If you boat cruise around any lake on any given evening this time of year you will find a smattering of people fishing. It is a great place to get cool and experience the finer things in life.

It starts with the aromas. As you sail along, the heavy humid air rests on the cooler water and captures layers of odors from supper barbecues, grass, flowers and at least a whiff of farming. Also, after dusk, the usually calm evening water is curfew cleared from jet skis and water-skiers. The quiet allows the sounds of the lakeside to trickle out over the water.

As the light dims toward late evening and midnight, the light-sensitive walleye drift into shallower water to feed on pan fish, especially their cousins the perch, as these species offer an energy efficient meal. Perch sort of "suspend" after dark and can't see or flee as well after dark.

Northern pike are aggressive feeders and casting big stick baits and spoons can be as exciting as it gets. Northern pike are one of the most heart stopping, freight-train attack machines, honed by thousands of years of evolution, that you'll find in fresh water. Having a pike a bait at the surface in low light anywhere near your boat will provide a nerve jolt reminiscent of Alien versus Sigourney Weaver.

Overall, fishing and hunting provide 365-day 24/7 opportunities for thousands right here in Central New York. It seems like when we have an economic summit someone ought to recognize the obvious fact that we are grossly under-utilizing the resources right under our noses.

You don't need significant infrastructure investment to reel in more tourism. Every sizable farm in our area has hunting opportunity. Even taking into account today's politically correct attitudes, we can copy and learn what communities are developing in the western states.

Most states have farmers in charge of wildlife management on their operations. Each rancher derives revenue from selling permits, in most cases upwards of tens of thousands of dollars each year per ranch. In contrast, the DEC has no dollars or staff to manage this increasingly wide-open resource.

Western farm families guide, house and feed clients, which usually return year after year, sometimes for generations. One beef cow is worth $1,200 at best in meat. One elk is worth $3,500 to $10,000, and they both cost about the same to feed. Whitetail deer operations in the northeast also yield $250 to $500 per day access fees plus revenues.

The fishing guide business is not nearly maximized in Central New York. You only have to travel to the streams along southern tier Route 17 to stay at numerous fishing lodges. These operations cater to clients from all over the world that take part in a long history in the birthplace of fly-fishing in America.

Fishing and hunting in the Fingerlakes also goes back just as far. Our community needs the improved economic opportunity. Our water resources need protection and increased care. There's nothing wrong with running water through turbines; we just need to wake up to the fact that upstream we can manage another natural part of this same Eco-system at little cost and actually drink from a healthier lake from the same cup.

If you look at the Owasco Lake buoy data online at ourlake.org, you will notice water clarity decreasing, chlorophyll A increasing and oxygen levels spiking over 100 percent. These are blue-green algae blooms in progress. The major addition of carbon to our water supply as they cycle is not good for us for many reasons.

Bass Pro has lots of workshops and events almost daily as they help us gear up for the fall. Locally owned Copper John bow equipment is having an indoor shoot in conjunction with Bass Pro at the Mall. Don't forget to patronize your local outdoor shop too. Have fun and be careful out there.

Kozlowski, a local sportsman who is the president of the Owasco

Watershed Lake Association,

is The Citizen's outdoors columnist.

He can be reached at

alkoz@baldcom.net