Submitted by Paul Torrisi, M.D.

Recently a few of us from the Skaneateles Lake Association (SLA) attended the regional meeting of all 11 Finger Lakes at Hobart & William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y.

In a few days our 6^th year as the Skaneateles Lake Association will begin its efforts to keep the water of Skaneateles Lake Association clear and pure.

Our Milfoil Team is in place and the pontoon workboats are ready to go with the motors purchased last year with a grant from the Onondaga County Legislature.

The Skaneateles Lake Association is starting its 6^th year after emerging from its predecessor organizations.  Our mission to promote environmentally and aesthetically sound regional management of Skaneateles Lake and its watershed remains the same.  What we must do to achieve that mission has evolved from milfoil removal and milfoil growth control, to the prevention of the introduction of other invasive plant and animal species and investigation of other potential threats to the clear lake and pure waters for which the lake has long been known.

In 2011, the Skaneateles Lake Association evolved from its predecessor organizations and its board planned a funding program which focused on annual membership fees generated by a broad membership base of lakefront and lake rights owners, businesses that thrive on the lake setting, the entire Skaneateles Lake community that is enhanced by the lake and all those who enjoy the lake for a wide range of recreational activities.

With the introduction of an annual membership campaign the SLA membership began to slowly grow. After starting with 293 members in 2011, our membership grew to 705 members in 2015.  What was especially important about our growth in 2015 is that 140 people/families/business/organizations joined the SLA for the FIRST TIME.  It is also significant that 125 of those 705 members joined the SLA every year since 2011!  These sustaining members are the backbone of our financial stability and our ability to continue all of our efforts.

The first focus of our 2016 campaign is to regain the all of the 2014 members who did not renew their annual membership in 2015. Individual letters have been sent to each of them asking them to “jump aboard” again in 2016.  .  Our 2^nd membership effort for 2016 is focused on renewal of the memberships registered in the first quarter of 2015.  Letters were sent by mid-February requesting renewal of those memberships. Memberships in the SLA are rolling.  Membership extends for 1 year from the date of the prior membership date.  Because we have a rolling membership we send our annual renewal notices out in the early part of each quarter.  But, members do not have to wait to get a renewal notice letter.  To join at any time during the year, you can go to SkanaeatelesLake.org and click on the “Membership/Support” to join for the first time or rejoin for 2016.  For those who find it easy, there is a membership application on the back of each of our newsletters.  Finally, you can also call 315-685-9106 and ask for a member registration form to be sent to you.

The SLA is planning its 3^rd annual meeting to be held on Sunday, July 10^th from 5 pm to 7pm (location to be announced at a later date).  This event has been an informative and fun gathering of those who love our lake.  Please save that date on your calendar and join in this special event.

For those of you who have lakefront or lake rights property, this is the time of the year when the combination of increasing lake water level and spring storms can play havoc with the waterfront. If you can, it is a very good time to check your waterfront and anything you might have left on it.  Make sure all items are secured and, if you chose, identified in some way.  If you should lose (or gain) any item remember to use the “contact us” tab on the SLA website to give us the details and how to reach you and we will post the item on our “Lost and Found” list.

Source:  Skaneateles Press

Supporting the work of the Skaneateles Lake Association is primarily done through the funds that come from our Annual Membership Campaign. This year 610 members have joined to support our work related to milfoil growth control and the prevention of the introduction of other invasive species into the Skaneateles Lake water.  The funds from those memberships are the backbone of our ability to plan for and contract for the work we do.

During this season there are two other smaller ways that members of our lake community can help to financially support the SLA.

On Saturday, Dec. 5^th, the Skaneateles Artisans Gallery will be featuring the SLA as the nonprofit recipient of 10% of any sales from the work of the 100 participating artists who display their works at the Gallery.  Located in the lower level of the old Stone Mill building, the Gallery is a treasure chest of great art for you, your home or for gifts.  Teresa Vitale and the artists who display there recognize that our beautiful lake is not only a drawing card for potential customers, but also an inspiration for many of their artists.  Thus, supporting the SLA is a natural for these artists.  You can visit SkaneatelesArtisans.com for the posting of this benefit day and, of course, more information about the Gallery.  Please visit Skaneateles Artisans that day and hopefully find something that is perfect for you, your home or someone on your gift list while you help support the SLA.

