By Jason Emerson
The Cazenovia Town Board is gearing up for the 2018 spring and summer season by approving a number of measures that affect the health and recreational use of Cazenovia Lake.
During its April 9 regular monthly meeting, the board authorized actions for the monitoring and prevention of invasive lake weeds.
Specifically, the board:
• Approved the implementation of a plan to treat the lake for the eradication of the invasive plant European Frog-bit. The weed, which floats on the water’s surface and essentially shuts out light and oxygen to the area and animals beneath it, is prevalent in the north end of the lake.
The eradication project will involve the hand-pulling of the weed, mainly by paid and volunteer students, and will be funded by a $48,000 grant the town received last year from the state. The project is expected to begin this summer and last for three years.
• Approved a study of aquatic insect herbivores to study their impact on removing the invasive weed Eurasian watermilfoil from Cazenovia Lake. The study, to be undertaken by Racine-Johnson Aquatic Ecologists, will establish a baseline of herbivore insect populations from both ends of the lake in areas that were not treated with chemical pesticide in recent years. The intent is to see how much of the milfoil is eaten by native weevils and moths.
• Authorized the town supervisor to contract with Racine-Johnson Aquatic Ecologists to survey Cazenovia Lake in September and October of this year for aquatic plant species using the rake-toss method at a cost not to exceed $9,000. This is a survey the town board contracts for every year. The results of the rake-toss survey will be provided to the town no later than Nov. 1, 2018.
• Approved the annual fees and rules for the installation and use of benthic barrier mats by lakeside property owners. For the town’s Benthic Mat Rental Program, which has been offered for the past five years as one way to manage excessive weed growth in Cazenovia Lake, the board contracted again with Windsong Farm to install the mats and maintained the mat rental fees at $85 dollars per mat, with a four mat limit per property owner. The board also approved the purchase of 20 additional benthic mats for the town, at a cost not to exceed $5075.
Benthic barrier mats cover a portion of the lake bottom and prevent plant growth by blocking the sunlight required for plants to grow. They also provide a physical barrier against the spread of macrophytes or, more specifically for Cazenovia Lake issues, Eurasian water milfoil.
• Announced that it is still working on its protocols for identifying Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and notifying town officials and the public when blooms appear in Cazenovia Lake. HABs occur when colonies of algae grow out of control while producing toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, mammals and birds. While no HABs were reported on Cazenovia Lake in 2017, the previous year there were multiple occurrences.
The town of Cazenovia is compiling a database of email addresses of anyone that would like to be sent an email should there be a Harmful Algae Bloom (HAB) event on Cazenovia Lake. Anyone who would like to be included in the town’s database should send an email to Tina McMurtrie at [email protected].
More information on town lake health activities can be found on the town website at townofcazenovia.org.
