Don't forget Lake Day!

It's just a week away from Owasco Lake Day! We hope you will take time to come out to hear the interesting speakers and to see the interesting exhibits.

5th Annual

Owasco Lake Day

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

3:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Emerson Park

Resource Fair and Family Activities

Displays, Demos, Brochures, Games

3:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Speakers at the Pavilion:

5:00 pm    Opening Ceremonies:

State, County and City Officials

5:30 pm    Keynote: Frederick L. Kirschenmann, Ph.D
               Farms, The Watershed, and Owasco Lake

6:15 pm    “State of the Lake” Panel

John Halfman, Ph.D.: Status of the Lake
       Bruce Natale:  Invasive Species  Update

  • Free Admission         • Free Parking
     • Family Activities        • Children’s Games
       • Children’s Games      • Pontoon Boat Rides

Sponsors:
 Owasco Watershed Lake Association
 Cayuga County Water Quality Management Agency
  Cornell Cooperative Extension Cayuga County
  IAGT at Cayuga Community College

Lawn care and the lake!

 It's that time of year when most of us are busy caring for our lawns. The Owasco Lake Water Inspector Katie Jacob recently wrote an interesting column on lawn care in the Auburn Citizen. Please read more on what you can do to minimize our lawns impact on the lake.

 (link:http://auburnpub.com/lifestyles/how-your-lawn-care-can-influence-our-lake-s-health/article_125a0bb4-40c7-50f8-afd5-13400fa38400.html)

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