The summer of 2022 marked the first major harmful algal bloom—or HAB—in Otsego Lake, resulting in the closure of the public beach at Glimmerglass State Park as well as the Village of Cooperstown-owned Three Mile Point and Fairy Spring parks. Though not to the scale that some New York State counties have seen, the negative effects of HABs on public health have been raising concerns.…
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HAPPENIN’ OTSEGO for WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6 Sing For Science At The Science Discovery Center SCIENCE—2:30 p.m. “Sing for Science with the Science Discovery Center.” Live podcast recording featuring host Matt Whyte, musician Jeremy Wall (co-founder of the group Spyro Gyra) and scientist Holly Waterfield. They will discuss the band, Spyro Gyra, and the algae, Spirogyra, which has been blooming on Otsego Lake this summer. Tickets, $5. Hamblin Theatre, SUNY Oneonta, 108 Ravine Parkway, Oneonta. (607) 436-2011 or visit https://www.facebook.com/AJReadSDC BLOOD DRIVE—11 a.m.…
Letter from Chip Northrup Kudos to Canadarago Lake Communities Richfield Springs, near Canadarago Lake, is taking the lead locally on mitigating harmful algal blooms by curtailing the nutrients that are discharged from septic tanks—nitrogen and phosphorus—into the lake. We know why “the grass is always greener over the septic tank.” Toxic algae thrives in nutrient-rich water. As permitted, septic tanks discharge nutrients into the groundwater, and those fertilizers find their way into the lake where they help drive toxic algae…
BFS, Lake Organizations Announce Otsego Lake HAB Testing Strategy By WRILEY NELSONSPRINGFIELD SUNY Oneonta’s Biological Field Station announced its 2023 Otsego Lake Research and Cyanobacteria Monitoring Plan as part of the ongoing effort to study and control harmful algal blooms in Otsego County. The sampling strategy will focus on variations in temperature, nutrients, algal and cyanobacteria abundance, and toxin concentration along depth gradients in the heavily-affected north end of the lake. Additionally, the BFS has increased watershed stream monitoring and…
THIS WEEK’S NEWSPAPERS The Freeman’s Journal • Hometown Oneonta June 1, 2023 Front Page Clark Foundation Grants Support for Continued HAB Testing by BFS Kirkby Keeps Coop in Sectionals Tournament Memorial Day Weekend 2023 Highlights Inside Still Time to Sign Up for Memorial Golf Tourney Sponsors, Donors Sought in Conjunction with SQSPCA Benefit Event People and Business in the News, June 1, 2023 Sen. Oberacker Hosts Local Students Sponsored by LWV Historic Clock Among Museum’s Current Exhibits Oneonta Community Comes…
Letter from Chip Northrup ‘HABsteria’ Imminent Without Planning Now To avoid another summer of HABsteria, I’d suggest the following: Coordinated Plan—Since Otsego is the largest New York lake in the Chesapeake Bay watershed (which starts in front of our house on the Susquehanna), funding for watershed mitigation can be obtained from the Chesapeake Bay watershed authority—to supplement, not replace—a state-approved plan. Although the DEC 9-E Plan is imperfect, it’s better than a repeat of last summer’s Dueling-Banjos of HABsteria. Since…
Do Blooms Also Like it Cold? Lake Superior Researcher, International Team of Scientists Help Communities Better Understand Harmful Algal Blooms By DARLA M. YOUNGS SUPERIOR, WI—Kiyoko Yokota, certified lake manager and associate professor of biology at SUNY Oneonta, co-authored a report released last week that challenges current understandings of harmful algae blooms and may help communities better prepare for them. The results of studies led by scientist Dr. Kait Reinl, research coordinator at the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve…
Letter from Chip Northrup Cape Cod Water: a Cautionary Tale Most septic systems are designed to remove solids and bacteria, not nitrogen and phosphorus. The harmful algae blooms, or HABs, in Otsego Lake are driven by two key nutrients: nitrogen and phosphorus. Septic systems in the Otsego Lake watershed—including ones that are adjacent to the lake—may be leaking nitrogen and phosphorus into the soil, which may subsequently enter the lake, feeding a toxic bloom. Old-fashioned septic tanks are the culprits…
Collaboration for Canadarago By DAN SULLIVANRICHFIELD SPRINGS – Coping with harmful algal blooms (HABs) has become a distressing reality for those who live, work, and play in and around New York’s lakes. This summer, both Otsego and Canadarago lakes were plagued with long-duration HABs, curtailing activities for much of the summer season. In response to the crisis at Canadarago, a coalition of four communities and one civic organization has formed to take action to save the lake. The Towns of…
Letter from Chip Northrup Kudos to ‘A-Team’ for Lake Protection Glimmerglass Lake (aka Otsego) faces its biggest ecological challenge since the last Ice Age in the form of harmful algae blooms, “HABs,” which can make lake water not only unpotable, but un-swimmable, un-skiable, un-rowable and unpopular. Fortunately, we have the A-Team on the job: The new incoming president of the North American Lake Management Society, none other than our own Dr. Kiyoko Yokota of SUNY Oneonta, and Mr. Doug Willies,…