You can also help support the SLA through AmazonSmile. When you do your shopping at Amazon, just indicate that you want the Skaneateles Lake Association to be the recipient of the AmazonSmile donation credit.

If you have not yet, joined the SLA for 2015, you can still do so and include your membership fee and any additional donations in your charity deduction for 2015. There are 3 easy ways to join the SLA.  You can:

Go SkaneatelesLake.org and register as a member; or

Call 315-685-9106, ask for a registration form to be mailed to you, complete the form and mail it with your check to the Skaneateles Lake Association P. O. Box 862  Skaneateles, NY 13152; or

Use the registration slip on the bottom of this summer’s SLA newsletter, complete the form and mail it with your check to the Skaneateles Lake Association P. O. Box 862  Skaneateles, NY 13152.

One last word, from the SLA, if you live on the lakefront or have lakerights and have not “battened down the hatches”, DO SO NOW! The wicked lake action in October did plenty of damage and that was with the lake level quite low.  The Spring lake level makes the potential for loss and damage much worse.

Source:  Skaneateles Journal

As we close out the seasonal work to keep the waters of Skaneateles Lake clear and pure, we begin the work of planning for next year. Looking back on what we have been able to do this past Spring, Summer and Fall we have a large number of people to thank.

The “thank you” is extended to the 600 people/families who  joined the Skaneateles Lake Association which helped to fund the work done in the 2015 season and provided us with some of the funds we need for the 2016 season.  We could not have done it without these members of our lake community.

We also recognize the generous “in kind” donations of the Skaneateles Marina which provides us with two moorings for our Milfoil Boats, the Mandana Inn which provided the food for our annual meeting this summer and Village Bottle Shop which was also generous to the SLA for our annual meeting. We owe a big thank you to Ted and Nancy Norman for the use of their property for our Annual Meeting and Ann Killian and Jim Greenfield for providing us with parking for those who attended.  We thank Matt Fogerty and the staff at the UPS Store for the special pricing of all of our printing and their expertise in making it come out looking professional.  Our Board member, Bob Dewitt, and his staff at Lakeview Auto and Marine deserve a special thank you for always being ready with immediate help with any little problem there might be with a boat or motor.  That “right away” assistance meant we lost little work time because of an equipment problem.

“Working the lake” on the milfoil boats and “working the launches” as an Invasive Species Monitoring Steward means being out there in all kinds of weather and conditions. Liam Wilson, Keith Marsden and Jason Hole are veterans of the Milfoil Boat and all the weather and work conditions that come with the job.  Our Stewards, Elyse DuBois, Dave DuBois, Tom Halstead, Will Thomas, Ginny Hamlin, Kim Case, Jeremy Castle, Sophie Hearn, Mia Mason, and Robert Frank were also out there in all kinds of weather and as early as 5:30 am!  Each of our Milfoil and Steward team members deserves a thank you from our community.

As we close out the seasonal work to keep the waters of Skaneateles Lake clear and pure, we begin the work of planning for next year. Before we can complete that planning we need to extend a very important ”PLEASE JOIN US” to many, many people. In order to continue the work we do and to do even more work in regard to threats beyond milfoil and invasive species, we are extending a please, please join us as 2015 members of the SLA to:

• The 200 members from 2014 who have not yet joined for 2015.
• The 500 town of Skaneateles lakefront/lake rights owners have not joined for 2015 and especially the 400 of these 500 who have never joined the SLA or contributed to the Milfoil Project.
• 150 Spafford lake front owners who have not joined the SLA in 2015 and especially the 100 of these 150 who have never joined the SLA or contributed to the Milfoil Project.
• The 130 Niles lakefront owners who have not joined the SLA in 2015 and especially the 100 of these 130 who have never joined the SLA or contributed to the Milfoil Project.
• The 22 Scott lakefront owners have not joined in the SLA in 2015 and especially the 17 of these 22 who have never joined the SLA or contributed to the Milfoil Project.
• The 35 Sempronius lakefront owners have not joined the SLA in 2015 and especially the 13 of these who have never joined the SLA or contributed to the Milfoil Project.

Whether lakefront/lakerights property on Skaneateles Lake is small or large, year round or seasonal, owned for generations or newly owned, it is special and has increased value because of the beautiful Skaneateles Lake water. The SLA needs every lakefront/lakerights property owner around the lake in every town to join the smaller percentage of lakefront/lakerights property owners who have been funding our efforts as annual SLA members for over 5 years. PLEASE.

