Forum on Hydrofracking - March 15th

Hydrofracking & Agriculture the Promise & the Reality - A Farm Forum

Tuesday, March 15, 2011 7:00-9:00 pm
Penn Yan Middle School Auditorium
515 Liberty Street, Penn Yan

Panelists & General Topics:
Klaas Martens, one of the largest organic farmers in New York State, will serve as the panel's moderator

Agenda:

"Lessons to be learned: What a Look Back Tells Us about Farming and Fracking."
Ron Gulla and Terry Greenwood, farmers from Washington County, PA, will address what their experience with natural gas drilling and drilling companies on their land has taught them.

"Leases and Your Best Interests." 
Leslie Lewis, attorney with the NYC firm, Napoli, Bern and Ripka, will share information and answer questions about gas leases and the farmer.

"What I Now Know and Should Have Known Then." 
Ellen Harrison, founder of Fleased Organization, will speak about her research and actual experience as a landowner with natural gas drilling companies.

"Lessons Learned and Considerations for the Future." 
Art Hunt, vineyardist and co-owner of Hunt Country Vineyards - a fifth generation landowner/farmer in Yates County

Related Topics and Issues

* Question and Answer Session. Product Marketability
* Land Values Impact on Well and Irrigation Waters Country Living
Truck Traffic and Crop Health
* The Mennonite Community Agritourism
* Health and Safety of our Neighbors
* Neighbor versus Neighbor
* Short Term vs. Long Term Gain
* Your Own Special Concern(s)

Sponsored by The Committee to Preserve th

Asian Clam Task Force formed

At the urging of the Owasco Watershed Lake Association (OWLA), the Cayuga County Water Quality Management Agency has formed a task force to immediately address the Asian clam infestation in Owasco Lake. Asian clams were confirmed in Owasco Lake late last year. The task force will immediately begin activities to identify areas of the lake affected, as well as possible remediation techniques. The group hopes to follow some research and actions identified by a similar group working on Lake George. 

Asian clams are a freshwater mollusk that are usually found in sandy, warm, sunlit waters, similar to several areas in the northern end of Owasco Lake. The clams can spread very quickly. Capable of self-fertilization, clams can release up to 40 young a day. Rapidly growing colonies can carpet a lake bottom, reaching densities of  thousands per square yard.

Photo courtesy of the USGS
The OWLA Board of Directors met earlier this week and identified both the Asian Clam and Blue Green Algae as two priority issues needing immediate attention by local government. OWLA volunteers and lake shore residents will be a key resource in helping to identify areas of infestation. Please report any sitings to the resources listed below:


Link to the Asian Clam Task Force article in the Auburn Citizen:http://auburnpub.com/news/local/article_7e939fc0-4615-11e0-bf94-001cc4c002e0.html

Stay tuned here for updated information  on both issues.

To report a siting of the Asian Clam contact  the Watershed Inspector; Jessica Reinhart at OLWIP (315)-252-4171 x 120 or jreinhart@cayugaswcd.org.


To report sitings of the Blue Green Algae please contact the Cayuga County Health Department at 315-253-1405.

For information on Blue-green algae go to this NYS Department of Health web-site http://www.scribd.com/doc/40201631/NYS-Health-Department-Blue-Green-Algae

OWLA Board Meeting Wed. March 2nd

The monthly OWLA Board of Directors meeting will be held this Wednesday March 2nd , 7pm at the Springside Inn on Rt. 38 in Fleming.

Learn more about Algae Blooms - Lake Algae Symposium - April 9th

A Lake Algae Symposium will be held on Saturday, April 9, 10:00am  - 12:00 pm, in the Honeoye Central School Auditorium.

The Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Finger Lakes Community College's Muller Field Station, and Honeoye Valley Association will host a public outreach program focused on algae blooms and their ecological consequences to drinking water and recreation on Saturday, April 9, 2011 10:00am - 12:00pm.

The event is intended to be a proactive educational opportunity for homeowners and water users of Honeoye Lake and the remaining Finger Lakes to gain knowledge and understanding as the 2011 season approaches. The agenda for the day will include three speakers, Dr. Bruce Gilman (FLCC), Dr. Greg Boyer (SUNY ESF), and Jim Hyde (NYSDOH) presenting on the general background of algal blooms and types of algae; current research and what is known of the risk assessments for homeowners, businesses, and visitors; and the recommended treatment strategies and their effectiveness. The audience of this event will be home/cottage owners from the western Finger Lakes region, specifically Honeoye Lake.

