Staff from the Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Management Alliance meet with Jamestown’s Strategic Planning and Partnership Commission on June 19, 2019.

JAMESTOWN – The city of Jamestown isn’t in the Chautauqua Lake watershed, but that isn’t stopping a group of city officials and representatives from learning about an organization dedicated to helping to locate and secure funding sources to help address the needs and challenges of the lake.

On Wednesday morning members of the Jamestown Strategic Planning and Partnership Commission (SPPC) held its monthly meeting and heard from representatives of the Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Management Alliance, who presented details on what the alliance does and how it could possibly work with the city to help it in its development efforts related to the Riverwalk and other projects associated with the lake Outlet and Chadakoin River – up to the Warner Dam.

• READ PRESENTATION TO SPPC

Alliance Executive Director Erin Brickley said the alliance could help the city by securing partial funding for a city storm water study, developing Green Infrastructure Projects that would reduce runoff into the outlet and river, and also conservation of the extensive wetland areas located on the west city of the city and surrounding the outlet.

COMMISSION BRIEFLY DISCUSSES RECYCLING CONCERNS

In addition to meeting with the Alliance, SPPC members also noted that there had been some concerns in recent weeks about the Board of Public Utilities ramping up enforcement of its recycling rules. As a result, they felt a thorough review of those rules and subsequent discussion should take place. The SPPC will not meet in July, so the earliest that conversation could occur is during its August meeting.

The SPPC is an advisory agency comprised of city officials – including the chair of the city planning commission and president of the city council, along with with representatives of the private sector, who review and discuss various issues affecting the city and also make recommendation to the city government to help implement new policy and legislation. It currently meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 8:30 a.m. in the mayor’s conference room. All meetings are open to the public.

Pictured above, panelists of the Western New York Regional Harmful Algal Bloom Summit.

ROCHESTER – Chautauqua Lake was well represented at the Western New York Regional Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) Summit in Rochester on March 26.

County Executive George Borrello, County Legislator Pierre Chagnon, Water Resource Specialist Bill Boria, Soil & Water Conservation District Field Manager Dave Spann, and Watershed Coordinator Dave McCoy attended the 12-hour session on behalf of Chautauqua County.

They were joined by other lake organization representatives – including Erin Brickley from the Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Management Alliance; as well as representatives from Chautauqua Lake Association, Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, Audubon Community Nature Center, and Chautauqua Lake Partnership.

The state held the summit as an effort to address the growing problem of algal blooms on New York Waterways.

As part of the state budget, Governor Andrew Cuomo included Chautauqua Lake in his $65 million HABs Initiative as one of twelve priority lakes in New York State.

Officials hope information collected during the summit will help them better address the HAB problem at the local level.

Jen Maguder, Conservationist with the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, collects a water sample from near the beach at Long Point State Park on Chautauqua Lake in Bemus Point, New York. Ms. Maguder and Randall Perry (not pictured), Project Manager with the Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Management Alliance, also collected a sample from the lake’s South Basin in Celoron as part of an international study on microplastics in inland lakes

MAYVILLE – Chautauqua Lake is participating in an international study to look at the impact that plastics have on the environment.

Plastics in the environment are typically broken down into ever-smaller pieces, rather than into their component molecules, by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light through a process known as photodegradation. Microplastics are plastic pieces generally smaller than 5 mm that often originate from cosmetic sources such as exfoliating face wash or toothpaste but also from synthetic clothing or improperly discarded plastic products.

Whenever microplastic-containing personal-care products are used, thousands of microplastic particles travel down the drain, through water treatment systems, and out to our local waterways. From there they can have a negative impact on a wide variety of species, from fish to birds and land animals that rely on the fish to survive.

Fredonia State professor and researcher Dr. Sherri Mason speaking to the County Legislature in September 2015, prior to its vote on a local law banning the sale of products containing microbeads.

