By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
This fall, the Cazenovia Lake Association (CLA) announced that the 2020 Cazenovia Lake Summit has been canceled due to COVID-19.
The annual event is anticipated to resume in 2021.
In lieu of the summit, the CLA Board of Directors will hold its Dec. 15 meeting at 7 p.m. via Zoom in an effort to enhance community engagement.
The CLA is a non-profit volunteer organization made up of residents, homeowners, business owners, and elected officials who strive to protect the environmental and recreational sustainability of Cazenovia Lake. The organization frequently partners with a number of local stakeholders, including businesses, town and village boards, SUNY ESF, Cazenovia College, and Cazenovia High School.
The board’s December meeting will provide the public with up-to-date information regarding the health of the lake, the objectives and status of CLA’s fundraising efforts, the goals for 2021, and other relevant topics.
According to CLA President David Miller, the official agenda includes an introduction, a financial update, a presentation on the potential use of the new Eurasian watermilfoil treatment ProcellaCOR, an update on the status of the CLA’s five-year plan projects, an overview of the Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) monitoring program, and a Q&A session.
“I am hopeful that people are interested in the various projects that we have going on, such as silt/runoff control, water sampling and our work with ESF,” said Miller. “[Our presenters] are highlighting two in particular, the HABs and the new potential treatment.”
In addition to the closing Q&A session, there will also be time at the end of each presentation for questions about that specific topic.
According to Miller, public engagement is critical to furthering the CLA’s mission.
“We need to continually let people know about what problems we are trying to solve so everyone has trust that we are working with the mission to help the lake stay healthy,” he said. “Additionally, [it is important to have] as many people as possible understand the problems and the facts so that together as a community we are aligned to enable us to solve the problems as a team.”
The CLA is currently welcoming new members and seeking financial donations to promote its efforts to conserve and improve the lake.
To donate or sign up to receive updates on the lake, visit cazlake.org.
CLA meetings are open to the public.
For information on how to join the Dec. 15 Zoom meeting, visit cazlake.org.
Questions can be directed to [email protected].
