. On the first of July, OWLA held Owasco Lake Day, hoping to attract new members and bring back some that have dropped out.
"My job is to rally everybody," Wasileski said. " People want tourism and jobs to improve the economy. The lake has to be the epicenter of the whole thing."
Wasileski has been working on an eight-part plan for the future of OWLA.
He said his original plan was more of a dream plan but other members pulled him back to reality. Here are the goals:
1. WasileskiÕ Ö Work with the village of Groton to resolve problems at their sewage treatment plant.
2. See the municipalities in the south that make up the watershed, and in the north that use the water, work together to protect the lake.
3. Protecting Owasco Flats, at the south end of the lake and restoring its wetlands.
4. Work with local agriculture.
5. Help support the watershed inspector with volunteers helpers.
6. Help form the Owasco Watershed Network, allowing agencies to share data on line and with a DVD newsletter.
7. Educate everyone about Owasco Lake with curriculum for elementary and high school and Cayuga Community College students, and create a speakers' bureau to reach out to the community.
8. OWLA will work with Robert Johnson, of Cornell University, and Dr. John Halfman, from the Finger Lakes Institute, in hopes of controlling weed growth.
"My personal goal is to rally the community and everybody in the county to get them involved and help save Owasco Lake," Wasileski said.
22
© 2008 The Post-Standard. Used with permission.
Copyright 2008 syracuse.com. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Some Owasco Lake History...........
This view: Ice Harvesting on the Owasco Outlet at Emerson Park.We know a lot of you have a great passion for Owasco Lake and also its very interesting history. Stories and pictures of the amusement parks, hotels, steam boats and sail boat races; all peak our interests. So we have decided to add some history to the OWLA News Blog.
I have been a student of Owasco lake history for over 20 years. Over that period I have collected quite a few interesting post cards. I will share some of the most interesting images and maybe some unusual stories in future blog entries.
If you have some Owasco Lake history you would like to share, we would love to hear from you. Drop us an e-mail at owlanews@gmail.com.
If you have some Owasco Lake history you would like to share, we would love to hear from you. Drop us an e-mail at owlanews@gmail.com.
Also, check out our "links" to several web sites with some very interesting Owasco Lake History.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
OWLA is 20 years old! (Part 2)
Last time, I mentioned some of the great things that have happened during our groups first 20 years. It started me thinking about what the next 20 years could bring........... maybe I'll make that a "Part 3".
As promised, I said I would share some details on the founding of OWLA back in 1988. I believe the first orginizational meetings started in late 1987, and early 1988. By summer the paperwork had been filed to Incorporate the group and make its by-laws official. The founding group of directors was: Margaret Kilmer, Michael Janas, Irene Main, Jeanette Curin, Louis Vergamini, Dr. Joe Wasileski, Alan Kozlowski, George Spears, Ann Robson, Paul Lattimore Jr., Gordon Reed Jr., and Charles Greene. You might recognize that many of those people are still active in OWLA today.
In the sumer of 1988 OWLA's first regular board of directors meetings began and along with regular membership meetings. Standing committees were formed and the group began to blossom. That is where my involvement began. I had been attending many of the early meetings and got "hooked" by Gordon Reed Jr. to lead the Environmental Committee. I reluctantly accepted and we started to form some solid objectives and plans for the committee. A few months later I was asked to sit on the board and at the end of Paul Lattimore Jr's tenure as President in 1996, I was elected as the next President. I am still greatful to Gordon for pulling me into action with OWLA. It has been a great way to give back to our community and it's something I have really enjoyed. I have also met some really great people and developed some life long friendships.
Well...........back to the story, I think the first real big issue facing OWLA was the impending plan to build a prison in Moravia and the concern of the effect the prison's sewage would have on an outdated sewage treatment plant(STP). The Moravia STP was already known to have raw sewage overflows several times per year. OWLA launched a campaign to get not only a state-of-the-art STP but also a holding tank at the prison to balance sewage releases to the STP over a 24 hour period. OWLA had to threaten a lawsuit, but it brought the Corrections Commisioner to Auburn to negotiate and then announce a cooperative agreement. OWLA's membership roster swelled to over a thousand members during this period. Things were really happening, and OWLA won its first big battle!
Paul Lattimore remained President until the summer of 1996. Paul stepped down leaving behind a strong legacy of public service and conservation. The OWLA Board of Directors named Paul the first Honorary Lifetime member in August 1996. Paul is still active with the group today. Tony Hart was elected as the next President that fall and continued on for another 6 years until he stepped down in June of 2002. Al Kozlowski was Tony's succesor and served into the spring of this year. He has recently decided to step down and the election of his replacement comes next month. Al had the original idea, as well as being the champion for finding the funding and helping with the hiring of our full-time Watershed Inspector position.
