Ellery Town Supervisor Larry Anderson addresses Chautauqua County Legislature (February 22, 2023)

The Town of Ellery has asked the Chautauqua County Legislature to support and help implement a six-point plan for improvement of Chautauqua Lake.

Legislator Lisa Vanstrom requested that Legislative Clerk Olivia Lee read the letter outlining the proposal from Ellery Town Supervisor Larry Anderson out loud for all members present to hear.

The plan for future lake improvement includes lakeside municipalities, the county, and state leaders reaching an agreement on the goal for Chautauqua Lake management. It also calls for contracting with a university-led group of scientists, engineers, and project managers to develop a multi-year management plan. The third point requests that $7 million in the County’s American Rescue Plan funds be designated toward the development and implementation of the plan. The fourth point seeks to revisit a county-wide funding mechanism for Chautauqua Lake protection and rehabilitation including use of existing property, sales, and occupancy tax revenue with the potential for increases in those tax rates.

The proposal would use an organization of lakeside municipality mayors and supervisors with support from county government to oversee the development and implementation of the plan and manage lake and watershed activities consistent with the goal set. This organization would be unaffiliated with lake organizations.

The last point in the proposal asks State Senator George Borrello and Assemblyman Andy Goodell to work to obtain state funding for the lake and to work with the State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Larry Anderson, speaking at the second privilege of the floor, thanked the legislature for reading the letter and said it took 50 to 60 years for Chautauqua Lake to “get this bad,” “And it’s not going to get fixed overnight. It’s going to take some time. But I really feel that our six-point plan is the way to start and if we can get enough support and everybody comes together with the townships, the villages along the lake, that I think we can finally go in the right direction.”

The Chautauqua Lake Protection and Rehabilitation Agency, which was formed in 2018 to study the creation of a lake protection and rehabilitation district, voted in January to not move forward with a tax district.

Bemus Point Mayor Jeff Molnar also addressed the Legislature and said after attending various CLPRA and lake organization meetings, it was clear that “not everyone was rowing in the right direction,” “I’ve learned about the proposal that the town of Ellery has put forward. And unless I get any negative feedback from my Board of Trustees in the village, then I intend to support, at least, the portion about the mayors and supervisors organization.”

Mayville Mayor Rick Syper also made a short statement saying he supports Ellery’s plan.

County Executive PJ Wendel said the lakeside municipality leaders group proposed by Ellery to oversee the effort would be a new group.

He said while 3 of the 9 leaders are in agreement, it’s been tough to get consensus, “I don’t think they’re too far off but everybody has their different opinions and philosophies. And we’ve said this, we’re not going to get a unanimous consensus, but we do have to look at what’s happening. My push for this year is a collaborative effort. We have yet to do that in Chautauqua Lake. We harvest and we use herbicides. But I have a big push with our working group, if you will, between the Watershed (Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy) , CLA (Chautauqua Lake Association), and CLP (Chautauqua Lake Partnership) to have a collaborative plan this year to start.”

Legislature Chairman Pierre Chagnon gave credit to Ellery for developing the plan. He said there’s significant overlap between what the town and County Executive Wendel are working on, “I know that the County Executive has met with the town of Ellery representatives to discuss his directions and their plan. Personally, I think that it’s exciting, the concept of getting all of the towns and villages around the lake agreeing on what should be done and working together to help the lake.”

Chagnon said he’s looking forward to learning more about Wendel’s plan in the near future.

Ice Fishers on Chautauqua Lake

Ice fishermen on Chautauqua Lake are being urged to be cautious.

The Chautauqua Lake Association said they’ve had reports of “not good ice” in areas all around the lake. They said while most people expect the lower basin to have better ice than the upper basin, that is not the case this year.

The CLA said due to this winter’s unseasonable weather, unusual conditions are being experienced lake wide.

The State Department of Environmental Conservation says four inches of solid clear ice is usually safe for anglers accessing ice on foot.

Anglers should be particularly cautious of areas of moving water and around boat docks and houses where bubblers may be installed to reduce ice from forming. Checking the ice can easily be done with an auger or spud bar at various spots. In addition, fishing with a family member or friend is also encouraged for safety. The CLA encourages anyone attempting to go on Chautauqua Lake to also wear a life jacket.

For those interested in trying ice fishing for the first time, February 18 and 19th is a free freshwater fishing week in New York State. The need for a freshwater fishing license is waived during these days.

CWC Director of Conservation Twan Leenders is pictured in a kayak in Ashville Bay during the first pilot removal effort of starry stonewort on September 30.

Local Lake and Watershed organizations have teamed up against the invasive species, starry stonewart, in Chautauqua Lake.

Starry stonewort can easily be mistaken for an aquatic plant at first glance. It first made its way to North America in 1974 via the St. Lawrence River. Since then it has spread to lakes across the Northeast.

The algae is identified by its thin grass-like branches, which grow in whorls around a central stem. Starry stonewort can appear green or brown in color, may be crunchy to the touch, and can be mistaken for native lookalikes like muskgrass. It can form dense stands in late-summer and early-fall, and can be difficult to detect before this growing season.

If left unaddressed, this invasive has the potential to spread to new areas of the lake, impede recreation, crowd out native plants and animals, and negatively impact game fish species.

Representatives from the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, the Chautauqua Lake Association, the Alliance, Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium, and Audubon joined volunteers last month to try to remove starry stonewart from Ashville Bay.

The group performed manual removal with a variety of tools including rakes, screens, and baskets. After around four hours of work, the manual removal team had gathered approximately 12 large bags of starry stonewort, or approximately 750 pounds of material to be disposed.

Following the pilot removal, stakeholders are continuing to assess their findings, consult with outside experts, and collaborate to determine the best path forward to manage starry stonewort in the lake.

