Cayuga Lake Watershed Network

IDENTIFY KEY THREATS TO CAYUGA LAKE AND ITS WATERSHED, AND ADVOCATES FOR SOLUTIONS THAT SUPPORT A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT AND VIBRANT, SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES.

THE CAYUGA LAKE WATERSHED NETWORK ("NETWORK") OFFERS TWO FREE COMMUNITY CONFERENCES FOR THE PUBLIC ANNUALLY ON WATER ISSUES OF CONCERN AT THE NORTH AND SOUTH ENDS OF THE LAKE; PUBLISHES FOUR NEWSLETTERS EACH YEAR; MAINTAINS A WEBSITE WWW.CAYUGALAKE.ORG; HAS A FACEBOOK PAGE, A TWITTER ACCOUNT, AND AN INSTAGRAM PAGE; REACHES OVER 600 VIA OUR LISTSERV; COOPERATES WITH OTHER GROUPS IN SHARED EVENTS FOR THE PUBLIC, AND EDUCATES/ADVOCATES FOR THE PROTECTION OF CAYUGA LAKE, ITS CREEKS, LAND AND COMMUNITIES..FROM 2009 TO PRESENT, THE NETWORK HAS TAKEN PART IN SEVERAL LAKEWIDE AND REGIONAL WATER QUALITY PROTECTION INITIATIVES IN COOPERATION WITH MANY OTHER GROUPS AND COMMUNITIES. THESE INCLUDE:.FROM 2009 TO PRESENT: ENCOURAGING BETTER WATERSHED AWARENESS VIA ANNUAL SPRING CLEANUPS OF TRASH ALONG THE LAKESHORE, IN ROADSIDE DITCHES (DITCHES ARE WATERWAYS TOO), AND ALONG CREEKS; VIA ORGANIZING LOCAL COMMUNITY GROUPS, CHURCH GROUPS, SCOUTS, AND OTHERS TO DO EMBRACE THE LAKE CLEANUPS, FOR WHICH WE PROVIDE POSTERS, BAGS, GLOVES; AND WHERE FEASIBLE, TRASH PICKUP AFTERWARDS..FROM 2011 TO THE PRESENT: MONITORING FOR HYDRILLA AND WATER CHESTNUT (INVASIVE AQUATIC SPECIES), AND FOR HEMLOCK WOOLY ADELGID (TERRESTRIAL AQUATIC SPECIES), TO HELP PREVENT THEIR SPREAD AND RESULTING DEGRADATION OF WATER QUALITY; VIA PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS, NEWSLETTER ARTICLES, MEETINGS ACROSS THE FINGER LAKES REGION, TRAININGS FOR THE PUBLIC, AND AN EXTENSIVE NETWORK OF HYDRILLA INFORMATION BOXES INSTALLED AROUND CAYUGA LAKE AT BOAT LAUNCHES, LAKESIDE BUSINESSES, AND PARKS..FROM 2014 TO PRESENT: DEVELOPING AND FINDING FUNDING FOR THREE WATER QUALITY MONITORING GROUPS (COMPRISED OF TRAINED VOLUNTEERS, WORKING IN COOPERATION WITH A CERTIFIED WATER LAB) TO MONITOR WATER QUALITY OF CREEKS AROUND THE NORTHERN HALF OF CAYUGA LAKE. RESULTS ARE POSTED ONLINE AT WWW.COMMUNITYSCIENCE.ORG .THESE DATA ARE BEING USED TO DEVELOP BETTER WATER QUALITY PROTECTION STRATEGIES IN OUR LOCAL COUNTIES AND AT THE STATE LEVEL VIA THE NYS DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION..FROM 2017 TO PRESENT: PROVIDING PUBLIC OUTREACH LAKEWIDE REGARDING THE RISING PROBLEM OF HABS HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS, AKA CYANOBACTERIA OR BLUE-GREEN ALGAE. WE INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT HABS, HOW TO REPORT THEM AND AVOID THEM. WE WORK COOPERATIVELY WITH THE HABS HARRIERS (TRAINED VOLUNTEER MONITORS), THE COMMUNITY SCIENCE INSTITUTE AND ITS WATER LAB, MUNICIPALITIES AROUND THE LAKE, COUNTY AND STATE HEALTH AUTHORITIES, AND THE NYS DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. WE HOPE THAT THE DATA WE COLLECT WILL EVENTUALLY BE OF VALUE IN REDUCING THIS NEW AND DANGEROUS CHALLENGE TO GOOD WATER QUALITY..FROM 2020 TO THE PRESENT: PARTICIPATING WITH NEIGHBORING LAKE ASSOCIATIONS, INITIATED A PROGRAM TO ADVISE AND ENCOURAGE LAKESHORE RESIDENTS TO ENGAGE IN "LAKE FRIENDLY LIVING" BY DISSEMINATING WRITTEN AND DIGITAL INFORMATION ABOUT LAKE FRIENDLY LIVING PRINCIPLES. A NEW WEBSITE PAGE DEVOTED TO THIS PROGRAM WAS DEVELOPED AND SIGNS ANNOUNCING PROPERTY OWNERS' PARTICIPATION WERE DISTRIBUTED. IN ADDITION, PURSUING NEW EFFORTS TO EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE LAKE BY INFORMING LAKESHORE PROPERTY OWNERS OF PROPER STEPS TO ALLEVIATE AND MITIGATE CLIMATE-CHANGE EFFECT, A HANDBOOK WAS WRITTEN, DESIGNED AND PRINTED FOR DISTRIBUTION IN BOTH HARD COPY AND DIGITAL FORM. FINALLY, NEW INSTRUMENTATION WAS OBTAINED TO ENHANCE THE ONGOING MONITORING OF THE TRIBUTARIES AT THE NORTHERN END OF THE LAKE FOR NUTRIENT RUN.FROM 2021 TO THE PRESENT: ACCELERATED INTENSIVELY ACTIVITIES AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS AND SOLUTIONS WITHIN THE WATERSHED. A NEW VERSION OF THE HANDBOOK WAS PRODUCED DIRECTED AT ALL RESIDENTS OF THE WATERSHED(NOT JUST LAKESIDE PROPERTY OWNERS). AN ENTIRELY NEW SECTION OF THE ASSOCIATION WEBSITE WAS CREATED ON CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE CAYUGA LAKE WATERSHED WITH THREE SECTIONS ON INDICATORS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON THE WATERSHED, ACTIONS TO ADAPT TO AND MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS, AND LINKS TO KEY RESOURCES REGARDING CLIMATE CHANGE AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES. AFTER AN UNUSUAL YEAR WITH THREE FLOODING EPISODE OF THE LAKE, FOCUSED ON DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ON LAKE LEVEL PROBLEMS AND LIMITED CONTROL RESOURCES.