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:
The New York State Federation of Lake Associations (NYSFOLA) is hosting a series of webinars in collaboration with Syracuse University.
These will be filled with valuable information about how to manage a lake association. Topics include: Insurance, Conflict Management, Lake Ecosystems, and Working with Local Governments.
Go to our News page on our website for details: owla.org/category/news/
lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDAsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldG...
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) - New York State's environmental protection and regulatory agencywww.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/opinion/lawn-pesticides-insect-extinction.html?smid=fb-share&fbclid=Iw...
Opinion | America’s Killer Lawns
Homeowners use up 10 times more pesticide per acre than farmers do. But we can change what we do in our own yards.Calling all Citizen Science Volunteers to Assist with Water Quality Surveys in CNY
Do you regularly use Central New York's streams or rivers for recreation?
Are you interested in becoming part of a network of citizen science volunteers who help monitor New York waterways?
The CREEQ (Citizen Recreational Evaluation of Environmental Quality) Project is looking for volunteers to assist the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) by reporting the condition of waterways through an online visual evaluation of stream water quality. By participating, you are supporting the DEC to improve water quality monitoring efforts and protection of natural waterways.
CREEQ surveys can be performed from May 9 - August 31, at any stream in Central New York State, though public access points are preferred.
To find public-access locations in your area, click here.
To participate, please click here or scan the QR code with your device to access the survey
You can perform the survey at any time of day and at as many sites as you like. Please do not submit more than one survey per location per day. Once submitted, volunteers can see their contributions in the CREEQ Data Portal, which will be updated in real time. Surveys will be followed up by ESF researchers collecting water quality samples to determine accuracy of visual evaluations to water quality laboratory findings.
Consistent with "New York State on PAUSE" guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19, New Yorkers are encouraged to engage in responsible activities that incorporate guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York State Department of Health for reducing the spread of infectious diseases. Activities like this survey can be performed by individuals and household members on their own schedule in a way that allows them to remain local and practice physical distancing.
For more details, visit: www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/119881.html
Links
CREEQ Survey: arcg.is/H54rG
Public Access Stream Locations: arcg.is/1CPO9r
CREEQ Data Portal: arcg.is/bmSHu
Healthy Lawn Care Webinar
Presented by Dr. Frank Rossi, Cornell University
Thursday, May 14th at 1 PM
Zoom: cornell.zoom.us/j/98484344179
Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...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
OWLA Monthly Meeting
OWLA Monthly Meeting
OWLA Monthly Meeting
OWLA Monthly Meeting
OWLA Monthly Meeting
OWLA Monthly Meeting
OWLA Monthly Meeting
OWLA Monthly Meeting
OWLA Monthly Meeting
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.