Submitted by Rick Nelson

The Owasco Watershed Lake Association (OWLA) Board is busy with existing projects and developing new ones for water quality improvements and watershed awareness.

Trained Harmful Algal Bloom spotting volunteers started two weeks ago to check all around the lakeshore for HABs. Very few have arrived so far.

Our roadside ditch remediation program continues in cooperation with the Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District to reduce future sediment and nutrient loading into Owasco Lake.

In addition, the OWLA Board is in the initial stages of new efforts for the late summer into Fall:
• to increase awareness – interact with school teachers to incorporate water quality educational programs such as those available from the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges;
• install roadside signs highlighting the watershed boundaries, and important measures citizens can take to protect Owasco Lake.
• a tree planting program will hopefully blossom into a Lake wide effort with many volunteers; and
• a trash pickup day/week, hopefully Lake wide, to remove trash and debris from our shorelines, ditches, and streams.

For more info visit www.owla.org.

Photo credit: Rick Nelson