Another key member was our long-time secretary Margaret Kilmer who was not only our secretary for almost 14 years, but was also a strong defender of the often neglected South East on Owasco shoreline. She had spent summers at her family's lake cottage since she was a little girl. Margaret has many, many stories of the "good old" Owasco Lake and Inlet when she was growing up. Margaret was also the second OWLA member to be given an Honorary Lifetime Membership by the Board in June of 2002.
Our members have also been involved in many groups that parallel OWLA's mission. Many of our Board members have also sat on the Cayuga County Water Quality Managment Agency, The Cayuga County Environmental Managment Council, and the Board for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County.
There are many others that have been actively involved in our success over the years. I wish I had time to list them all. Maybe we can tell more stories about them in another posting later this year.
I would like to again thank that core group that stepped up and volunteered 20 years ago to get this organization going. Its been quite a trip! Thanks to all who have volunteered and/or financially supported us over the years.
If you have not been involved up to now, please feel free to join us at one of our upcoming meetings. We need your help, now more than ever!
As promised, I said I would share some details on the founding of OWLA back in 1988. I believe the first orginizational meetings started in late 1987, and early 1988. By summer the paperwork had been filed to Incorporate the group and make its by-laws official. The founding group of directors was: Margaret Kilmer, Michael Janas, Irene Main, Jeanette Curin, Louis Vergamini, Dr. Joe Wasileski, Alan Kozlowski, George Spears, Ann Robson, Paul Lattimore Jr., Gordon Reed Jr., and Charles Greene. You might recognize that many of those people are still active in OWLA today.
In the sumer of 1988 OWLA's first regular board of directors meetings began and along with regular membership meetings. Standing committees were formed and the group began to blossom. That is where my involvement began. I had been attending many of the early meetings and got "hooked" by Gordon Reed Jr. to lead the Environmental Committee. I reluctantly accepted and we started to form some solid objectives and plans for the committee. A few months later I was asked to sit on the board and at the end of Paul Lattimore Jr's tenure as President in 1996, I was elected as the next President. I am still greatful to Gordon for pulling me into action with OWLA. It has been a great way to give back to our community and it's something I have really enjoyed. I have also met some really great people and developed some life long friendships.
Well...........back to the story, I think the first real big issue facing OWLA was the impending plan to build a prison in Moravia and the concern of the effect the prison's sewage would have on an outdated sewage treatment plant(STP). The Moravia STP was already known to have raw sewage overflows several times per year. OWLA launched a campaign to get not only a state-of-the-art STP but also a holding tank at the prison to balance sewage releases to the STP over a 24 hour period. OWLA had to threaten a lawsuit, but it brought the Corrections Commisioner to Auburn to negotiate and then announce a cooperative agreement. OWLA's membership roster swelled to over a thousand members during this period. Things were really happening, and OWLA won its first big battle!
Paul Lattimore remained President until the summer of 1996. Paul stepped down leaving behind a strong legacy of public service and conservation. The OWLA Board of Directors named Paul the first Honorary Lifetime member in August 1996. Paul is still active with the group today. Tony Hart was elected as the next President that fall and continued on for another 6 years until he stepped down in June of 2002. Al Kozlowski was Tony's succesor and served into the spring of this year. He has recently decided to step down and the election of his replacement comes next month. Al had the original idea, as well as being the champion for finding the funding and helping with the hiring of our full-time Watershed Inspector position.
Another key member was our long-time secretary Margaret Kilmer who was not only our secretary for almost 14 years, but was also a strong defender of the often neglected South East on Owasco shoreline. She had spent summers at her family's lake cottage since she was a little girl. Margaret has many, many stories of the "good old" Owasco Lake and Inlet when she was growing up. Margaret was also the second OWLA member to be given an Honorary Lifetime Membership by the Board in June of 2002.
Our members have also been involved in many groups that parallel OWLA's mission. Many of our Board members have also sat on the Cayuga County Water Quality Managment Agency, The Cayuga County Environmental Managment Council, and the Board for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County.
There are many others that have been actively involved in our success over the years. I wish I had time to list them all. Maybe we can tell more stories about them in another posting later this year.
I would like to again thank that core group that stepped up and volunteered 20 years ago to get this organization going. Its been quite a trip! Thanks to all who have volunteered and/or financially supported us over the years.