There are 3 easy ways to join the SLA. You can:

Go SkaneatelesLake.org and registering as a member; or

Call 315-685-9106, ask for a registration form to be mailed to you, complete the form and mail it with your check to the Skaneateles Lake Association P. O. Box 862  Skaneateles, NY 13152; or

Use the registration slip on the bottom of this summer’s SLA newsletter, complete the form and mail it with your check to the Skaneateles Lake Association P. O. Box 862  Skaneateles, NY 13152.

Source:  Skaneateles Press

In 2015 the Skaneateles Lake Association put down benthic matting over 5 acres of significant milfoil growth, hand harvest milfoil in other areas that could not be matted, and inspected and cleaned, as necessary, 3617 boats to prevent the introduction of potential invasive vegetable and animal species into Skaneateles Lake.  This work was only able to be done because we had the funds.  Those funds come almost exclusively from the annual membership fees and additional donations of members who joined the SLA.  Getting our fund balance to point where we can comfortably contract for the work that needs to be done in 2016 is going to require more 2015 annual memberships.  We are specifically looking for 2015 annual memberships at this time from:

• 200 members from 2014 who have not rejoined for 2015.
• 500 Skaneateles lakefront or lakerights owners have not joined for 2015 and especially the 400 of these who have never joined the SLA or contributed to the Milfoil Project.
• 150 Spafford lakefront owners who have not joined the SLA in 2015 and especially the 100 of these who have never joined the SLA or contributed to the Milfoil Project.
• 130 Niles lakefront owners who have not joined in 2015 and especially the 100 of these who have never joined the SLA or contributed to the Milfoil Project.
• 22 Scott, lakefront owners have not joined in 2015 and especially the 17 of these who have never joined the SLA or contributed to the Milfoil Project.
• 35 Sempronius lakefront owners have not joined the SLA in 2015 and especially the 13 of these of these who have never joined the SLA or contributed to the Milfoil Project.

To join the SLA as a 2015 annual member please:

Go SkaneatelesLake.org and registering as a member; or

Call 315-685-9106, ask for a registration form to be mailed to you, complete the form and mail it with your check to the Skaneateles Lake Association P. O. Box 862  Skaneateles, NY 13152; or

Use the registration slip on the bottom of this summer’s SLA newsletter, complete the form and mail it with your check to the Skaneateles Lake Association P. O. Box 862  Skaneateles, NY 13152.

The SLA thanks the following individuals for their additional donations in support of the Milfoil Boat and the Lake Stewards.

Milfoil Boat Sponsors: Sept. 8 William Kopp, Ham Fish, Kathy & Dan Mezzalingua; Sept. 9 Lisa & Daniel Riordan, Virginia & Gerald Shanley; The Coppo Family, Mary & Joseph Gaffney; Sept. 10 Maggie & Ed Dienst; Sept. 11 Sherill & David Ketchum; Sept. 13 Eleanor & Joseph Hubbard, Nancy Thomas & Chris Legg, Elet & John Callahan, elizabth Liddy; Sept. 15 Nancy & Ted Norman, Lorraine Gudas in memory of Stuart Kagel: Sept. 16 Mark Congel, Sept. 17 Shirley Feldman, Sept. 18 & 21 Mary Ellen & Joseph Hennigan; Sept. 21 -25 & Sept. 28 – 30 The Kaufman Foundation; Sept. 31 Karen & Chris Kriedler, Cate & Sally, Rober Congel; Oct. 1 Christine & James Hueber, Carol Aroesty, Ten Mile Point South Cottage Owners Association; Oct. 2 Margaret O’Connell & Eric Allyn, Patricia & Ralph Troisi, Sheila & Kennthe Weldon.

Steward Sponsors: Aug 18 Gail & Christopher Booth, Aug. 19 Joanne Viggiano & Kenneth Cannon; Aug. 20 The O’Keefe Family, Aug. 21 Mary Pat & Dan Suits, Aug. 22 Anonymous, Aug. 23 – 27 Donations to the Hardy Fund made by Maureen & Brian Hawkins, Robert Hoson, Ellen & Todd Donovan, Sharon and John Paddock, Susan & James Solomon & Mary and Ed Blum.

Source:  Skaneateles Journal