The Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council and the Owasco Watershed Lake Association Partnership is holding a clean up event as part of Lake Friendly Living Awareness Month on Saturday, May 9, 2026 from 9 am to noon. Click on the photo below for more information.
For more Lake Friendly Living Programs, visit www.flrwa.org/lake-friendly-living.
The Cayuga Lake Watershed Network is hosting the Cayuga Lake Hydrilla Task Force 2026 Public Information session online via zoom on Thursday, January 22, 2026 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The invasive plant, hydrilla verticillata, was first discovered in Cayuga Lake in 2011. The Cayuga Lake Hydrilla Task Force’s managing agencies will give an annual update on efforts that have been taken to implement the action plan for controlling and reducing hydrilla’s impact on the lake and their plans for the upcoming season.
Presenters include:
You can register for this public information session at www.cayugalake.org.
By Michele Wunderlich, Principal Environmental Planner, Cayuga County Department of Planning and Economic Development
The Owasco Lake Watershed Nine Element Plan for Phosphorus Reduction (9E Plan) was approved by the New York State Department of State and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in September 2022. This Clean Water Plan advances efforts to restore and protect the water quality of Owasco Lake and its watershed. This collaborative effort identified focused strategies to ensure the lake’s water supply, aquatic habitat, and recreational uses are protected.
A recommended practice in the 9E Plan was supporting the Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council’s (OLWMC) central role in lake and watershed management. On November 15, 2022 the OLWMC Board of Directors approved of the creation of the 9E Plan Project Coordination Committee that prioritizes, coordinates, and facilitates project and programming implementation based on the recommendations of the 9E Plan. The Owasco Lake Watershed Nine Element Plan Project Coordination Committee Progress Report 2022-2025 is an overview of the various programs and projects that have been implemented since the adoption of the 9E Plan. This report is now available here.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact Michele Wunderlich at mwunderlich@cayugacounty.gov.
By Olivia Green Olivia.green@tnc.org
Since 2018, The Nature Conservancy has taken a science-driven approach to protecting land in the Finger Lakes, preserving 6 properties in the Owasco Lake watershed. In total, the effort protects over 720 acres of headwater wetlands, forests, and farmland to keep runoff out of Owasco Lake, a drinking water source for over 44,000 people threatened by harmful algal blooms. To identify the lands most vital to protecting water quality in the lake, the Conservancy assessed and prioritized all 3,000 parcels in the watershed for attributes that are known to be beneficial for keeping water clean, such as the presence of freshwater wetlands, which can absorb and treat polluted water running off a neighboring property. We also factored in size, location, stream frontage, and slope. Protecting these lands—many of which are quite distant from the lake itself—highlights the outsized role of our headwater wetlands and streams in keeping a lake healthy for people and nature.
In addition to protecting land and water quality, we gifted 4 properties, one to Fillmore Glen State Park, two to the Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council, and one to the DEC for expansion of the Owasco Flats Wildlife Management Area. Having these lands owned and managed by local stewards increases public access to nature, outdoor educational opportunities, restoration efforts, and importantly, local capacity to care for protected land. We’re also leveraging Owasco lands to test reforestation and assisted tree regeneration as natural climate solutions. This work has been funded by a $1.2 million Water Quality Improvement Project grant from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and matching private funds. 
Fillmore Nature Preserve is a 161-acre property that is critical for protecting water quality in Owasco Lake. A study by The Nature Conservancy ranked the property within the top 10 parcels in the Owasco Lake watershed with the greatest impact on water quality. The land includes diverse forests and approximately 40 acres of freshwater wetlands. The Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council (OLWMC) closed on the property transfer from The Nature Conservancy in January 2023 and established the Fillmore Nature Preserve. The grand opening of the Fillmore Nature Preserve was held November 7, 2024 with promotional support provided by Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce, Cayuga County WQMA and the Citizen Newspaper. Read more about it in our December newsletter.
Congratulations to Greg and Neil Rejman and Sunnyside Farms who were selected for the New York AEM Leopold Conservation Award. More information is available here: https://sandcountyfoundation.org/news/2024/sunnyside-farms-selected-for-new-york-aem-leopold-conservation-award.