The event will take place in the Honeoye Central School Auditorium located at 8528 Main Street Honeoye, NY 14471. For questions, please contact Finger Lakes Institute Community Outreach Coordinator Sarah Meyer, at smeyer@hws.edu.

- this information taken from the FLI - February 2011 "Finger Lakes Institute Happenings" newsletter.

Interesting new blog: New York Water Law

Would you like to learn more about laws protecting water usage and quality in NY State? If so, check out a new blog started last month by Laura Treichler, a Fingerlakes area environmental attorney.

The New York Water Law blog covers news on laws and legal actions in New York State, as well as other parts of the the country. New York Water Law also contains links to many other interesting water law resources.

Link: http://nywaterlaw.com/index.html

Let us know what you think of it, by leaving a comment on this post.

- Lakeman

OWLA Board Of Directors Meeting Wed. Feb. 2nd

Our next OWLA Board Of Directors Meeting will be held Wed. Feb. 2nd , 7pm at the Springside Inn in Fleming.

Hope to see you there!

New invasive discovered in Owasco Lake

The Chinese Mystery Snail is the latest invasive species to be identified in Owasco Lake. At Thursday's Water Quality Management Agency meeting there was a discussion on the snail and it's possible effects to the Lake. The snail was discovered in the lake in late 2010, but the positive identification was only recently confirmed. The Owasco Watershed Inspector; Jessica Reinhart, has requested that anyone who spots the snail to report the siting by calling her office at 315-252-4171 ext. 120.

The Chinese Mystery Snail has spread to many parts of the country and has been reported in the Great Lakes for many years. The snail is fairly large, about the size of a walnut or golf ball and is olive green in color. They spend most of their life in partially buried in the bottom sediments. When the snail dies, it washes up on shore and and can be easily seen(...and smelled). Long term effects of the snail are not completely understood. As more information becomes available we will post updates on the Owasco Lake News blog.

(photo from USGS)




Learn more about the Chinese Mystery Snail by visiting these links:

link to USGS fact sheet on the Chinese Mystery Snail:
http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=1045

link to the Auburn Citizen article:
http://auburnpub.com/news/local/article_3cf8b992-1a0f-11e0-b701-001cc4c03286.html

What's Happening from the Finger Lakes Institute

Upcoming seminars in the Finger Lakes:


IMPACT OF CHANGING OPEN SPACE
The Impact of Changing Open Space seminar to be held on Thursday, January 20, 2011 1:00-4:00 pm at the Ovid Federated
Church, 7137 N. Main St. Ovid, NY will focus in the impact of sporadic development in rural communities, land conservation, funding
opportunities for municipalities and private property owners, and cost of community services. The meeting is sponsored by Cornell
Cooperative Extension Seneca and Yates Counties. Cost is $20 per person with reservations due January 12th
and should be sent to
CCE Seneca Co., 308 Main Street Shop Centre, Waterloo, NY 13165. Municipal education credits will be available. For more
information or to express need for accommodations, contact Bobbie Harrison at 315/539-9251. Cornell Cooperative Extension of
Seneca and Yates Counties provide equal program and employment opportunities.

Happening by a Lake Near You - Farms, Folks, and Funding: Cultivating Leadership Through Research and Practice

February 2, 2011

Inn on the Lake, Canandaigua NY

Download the Call for Presentation Abstracts.

Download the registration form and flier, or register online.

This one-day conference will be focused on local agricultural best management practices, especially concerning water quality as it pertains to agriculture and municipal systems. Ranging from everyday human actions to long-term infrastructure issues, workshops 

and research sessions will be informative of how changing behavior and technology aids local agricultural processes; in particular 

addressing water quality for food sources, drinking, waste management, and the water cycle. Workshop and presentation topics 

will include:

- Municipal water system implications

- On-site wastewater management

- Composting

- Organic farming

- Agricultural BMPs

- Nutrient Management

- Innovative Farm Practices/Technologies (methane digesters, etc.)

- Local food distribution

- Software involving Agriculture/ Water Quality

- Social/Human Dimensions

- Biomass Crops

- Downstream innovations

- Agricultural water reuse

For more information on presentations, or other aspects of the conference, please contact Khris Dodson at 315-443-8818. 

Conference cost is $40, which includes continental breakfast, snacks, lunch and all programs. Register here.