For more information, contact Twan Leenders at Twan@chautauquawatershed.org.

Leaf collection

Phase 1 will begin in the Foote Avenue and Ivy Street area, moving west and north, clockwise through that side of town to Washington Street.

Phase 2 is estimated to begin November 14 and takes place in the Foote Avenue, Martin Road, and Linwood Avenue area.

Residents are asked to rake leaves to the terrace behind the curb and not into the street. Please do not put any trash, plastic bags, or containers in with leaves.

All basketball hoops on the street also must be removed.

The DPW is looking for local farmers or composters who may be interested in obtaining leaves collected this fall. Leaves can be brought directly to those interested or collected at a later date. Those who are interested may call the DPW at 716-483-7545.

A reminder that the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities Yard Waste Site remains open to residential customers from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturdays until November 12. Call 716-661-1660 for more information.

Also, the Chautauqua Lake Association is reminding Lakewood residents to rake shores and bring weed debris to the curb for pick-up on Monday October 24.

WATCH

Funding for the Community Conversation is made available by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s American Rescue Plan Act stabilization grant fund.

Left to Right: John Jablonski from the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, Dr. James Cirbus from the Chautauqua Lake Partnership, Dr. Rudy Mueller from the Chautauqua Lake Association, and WRFA Public Affairs Director Julia Ciesla-Hanley.

Chautauqua Lake Association clean-up of Chautauqua Lake

The Chautauqua Lake Association begins its Spring debris removal on Chautauqua Lake today.

The two week pre-season program, run annually, clears hazardous woody debris that has floated into the lake from the tributaries.

CLA officials said the program will be capped off by a volunteer-based Chautauqua Lake Outlet cleanup event on Saturday, May 21. This event is in conjunction with the Conewango Creek Watershed Association and the Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium.

Last year, during the CLA’s spring cleanup, crews removed 11 truckloads of dangerous debris from the shoreline. Conservation areas were left undisturbed to protect and allow aquatic life habitat to naturally evolve.

Chautauqua Lake Association Ice Pick

The Chautauqua Lake Association’s Ice Pick fundraiser is officially underway.

The CLA places a bright orange ice pick on the frozen Chautauqua lake and invites the community to share predictions on when the ice break will occur. The pick is monitored with a clock and video surveillance to accurately record the precise moment the pick has fallen through the ice.

Each guess for when the ice pick will fall through is a $5 donation and entries will be accepted through Sunday, March 20, 2022.

The Grand Prize winner will receive $250 and the next five closest guesses will each receive $50. All remaining funds will benefit the Chautauqua Lake Association’s year round lake management efforts.

The mail-in form for guess submission and the online guess submission can be made at ChautauquaAssociation.org/events. The livestream of the ice pick is available on that site as well.

The CLA said the field guide was prepared by Racine-Johnson Aquatic Ecologists of Ithaca, New York. It is titled “A Field Guide of Native Aquatic Macrophyte Species Found in Chautauqua Lake along with Current and Potential Non-Natives Species.” Racine-Johnson has been independently studying Chautauqua Lake’s diverse plant community continually since 2002 under the sponsorship of the CLA.

The field guide provides information about the most common thirty-three native species and ten non-native species. Although most of the non-native species are not present in the lake, they are species that could arrive for which observers need to be vigilant. The CLA’s boat launch-based Watercraft Steward Program exists to guard against the arrival of new non-native invasive species that could cause a nuisance to the native plant community and to lake recreational use.

To view and download this field guide, visit chautauqualakeassociation.org

In the Village of Lakewood, the 2021 Lakewood Firecracker 10K and 2 Mile run/walk will happen in person on Saturday, July 3rd. Check-in is from 7am to 8:15am at the Lakewood Beach with the race beginning at 9:00 am.

Lakewood also has a vehicle parade is planned for Sunday. Line up begins at 10:00 am at the Lakewood American Legion with the parade proceeding through the village and returning back to the American Legion. The Lakewood American Legion will then host a drive through chicken BBQ beginning at 1:00pm until supplies last.

In Jamestown, the Tarp Skunks game versus Niagara Power starts at 7pm tonight and concludes with a firework show. Tune to WRFA for a live broadcast of this game.

Multiple fireworks shows are also back on the schedule including the Village of Mayville holding their annual fireworks display over Chautauqua Lake’s north basin at 10pm on Sunday. The Lakeside Park will host vendors and be open to the public.

The Bemus Point Firework Show also will take place at 10:00 pm on Sunday and can be viewed from every part of the village. Spectators can also enjoy the show from their boats and docks on Chautauqua Lake.

The City of Dunkirk’s firework show will return on July 4th with live music being performed between 5 pm and 9 pm. Fireworks start at dusk.

The Chautauqua Lake Association also will be doing its annual “Light The Lake” event Sunday.

Lakefront residents are asked to light their flares at 10pm on Sunday in an effort to outline the entirety of Chautauqua Lake.

Flares are $3.00 each and last for 30 minutes. Official lighting time is 10 p.m., and the proceeds from the flare sale benefit the Chautauqua Lake Association.

Flares may be purchased at local stores including Peterson’s Farm, Tops in Jamestown, Lakewood Mobil Mart, Wegmans, Ashville General Store, and Smith Boys.

CLA Executive Director Douglas Conroe said the skimmers will increase the ability to safely collect the HAB scums as well as being utilized to collect floating plant masses that can be found out in open water.

The Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance helped the CLA in filing the grant application with New York State while Chautauqua County serves as the official owner of the equipment. Under a long-term renewable lease agreement the CLA will be responsible for all operating costs including staffing, fueling and yearly maintenance of the new skimmers.