While our beautiful Skaneateles Lake has been frozen in many areas the past few months, lake lovers, as I have mentioned before, have been using the lake as ‘home court” for many activities.  Despite the deep cold, ice fishing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and of course, our Polar Bear Plunge have been part of lake life.

The Board of the Skaneateles Lake Association has also been very active this winter.  As we do on a regular basis, we have been analyzing our membership in preparation for full speed ahead with our 2015 membership campaign.  To date, we have sent out about 40 letters to some former members who did not join in 2014 asking them to help us “kick off” our 2015 campaign by joining early.  There are many others in the category of having been members in earlier years, but not members in 2014, and we will be making a special effort to get them to join this year as well.  We have also sent out over 100 letters to folks who joined in January, February or March of 2014 asking that they join as annual members for 2015 now.  It is so important for our funding that we know where we are early in the year and that we keep the funds flowing in throughout the year.

Our big news right now is that our website, SkaneatelesLake.org, has been completely redesigned and updated.  There is so much information on it and so many ways you can use it to actually see what we do and what the results have been.  Please visit the website and let us know what you think of the content areas and the usability and, of course, you can use the membership section to join/rejoin for 2015.  We have already started to receive questions and comments from the “contact us” link.

Another really great thing that has happened during the winter is that the SLA Board has received two communications via our website from people who are not actually in the Skaneateles Lake community with some ideas about equipment or services that may support our mission.  We are in the initial stage of responding to these folks, but it was very heartening to hear from people outside our lake community with ideas for keeping our lake the beautiful body of water it is.

You can join the Skaneateles Lake Association by going to SkaneatelesLake.org to complete your registration and pay your annual dues.

Source:  Skaneateles Journal

While our beautiful Skaneateles Lake has been frozen in many areas the past few months, lake lovers, as I have mentioned before, have been using the lake as ‘home court” for many activities.  Despite the deep cold, ice fishing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and of course, our Polar Bear Plunge have been part of lake life.

The Board of the Skaneateles Lake Association has also been very active this winter. Our big news is that our website, SkaneatelesLake.org, has been completely redesigned and updated.  There is so much information on it and so many ways you can use it to actually see what we do and what the results have been.  Please visit the website and let us know what you think of the content areas and the usability.

The SLA Board has been analyzing our membership in preparation for full speed ahead with our 2015 membership campaign.  To date, we have sent out about 40 letters to some former members who did not join in 2014 asking them to help us “kick off” our 2015 campaign by joining early.  There are many others who were members in earlier years, but not members in 2014 and we will be making a special effort to get them to join this year.  We have also sent out over 100 letters to folks who joined in January, February or March of 2014 asking that they join as annual members for 2015 now.  It is so important for our funding that we know where we are early in the year and that we keep the funds flowing in throughout the year.

The SLA’s annual membership campaign is paid for with funds we have from annual membership fees.  Like all not for profit organizations we are always looking for ways to maximize the funds we have to achieve our mission.  You can help us to maximize those funds by almost 5% by going to our website, SkaneatelesLake.org.  Click on the “membership” link and then on the “current members” link.  You will see that only a few people have joined to date for 2015.  Join that group of people NOW by clicking on the “Renew Membership” or “Become a Member” link.  Here is how you can expand you annual SLA membership fee:

• If you join without the SLA having to send you an annual membership renewal reminder letter, you save us the cost of paper, envelopes, printing and postage.. You also save volunteer time that is necessary to put those mailings together.

• If you select to pay your annual SLA membership registration by check instead by credit card or PayPal account, you save us the fee that we have to pay to PayPal.

Please consider this easy process to make your membership dollars go farther.  If you do not have access to the internet please call 315-685-9106 after April 8^th and I will send a 2015 membership registration form to you.  

Source:  Skaneateles Press

The Skaneateles Lake Association (SLA) is a voluntary, non profit 501c(3) corporation.   It has a specific mission to do all that it can to keep the waters of Skaneateles Lake clear and pure. The SLA is not a business. It does not sell its services. But, the SLA buys supplies and equipment, contracts for work, hires staff, pays appropriate employment taxes, keeps careful financial records, undergoes a financial audit and files a tax return. Much of this work of these essential activities is done by volunteer board members

For a number of folks Life at the Lake is over after Labor Day, but for the Milfoil Boat Crew, the Lake Stewards and the Board of the Skaneateles Lake Association the LABOR is not over. The work of the SLA is continues.

The Milfoil Boat Crew is very busy rolling up the mats that were laid down early in the summer and returning with a different boat set up to pick up those mats and get them onto a truck and put away for next year.

Recently we received the following question on the SLA Website:   Is it “ok” for people to bathe with soap and shampoo their hair in the lake? The person who asked had understood that it was against the law to do so, but was concerned that there were people who had done so. I spoke with Rich Abbott at the Syracuse Water Department and he related that the “code” basis for not bathing or shampooing in the lake is based in the Onondaga County Sanitary Code. He related that anyone observing such behavior should report it to the Syracuse Water Department and they will go to the site/area where it is happening and educate residents about the code. Unfortunately, all soaps, even biodegradable soaps, can contaminate fresh water sources because soap requires soil for it to breakdown properly.

The Skaneateles Lake Association is pleased to have the cooperation of the Towns of Skaneateles, Spafford and Scott and the owners of the Glen Haven Launch and Seveys Marina in agreeing to a standard sign to be posted at their launch sites reminding those launching to ensure their boats and trailers are free of plant and animal material and mud and that they do not empty bait well, bilge water or fish from any other any other body of water into Skaneateles Lake. It is a simple message that supports the message that our Invasive Species Monitoring Stewards have with boaters. A generous donation from the Columbian Foundation is paying for these signs. This kind of cooperation and support is exactly what the SLA needs to continue and advance its efforts to keep the waters of Skaneateles Lake clear and pure. The Board of the SLA plans to be reaching out to other launch access sites for their cooperation in posting the same sign.