WESTERN NEW YORK STORMWATER MANAGEMENT TRAINING SERIES'
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE SEMINAR 7
The NYS Stormwater Management Design Manual has been updated and now includes Green Infrastructure practices as a
requirement in Chapter 3, 4 and 5. The major purposes of these practices are to increase pollutant removal from water runoff by
getting closer to the source and to reduce the amount of runoff by providing planning and treatment practices that enhance
infiltration and mimic pre-development hydrology. This course will take participants through the process and use of the practices on
site specific designs to achieve the goals established in the manual. Detailed sizing exercises of treatment practices will be
performed in design teams. All projects that will be approved after March 1st, 2011 must demonstrate that Green Infrastructure
practices are incorporated into the design phase. Note that some MS4s are already requiring designers to review and consider
some of these practices. This course offers municipal and design engineers, landscape architects, stormwater professionals and land
use planners and developers one of the best training on Green Infrastructure in Western New York.
This seminar will be taught by Don W. Lake Jr. PE, CPESC, CPSWQ aka the stormwater guru of New York. Don has presented over
1,400 lectures, seminars, and  training workshops in erosion and sediment control, hydrology, and stormwater management
throughout the country. He is the principal author of the "New York Standards and Specifications for Erosion and Sediment Control",
the "New York Contractors Erosion and Sediment Control Field Notebook", and co-author of "Construction Site Erosion and Sediment
Controls - Planning, Design, and Performance." Don is a dynamic, enthusiastic presenter that oozes knowledge. If you have not
attended one of his seminars, it is a must. John Dunkle, PE, CPESC, CPSWQ with also be teaching segments of the class.
The workshop will be held on January 6th from 8:30am to 4:30pm at the Henrietta Fire Training Center, located at 60 Erie Station
Road Henrietta, NY 14586. 7 LUs, 7 PDHs, and 7 CEUs are to be awarded for this course. The workshop is a one-day session with
a fee of $230.00 and will include handouts, refreshments, and lunch.
http://www.monroecountyswcd.org/index_files/Page1249.html


COMMUNITY TRAINING IN ECOLOGICAL DESIGN
February through April 2011
Montour Falls, NY
Are you a landowner, farmer, or gardener?
Do you want a more sustainable and abundant life?
Learn a design method to improve home scale food and forest production, to conserve resources, and save money.
Study basic ecological principles and permaculture methods and use them to solve problems on your own home and landscape.
Help make better choices for our land, families, and communities.
Create your own sustainable design for a backyard, garden space, vacant lot, field, forest, or even an entire village. Examples and
applications will be presented in both an urban and rural settings.
Design subjects include gardens, water management, earthworks, small woodlot management, buildings, energy, soils, compost,
animals, and more.
Schedule:
Weekend Workshop: February 12 & 13
Tuesday evenings: 6:30 to 9:00 p.m., February 15 - April 12
Instructors:
Steve Gabriel, Michael Burns, and Karryn Olson-Ramanujan with guest presenters
Tuition:
$200 - $400 (based on what you can afford) Thanks to the Schuyler County Environmental Management Council, and the Finger
Lakes Resource Conservation & Development Council, a limited number of half scholarships are available for residents of Schuyler,
Steuben, Chemung, Ontario, Seneca and Yates counties. A special thanks goes to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County
(EPO/EEO) for their support of this program.
Location:
Schuyler County Human Services Building, 323 Owego Street, Montour Falls, NY 14865
Contact: Call (607) 227-0316 or visit http://www.FingerLakesPermaculture.org for information and reg


Learn more from the FLI:
http://fli.hws.edu/pdf/2011/publications/january2011.pdf

Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council formed

Wednesday night at Emerson Park, three municipalities voted to form the Owasco Lake Management council. The Cayuga County Legislator, City of Auburn and Town of Owasco became the founding members. They hope to add the other towns and villages of the Owasco Lake Watershed to the council very soon. The purpose of the council is to oversee watershed protection in the 208 square mile watershed. Owasco Lake is the major water supply for over 50,000 people in Cayuga County. The group also hopes to apply for grants and federal funding to address water quality issues in the watershed. The groups first efforts will be to create its by-laws and a budget.

The Owasco Watershed Lake Association has been pushing for a cooperative approach by all watershed municipalities for many years. We are very hopeful for active participation in the council by all of the government bodies in the watershed.

Read the Auburn Citizen article at the following link:
http://auburnpub.com/news/local/article_6a05efae-034e-11e0-a844-001cc4c002e0.html