Much of the existing science on aquatic plastic pollution has focused on our oceans, but that is now evolving to include studies of freshwater ecosystems as well. In fact, Fredonia State professor Dr. Sherri Mason is on the forefront of freshwater studies focused on the Great Lakes. During her studies, Dr. Mason found alarmingly high numbers of microplastics in the Great Lakes whereby plastics were found in the gastrointestinal tracts of every fish species that was sampled.

Another SUNY Fredonia professor – Dr. Courtney Wigdahl-Perry – was recently contacted by international colleagues about conducting microplastics sampling on Chautauqua Lake, one of only a handful of North American sites to be included in a larger European study of microplastics in inland lakes.

Staff from the Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Management Alliance (Alliance) and the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy (CWC), in coordination with Dr. Wigdahl-Perry, collected samples from both lake basins earlier  this week.

“It is very exciting to be included in this international study which will serve to create baseline knowledge of microplastic levels in Chautauqua Lake,” said Erin Brickley, Executive Director of the Alliance. “Chautauqua County was one of the leading municipalities that banned sales of cosmetic products containing microbeads which officially went into effect February 2016 so the timing of this study coincides nicely.”

For more information regarding the microplastic sampling, please contact Erin Brickley at (716) 661-8918.

The Alliance mission is to facilitate the implementation of the Chautauqua Lake Watershed Management Plan and the Chautauqua Lake Macrophyte Management Strategy by working with its members as it seeks outside funding for projects related to water quality.

The 2015 Regional Economic Development Council awards were announced on Thursday.

The Alliance, working in collaboration with a number of its members including the County, wrote six Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) – Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP) grants for over $1.4 million in stream bank stabilization projects. All six applications were funded, leveraging local investment to bring in over $1 million in state dollars to benefit Chautauqua Lake.

The grants cover 75% of each project cost while 25% of project costs needed to be funded locally.

According to Alliance Executive Director Erin Brickley, the stream bank stabilization projects are critical with respect to reducing sediment and excess nutrient loads flowing into the lake. The primary concern in Chautauqua Lake is the impact that excessive weed growth (including invasive species) and algal blooms have on recreational uses and drinking water. Nonpoint source pollution such as excess sediment, phosphorus and nitrogen are the major cause of excess plants and algae. Brickley said Addressing the cause and not just the symptoms is an important management goal in any watershed.

The two provide details about the 2015 Spring Lake Rally, taking place inside the town of Chautauqua Municipal Building, located at 2 Academy St., from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

The rally will present the progress made on Chautauqua Lake regional projects and initiatives. Numerous lake-based organizations will be on hand to answer questions. The event is free and open to the public.

Erin Brickley

MAYVILLE – The Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance (Alliance) has hired Erin Brickley as its new Executive Director.

Brickley will take the helm of this newly-formed not-for-profit organization on Monday.

Brickley grew up in Chautauqua County and graduated from Falconer Central School with honors. She attended Hiram College for her undergraduate work, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology. She earned her Master of Science degree in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco while working full-time as a Microbiology Water Lab Supervisor. Her most recent experience was with Trinity Biotech.

“We searched nationally to fill this position and we received resumes from some very qualified people,” said Pierre Chagnon, Interim Chairman of the Alliance and current member of the county legislature. “We were very fortunate to find someone who is not only well qualified, but who has roots here in Chautauqua County.”

“I am excited about bringing my educational background and work experience to the Alliance”, said Brickley. “I am committed to the Alliance’s mission of improving the quality of Chautauqua Lake and its watershed for the betterment of our community.”

According to a media release, the top priorities for the Alliance in 2015 include consolidating its membership, electing the permanent Board of Directors, and pursuing funding for projects.

It will also coordinate and collaborate with lake and watershed related organizations, governmental bodies, and other stakeholders to foster and promote the management of Chautauqua Lake and its watershed.

Although the Alliance recently received its 501(c)(3) status as a not-for-profit corporation from the Internal Revenue Service, the Board of Directors has interim status and the general membership has not yet been established.