Fishing for Answers to the CLA’s Most Popular Questions

Fishing for Answers to the CLA’s Most Popular Questions

CLA staff and volunteers are on the hook with some evidence based responses to a few of our most commonly asked questions.  1. Is Eurasian Watermilfoil still a problem plant in Chautauqua Lake? Once considered an invasive nuisance plant, Eurasian Watermilfoil has become well established throughout the lake in non-nuisance conditions. It is generally no longer densely populated and has been brought under control by the weevil, moth, and caddisfly herbivore insects that feed upon it. It seldom grows to reach the surface like it did years ago.   — Racine-Johnson Aquatic Ecologist Report 2019 2. Can Eurasian Watermilfoil and…
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Latest Herbivore Report for Chautauqua Lake

Latest Herbivore Report for Chautauqua Lake

A comprehensive report about the diverse communities of herbivores that exist in Chautauqua Lake has recently been released by the Racine-Johnson Aquatic Ecologists. This report details lake observations made in 2022 and findings from 21 years of herbivore monitoring on Chautauqua Lake.  A few key points taken from this report: “Chautauqua Lake’s herbivory by the weevil and aquatic moth is still an overwhelmingly effective control of the growth of Eurasian watermilfoil, which has been well documented for over 20 years.  The herbivores collectively limit the plant’s elongation toward the lake’s surface, thereby preventing flowering and surface matting by early June.”  “Chautauqua…
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Executive Director Attends Local Water Quality Conference

Executive Director Attends Local Water Quality Conference

CLA Executive Director Doug Conroe recently attended the 2022 Chautauqua Lake Water Quality Conference that was sponsored by Chautauqua Institution and held there on June 18.  Presentations were provided by personnel from the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy,  SUNY Fredonia, SUNY Onoenta, the Jefferson Project, Syracuse University and SUNY ESF Syracuse.  Greg Boyer, Ph.D., from SUNY ESF provided a tutorial on algae, harmful blue-green algae, toxic algae.  He also reported on Chautauqua Lake conditions utilizing water samples data that had been collected since 2013 by the CLA.  Pictured is a slide that was created by Dr. Boyer and was also utilized by…
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Field Guide Posted on CLA Website

Chautauqua Lake Possesses a Diverse Community of Aquatic Plants  Lakewood, NY — The CLA announces a new way to identify and learn about the Chautauqua Lake’s aquatic plants. Posted on the association’s website and available for download, the field guide was prepared by Racine-Johnson Aquatic Ecologists of Ithaca, New York. It is titled A Field Guide of Native Aquatic Macrophyte Species Found in Chautauqua Lake along with Current and Potential Non-Natives Species.  Racine-Johnson has been independently studying Chautauqua Lake’s diverse plant community continually since 2002 under the sponsorship of the CLA. Although the common belief is that only a couple…
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