Category: Aquatic Vegetation

Wetlands: Providing Watershed Services at No Charge

                                                                                              An 1878 photograph of Chautauqua Lake reveals a shoreline that is very different from the one we recognize today. The boating options have certainly changed.  This view from Bemus Point over to Long Point records a shoreline of growing vegetation, even out into the deeper water. No one can turn back the hands of time and humans have, undeniably, changed …

Plants: The Lungs of the Lake

It’s not news that Chautauqua Lake and other regional bodies of water struggle with abundant plant growth that interferes with recreation for some. Voices have been raised to eliminate these nuisance, invasive plants. But is it possible, or even advisable, to attempt to remove all invasive plants in a lake?   Yes, if it is a newly-introduced invasive.  However, If the plants have …

Chautauqua Lake Update

As authorized by permits issued a week earlier, 125.6 acres of Chautauqua Lake were treated with the herbicide Aquathol-K on May 25 for the purpose of combating Curly-leaf Pondweed. These treatments took place in the Town of Ellery, the Village of Bemus Point, the Town of Ellicott, and the Town of Busti. The permits state: “Warning/notification signs must be posted …

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear About Chautauqua Lake

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 …

Want To Improve Chautauqua Lake? Focus on the Watershed

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 …