Owasco Watershed Lake Association
“Speak on behalf of the lake for she cannot speak for herself.”
The members of the Owasco Watershed Lake Association have continued to meet during this time of isolation due to the threat of the Covid 19 virus, gathering virtually from our homes. Plans for summer projects to reduce sediment and nutrient flow into the lake are in the works, as well as plans for public outreach and education about what we can all do to preserve and protect Owasco Lake. Please join us.
Owasco Lake is essential to our community character and our economic future. The Owasco Watershed Lake Association, as the voice of the lake, recognizes this and has joined together to draw attention to the value and importance of Owasco Lake.
OWLA commits itself to facilitating the strategies and activities that are designed to restore our watershed and improve water quality for both drinking and full recreational use of Owasco Lake and its watershed.
YOU CAN BE PART OF THE SOLUTION BY JOINING OWLA TODAY!!
The Sediment Reduction Task Force
Scientists estimate that more than 20% of the sediment and nutrients reaching the lake came from eroding roadside ditches. This can be easily fixed by hydroseeding exposed soil and using rock on steep ditch surfaces. OWLA and partners have created a The Sediment Reduction Task Force to reduce soil and nutrient erosion into the lake.
The Be Watershed Aware Campaign
Owasco Lake is the collection point for all of the water used in the 208 square mile watershed.
Do you know that Owasco Lake provides drinking water for more than 44,000 people in our community? The lake offers year-round recreation, attracts tourists from far and wide, and continues to be a crown jewel of central New York! In turn, because Owasco Lake’s health is in jeopardy, all of us need to assist in its restoration, maintenance and preservation.
The Be Watershed Aware Campaign is a critical component in the long-term strategy to minimize the occurrence and severity of HABs in Owasco Lake. It is based on creating an informed population of landowners, businesses, and recreational users of the Lake and the surrounding Watershed.
HABs Reporting in Owasco Lake
The OWLA HABs Program Volunteers monitor their assigned shoreline zones once a week from July through early October.
Learn More about HAB reporting:
NEWS
Scroll through for current OWLA and area news:
“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.” –Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. #MartinLutherKingJrDay
Photo courtesy of Kevin Q. Gray
We had a great monthly meeting last night with our guest, Paul Torrisi, President of the Skaneateles Lake Association. Paul described many of the great projects that are being accomplished by their group. It was followed by lots of great questions and discussion about their work and similar projects that OWLA has.
If you missed it you can go watch a recording of the meeting and several other months prior as well:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuh7rKsN-joBUXaFtBUEx-ggaxWptdtGE
thanks for nice zoom meeting with SLA. For eliminating microcystin the liver toxin from the most common cyanobacteria or blue green algae in our lakes and those of the Northeast of the USA. Generally activated charcoal or carbon removes the toxin from drinking water and is used in our municipal plants dealing with that toxin. There are also other cyanobacteria and toxins that may come and go in the future. My expert source is Eileen O'Connor the public health engineer for the Cayuga County Health Department. She says there are some home carbon filter systems that work to absorb microcystins but they may easily be overwhelmed by high concentrations of toxin / cyanobacteria. When used in municipal plants the water is first filtered then exposed to the carbon. Municipal plants do regular testing especially when HABs are seen in the summer. The testing is hard to get and expensive with the lower limit of detection in the possibly toxic range. For water from the lakes best to avoid drinking the water if HABs around . In the summer filtering followed by carbon filters may help but no guarantee and hard to test. Of also avoid water for cooking since microcystins are heat stable. Aerosolized in showers also give some but lower exposure. Currently for COVID-19 concerns see CayugaCounty.us/health and www.CHealthS.com - privacy, germs - page
"OWLA: Cleaning up trash one way we can all help protect Owasco Lake" - an article by Julie Lockhart, Special to The Citizen
OWLA: Cleaning up trash one way we can all help protect Owasco Lake
"Sesame Street’s" Oscar the Grouch loves trash. Nestled inside his garbage can home, he even sings about it: “Anything dirty or dingy or dusty; anything ragged or rotten or rusty;Great article, Julie Lockhart!!
Hello! We are now live on Amazon Smile! As you are doing your everyday shopping or holiday shopping or any other shopping...please log on to Amazon through smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/homepage?orig=%2F and you Amazon will donate up to .5% of the purchase price to OWLA (or any other Non-Profit you choose), we hope you choose OWLA! Thank you!!!
AmazonSmile: You shop. Amazon gives.
Shop at smile.amazon.com and we’ll donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to your favorite charitable organization—no fees, no extra cost.Crystina Beckwith Brooks
We were told of this new Netflix documentary, "Kiss The Ground". It describes the importance of soil health and it's ability to sink carbon. This is of course closely related to the health of our agricultural lands and the lake. If you are a Netflix subscriber this is worth a watch -
From Netlix:
"Science experts and celebrity activists unpack the ways in which the earth's soil may be the key to combating climate change and preserving the planet.
Starring:Woody Harrelson
www.netflix.com/title/81321999
Crystina Beckwith Brooks
EVENTS and MEETINGS
Bob Brower Scientific Symposium in “Plain English”
“THIS CAN’T BE THE NEW NORMAL”
What’s happening to our lakes?
On Saturday, March 7, at the Auburn Public Theater, the Owasco Watershed Lake Association hosted the annual Bob Brower Scientific Symposium delivered in “plain English.”
Events Calendar
Check Out The Calendar For Area Events
News
OWLA presents important news and information from our area!
OWLA Monthly Meetings:
OWLA Monthly Meeting – Dr. Neil Murphy
Robert N. Brower
Memorial Honorarium
In 2018 we lost our friend and advocate for the lake and the environment, Bob Brower. OWLA has established an Honorarium in Bob’s name to help fund projects that were dear to him.
Please consider contributing to OWLA to honor Bob’s memory.
All donations are tax deductible.
What can you do to HELP?
Protecting Owasco Lake is essential to the maintenance of our community character and the improvement of our economic future. We encourage everyone to help the Owasco Watershed Lake Association personally and/or financially. By this commitment you will help keep Owasco Lake clean and safe.