Author: Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium

Are you aware? That 370 acres of Chautauqua Lake are permitted to be treated with the herbicide, ProcellaCOR EC between June 13 and 22? That once treated locations are not marked with buoys in the lake? That you should not use treated water for watering or irrigating plants? That you should not use treated plants as fertilizer or compost in …

Earlier in May, legal action was filed to have local authorities refrain from the use of the chemical herbicide, ProcellaCOR, in Lake George by the Lake George Association, the Lake George Waterkeeper, the town of Hague and a lakeside resident.  Here is the full press release published by the national Waterkeeper Alliance.  This information is important to us in our Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium region because …

The Conewango Creek Watershed Association will lead its 7th Annual Chautauqua Lake Cleanup on May 21, 2022, 8 AM to 1 PM. This year’s event is all the more significant since 2022 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act (#Act50). The public is cordially invited to participate.  Volunteers are needed to help with litter pick-up (on land or …

Progress has been made but challenges lie ahead Remember the Cuyahoga River fire?  This Cleveland calamity in 1969 suddenly woke up the nation to the realities of industrial pollution.  It was one of the key factors that led to the creation of the federal Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 and the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972.  So …

Happy New Year to you from all of us at the Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium!  We are eagerly looking forward to making the most of every opportunity 2022 offers us to fulfill our mission to act on, advocate for, and communicate about local water quality issues. Congratulations to our neighboring watershed of French Creek!  Pennsylvania has named French Creek the 2022 River of the Year.   …

There is a lot of misinformation in circulation concerning how best to maintain Chautauqua Lake. Our advice is to think critically about what you’re hearing and search out the facts from verified sources.  Please note the footnotes that appear at the end of this article which document our sources.  The following four examples illustrate how misinformation is impeding effective management …

Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason, a renowned researcher in the area of plastic pollution in freshwater systems, will speak at the Annual Gala of the Conewango Creek Watershed Association (CCWA) and the Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium, A Waterkeeper Alliance Affiliate, on October 12, 2021.  This Gala will be held via Zoom due to COVID-19.  Please pre-register on the CCWA website at www.conewangocreek.org.  The …

Chautauqua Lake is an old lake, rich in plant diversity and an abundance of living things. The shoreline waters host a well-established diversity of aquatic plants that support multiple natural communities, hold sediments in place, and provide food, oxygen, and critical habitat for countless creatures. All are woven together in an amazing web of interdependency, complexity, and connection. But our …

Welcome to our summer issue of the Spine-E-News, so named after thecreature featured in our logo, the Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera). If you’re not yet a subscriber, you can sign up HERE. Our Community Response Team Investigates Concerns As a Waterkeeper Affiliate, the Chautauqua- Conewango Consortium has the capacity to accept concerns about the conditions of all the waters …

The Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium recognizes the importance of identifying and eradicating aquatic invasive plant species, and we support aggressive action, including herbicide use, to prevent newly-arrived species from becoming established within an ecosystem.