Thank you for the editorial comment on Sunday, March 10, we appreciate the coverage The Post-Journal has given to Chautauqua Lake and the problems it currently faces. Every issue you spoke about has been discussed in our CLA board meetings as we try to find the answers to improve the lake, you could have had a seat at our table and fit right in.
The 10 items submitted to the DEC are real, real issues, real problems, that need to be addressed in our current lake management strategy. As you mentioned there is a consensus statement with all lake organizations — save one, it’s possible County Executive Borrello can get them on board. We hope so. Also, importantly, the issue of cost was not addressed. At $5,000 per acre for herbicide versus $300 per acre for harvesting, where are our elected officials coming from? Are they serious? Are they planning on spending taxpayer money? Is each and every town resident going to be held responsible for an additional $500 or $1,000 dollar tax bill, in one of the highest-taxed counties, in the highest-tax state in the nation?
The lakes ecosystem is complex, beyond imagination, the answers are not simple. From the CLA’s perspective it is more important that we take some time and get this right for generations to come.
Respectfully submitted,
Paul O. Stage, Bemus Point
President, Chautauqua Lake Association
