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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2021 Summer Lake Cleanup Totals

2021 Summer Lake Cleanup Totals

Chautauqua Lake Association Reports on Lake Maintenance Achievements and Challenges for the Summer 2021 Season Lakewood, NY —The Chautauqua Lake Association has removed an estimated 12.14 million pounds of vegetation and debris from Chautauqua Lake in 2021. Of that total, 2.34 million pounds was contributed by Town of Chautauqua’s mobi-trac skimmers.   Harvesting and shore cleanup will continue at a limited capacity through September as the fleet makes the return trip to the association’s Lakewood facility.  This year, the CLA’s lake cleanup initiative kicked off in May with debris cleanup followed by an early June Curly leaf pondweed harvesting operation.…
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