If you have not been involved up to now, please feel free to join us at one of our upcoming meetings. We need your help, now more than ever!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
OWLA is 20 years old this summer! (Part 1)
It really doesn't seem like it has been 20 years, but this summer marks the official aniversary of OWLA's incorporation. When I look back, it is amazing how much has happened and all the different improvements that we have seen in our Lake and Watershed.
Do you remember any of these? :
- a new state-of-the-art Moravia Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) , no more raw sewage overflows in the inlet!
- Community and Government efforts to get the same type of new STP in Groton (we haven't won this one quite yet, but some conditions have improved and we are still working on it!)
- a strict County Septic Inspection law and periodic septic inspections in the watershed.
- a volunteer water quality monitoring program (each summer) with support from the City of Auburn that is still active after 15 years!
- Development of an Owasco Lake State of the Lake Report and Owasco Lake Management Plan.
- OWLA started a 24 hour/7-day a week, water quality HOT LINE for the Owasco Lake watershed.
- A revived/active Water Quality Managment Agency in Cayuga County
- the proper clean-up of the old Smith Corona plant on the Owasco Inlet, Town of Groton.
- A full-time Owasco Lake Watershed Inspector
- Cooperation between Federal, State, and Local government all working to protect Owasco Lake (well..............most of the time).
- A new Sea Wall and complete overhaul of Emerson Park!
- A water quality monitoring buoy in Owasco Lake, sampling 24 hours a day!
- An ever improving Owasco Flats! (just the beginning!)
- too name just a few!
.... OWLA and its members have been leaders/facilitators in all of these efforts.
OWLA has been Instrumental in driving our elected officials into cooperative action. And it all got its start back in the late 1980's. A steering group was formed and Paul Lattimore was elected the first President of OWLA. Under Pauls' leadership and direction, things really started to happen.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where I will go into more detail on OWLA's founding fathers and our initial efforts.
Before I sign-off, If you have been one the people that have helped us get to where we are today - Please take a minute and pat yourself on the
back!
Also Thanks to our government partners; City of Auburn, Cayuga County Health Dept., Cornell Coop. Ext. of CC, CC Planning Dept. CC Soil and Water Conservation District, CC WQMA, NYSDEC, and the watershed Towns. Also our many elected officials which are too numerous to name.
We have all enjoyed working together to effect REAL changes! It takes a community working together to make great things happen!
Happy Birthday OWLA!
-T (Lakeman)
Do you remember any of these? :
- a new state-of-the-art Moravia Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) , no more raw sewage overflows in the inlet!
- Community and Government efforts to get the same type of new STP in Groton (we haven't won this one quite yet, but some conditions have improved and we are still working on it!)
- a strict County Septic Inspection law and periodic septic inspections in the watershed.
- a volunteer water quality monitoring program (each summer) with support from the City of Auburn that is still active after 15 years!
- Development of an Owasco Lake State of the Lake Report and Owasco Lake Management Plan.
- OWLA started a 24 hour/7-day a week, water quality HOT LINE for the Owasco Lake watershed.
- A revived/active Water Quality Managment Agency in Cayuga County
- the proper clean-up of the old Smith Corona plant on the Owasco Inlet, Town of Groton.
- A full-time Owasco Lake Watershed Inspector
- Cooperation between Federal, State, and Local government all working to protect Owasco Lake (well..............most of the time).
- A new Sea Wall and complete overhaul of Emerson Park!
- A water quality monitoring buoy in Owasco Lake, sampling 24 hours a day!
- An ever improving Owasco Flats! (just the beginning!)
- too name just a few!
.... OWLA and its members have been leaders/facilitators in all of these efforts.
OWLA has been Instrumental in driving our elected officials into cooperative action. And it all got its start back in the late 1980's. A steering group was formed and Paul Lattimore was elected the first President of OWLA. Under Pauls' leadership and direction, things really started to happen.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where I will go into more detail on OWLA's founding fathers and our initial efforts.
Before I sign-off, If you have been one the people that have helped us get to where we are today - Please take a minute and pat yourself on the
back!
Also Thanks to our government partners; City of Auburn, Cayuga County Health Dept., Cornell Coop. Ext. of CC, CC Planning Dept. CC Soil and Water Conservation District, CC WQMA, NYSDEC, and the watershed Towns. Also our many elected officials which are too numerous to name.
We have all enjoyed working together to effect REAL changes! It takes a community working together to make great things happen!
Happy Birthday OWLA!
-T (Lakeman)
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