News From the Skaneateles Lake Association

Moving forward on SLA’s 4-part HAB Action Plan

Rachael DeWitt, SLA Executive Diretor

The Skaneateles Lake Association (SLA) is pleased to announce that through the Department of State’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program, The Town of Skaneateles, with support from the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board, was approved for funding to complete a Nine-Element Plan for the Skaneateles Lake Watershed. The award totals $235,650. This is significant for the SLA’s HAB Action Plan.

The 9 Element or “9E” Plan will address nutrient loading and Harmful Algal Bloom control as well as identify measures to address water quality issues throughout the entire watershed to sustain Skaneateles’ natural resources and the primary drinking water source for City of Syracuse.

The completion of the 9E Plan will be critical in our ability to secure even larger grants going forward.

The Skaneateles Lake Association, in conjunction with the Town of Skaneateles and Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board, was instrumental in developing the application for this grant.

A 25% matching investment of $78,500 was required from the local community to receive the awarded grant. As an in-kind match, Skaneateles Lake Association invested $60,115, which was used in 2018 for vital tributary monitoring. The Town of Skaneateles also invested $18,435. These two additional investments bring the total project cost to $314,200.

SLA is excited to announce that our first step in creating the 9 Element Plan will be a public input period. Stay tuned for this in the near future. Mark Dengler and his team at Research & Marketing Strategies Inc. (RMS) out of Baldwinsville, NY are in the process of developing a public input survey about Skaneateles Lake and its watershed. Current watershed concerns, issues, as well as thoughts about how stakeholders envision the future of the lake and watershed will be captured in the survey. The results from this survey will be used by the Skaneateles Lake Association and the Watershed Advisory Committee to begin the strategic planning and visioning process that serves as part of 9 Element Plan. The survey is scheduled to launch in mid-January. Please keep an eye on our emails, website, press releases, and social media platforms for the official launch of the survey.

The SLA has already begun taking steps to develop the 9 Element Plan, and we look forward to seeing it through to completion.

We thank the following whose memberships and additional generous donations supported the Milfoil Boat for a day or multiple days:  The Bryce Family Foundation, the Columbian Foundation, Lynn & Gardner McLean, an Anonymous Donor.

The memberships and additional donations of the following individuals and businesses providing funding to co-sponsor the Milfoil Boat for a day:  Nicolena & Robert Errico, Mark Heffernan, Mary & Richard Kokosa, Erica & Ken Byrne, The Sherwood Inn, Mary Beth & William Gleason, Lynn & Charles Kelly, Kathleen & Ben Tarantino.

Our Stewards were sponsored for a day by the memberships and additional donations from:  Syracuse Crunch Hockey, Barbara & Richard Evans, Catherine & Steven Fedrizzi,

The following contributed to the David Lee Hardy Fund to support our Steward Program:  Erica & Ken Byrne, Camille & Thomas Potter.

With the announcement of the award of funding for the 9 Element Plan, everyone in the Skaneateles Lake Watershed Community owes a round of applause to our SLA Board and community members who comprise the Nutrient Management Committee and who spent hundreds of hours developing the application for the 9 Element Plan.  Your applause can be generated by joining the other (to date) 940 members of the SLA as a 2018 annual member.

If you have not yet joined the Skaneateles Lake Association this year, please do so now.  You can join at SkaneatelesLake.org or call 315-558-3142 and ask for a member registration form to be mailed.  We are within range of 1000 members for 2018 and your prompt action today can make that happen.  Our memberships are rolling and effective for 1 full year from the date paid. 

Source:  Skaneateles Press