CLA President Offers Recommendations for Future Lake Management
Lakewood, NY — The recent decision to disband the Chautauqua Lake Protection and Rehabilitation Agency has stimulated renewed discussion in the community regarding lake management and funding. After consulting with elected officials, state and local organizations, Chautauqua Lake Association President John Ford notes, “That any future program will be most successful if it features collaborative consensus-building with no single dominant entity. We believe successful lake agencies should be comprised of representatives from political jurisdictions; the scientific community; lake stakeholder organizations and the general public, with none constituting a majority of the board’s membership.”
Ford was chosen as president of the board of directors at CLA’s annual December election meeting. He is joined on the association’s new leadership team by Vice President Don Emhardt, Secretary Pat Hubbell and Treasurer Debbie Moore. Bill Thomas and Meg Pickard were also elected as 2nd and 3rd Vice Presidents, respectively.
The CLA president and board also recommend that principal funding sources for in-lake maintenance, operations and research should include lake-specific user fees and/or taxation supplemented by revenue from the County General Fund and Occupancy Tax. Funds should also come directly from lakeside towns and villages, New York State, as well as charitable private donations.
Along with Chautauqua Lake’s longstanding in-lake maintenance program, the CLA continues to partner with local, state and national lake management programs to facilitate scientific monitoring of Chautauqua Lake’s ecosystem and educate the community about environmental lake management practices.
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For more information about the Chautauqua Lake Association or to learn about its mission to preserve the lake, visit the CLA on the web at chautauqualakeassociation.org or call 716-763-8602. You can also stay updated by visiting the CLA on Facebook and Instagram. The Chautauqua Lake Association is a 501(c)3 organization. All support made to the CLA directly benefits our lake service programs.
