Comprehensive data-driven management plans help our individual Kettle Lake Associations in their development of realistic and much needed implementation plans for lake improvement.
State of the Lake Report and Comprehensive Management Plans for Song Lake, Crooked Lake Tully Lake, Stradder Caves, 2019. This report was prepared after three years of study and with the partnership funding from SUNY – Oneonta, New York State Federation of Lake Associations, Cortland-Onondaga Federation of Lake Associations and each or the participating lakes. It provides important information on management for Crooked Lake, Tully Lake and Song Lake.
Click forbelow the full report
State of the Lake Report and Comprehensive Management Plans for Song Lake, Crooked Lake Tully Lake
Invasive Species are one of many issues threatening our lakes today. There are several organizations and agencies to assist with identification and control. The following are helpful sources:
The New York Invasive Species Institute at Cornell University
Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management – Finger Lakes Region
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation – Aquatic Invasive Species
Identification of Aquatic Plants can be difficult, try this online guide from Maine.
For specific information on Hydrilla, go to the NYSFOLA Hydrilla Hunt Webinar
Harmful Algal Blooms are becoming a dominant feature in many NY Lakes.
To learn more about proper identification and notification go to the NYS DEC Website
Click on the link to Read My Poor Little Lake by Scott Kishbaugh and Karen Stainbrook, a great article from the New York State Conservationist, April 2014, about Chauttauqua Lake and harmful algal blooms.
Lake Management Planning
As beneficiaries of the National Fish and Wildlife Fund $50,000 Chesapeake Bay Technical Capacity Grant, in collaboration with Syracuse University’s Environmental Finance Center (EFC-SU), Princeton Hydro and Cortland County Soil & Water, we examined potential harmful stormwater impacts on our kettle lakes and positive remediation for each concern found during lake research. We hosted two information sessions in Homer and Tully in November sharing the findings for each lake and possible action steps to address these concerns. An example of one solution shared among several lakes was increasing riparian growth along shorelines to decrease erosion and stream run-off. A link to each of these WATERSHED IMPLIMENTATION PLANS (WIPs) is available here:
Other resources include:
Cortland‐Onondaga Federation of Kettle Lake Associations Best Management Plan Framework (pdf)
Hydrogeology of the Tully Lakes Area in Southern Onondaga and Northern Cortland Counties, New York by the U.S. Geological Survey