Each Thursday, we put one of our local newsmakers On The Spot. This week: Owasco Lake Watershed Inspector
Jessica Miles.
This week's question: What tangible results have you been able to attain since starting your job as Owasco Lake Watershed Inspector?
The Owasco Lake Watershed Inspector program is based on the cooperation between several different county and state agencies.
The goal of my position is to specifically identify areas of concern and work with the appropriate agencies to address and mitigate these issues. In the six months that I have been on the job, there have been and are scheduled to be several projects within the watershed.
One accomplishment is the design of the Owasco Lake Watershed logo and road signs.
These signs will be placed along the boundary of the 208-square mile watershed to increase local awareness and encourage watershed stewardship.
After only three days on the job, Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District's newly appointed executive director, Ronald Podolak, initiated a proposal to incorporate the farming community in the protection of Owasco Lake.
The Agricultural Advisory Committee for the Owasco Lake Watershed will help determine key areas of pollution concerns and tackle ways to solve problems.
A long-term goal for the group is to encourage more farmer participation in programs offered through the SWCD.
Through the Emerson Foundation, grant money was graciously given to hire two college interns to work with me over the summer and increase the presence and information available to watershed residents.
Cornell Cooperative Extension is offering a program called Adopt-A-Stream to teach local residents how to identify aquatic plants and monitor their shoreline for invasive species.
Another key component of my job is educating both residents and elected officials.
My hope is to raise awareness of water quality issues and simple ways that people can improve the condition of Owasco Lake and its watershed.
I encourage people to contact me with questions or concerns.
The more people I am able to reach with information, the more success the inspection program will have.
Through this success, we can have a healthier Owasco Lake now and for future generations.
If you have an On The Spot question, call news editor Mike Dowd at 253-5311 ext. 234 or
e-mail michael.dowd@lee.net
This week's question: What tangible results have you been able to attain since starting your job as Owasco Lake Watershed Inspector?
The Owasco Lake Watershed Inspector program is based on the cooperation between several different county and state agencies.
The goal of my position is to specifically identify areas of concern and work with the appropriate agencies to address and mitigate these issues. In the six months that I have been on the job, there have been and are scheduled to be several projects within the watershed.
One accomplishment is the design of the Owasco Lake Watershed logo and road signs.
These signs will be placed along the boundary of the 208-square mile watershed to increase local awareness and encourage watershed stewardship.
After only three days on the job, Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District's newly appointed executive director, Ronald Podolak, initiated a proposal to incorporate the farming community in the protection of Owasco Lake.
The Agricultural Advisory Committee for the Owasco Lake Watershed will help determine key areas of pollution concerns and tackle ways to solve problems.
A long-term goal for the group is to encourage more farmer participation in programs offered through the SWCD.
Through the Emerson Foundation, grant money was graciously given to hire two college interns to work with me over the summer and increase the presence and information available to watershed residents.
Cornell Cooperative Extension is offering a program called Adopt-A-Stream to teach local residents how to identify aquatic plants and monitor their shoreline for invasive species.
Another key component of my job is educating both residents and elected officials.
My hope is to raise awareness of water quality issues and simple ways that people can improve the condition of Owasco Lake and its watershed.
I encourage people to contact me with questions or concerns.
The more people I am able to reach with information, the more success the inspection program will have.
Through this success, we can have a healthier Owasco Lake now and for future generations.
If you have an On The Spot question, call news editor Mike Dowd at 253-5311 ext. 234 or
e-mail michael.dowd@lee.net




The Citizens' Say
There are 10 comment(s)
tome8689 wrote on Mar 12, 2008 8:22 AM:
Farmer's Gal wrote on Mar 12, 2008 7:45 AM:
O-M-G!
No wonder nothing ever gets fone about this problem! Talk about diverting attention and funds into all kinds of stupid, pointless projects. AS IF the majority of the pollution came from ordinary people casually dumping the last of their beer in the lake or something!
The sign idea is about as good as posting a No Spitting on the Deck sign to save the Titanic from sinking.... "
richard102167ny wrote on Mar 10, 2008 4:56 PM:
Farmer's Gal wrote on Mar 10, 2008 3:05 PM:
Has everyone seen the AP article on pharmaceuticals in our water supply across the country? If you read the whole article, there's info on what enters our water supply from agricultural run-off.
Well, there are farms right here in Cayuga County spreading "sewage sludge" on their fields -- that's human waste, kids, and everything else that goes down the toilet and the drains, and it's going onto our local farm fields. They test for a tiny handful of pollutants (when they bother with the pretense of testing at all), but there are hundreds of pollutants which have been found in this stuff for which the government does not check -- that includes all kinds of pharmaceuticals, hormones, carcinogens, etc.
On factory farms, they treat animals with antibiotics (rather than keep them in clean, healthy conditions), and that runs through their systems and comes out the other end too. They give beef cattle steroids, ditto. They use intense-strength cleansers for the milking machines, which they wash away with the rest of the waste in the barn. They use all kinds of chemicals, from lime to teat-sprays -- and it all goes into the liquid they spread on the soil next door to our lakes
Then there's the portion of it which is "lost to the environment" in the air -- all kinds of noxious toxins we breathe. That stuff smells bad for a reason -- it's toxic.
That's why the big corporate agribusinesses are putting covers on their manure ponds -- because the gases released are dangerous. And guess who pays for that? Not the businesses, but you and me, fellow taxpayer -- we are paying to clean up after the destruction caused by corporate greed.
Regulations are inadequate and ineffective. We need to take back local control and tell corporate polluters that we will not accept their destruction of our land, our lakes, and our health any more. We must pass ordinances that say NO, you may not do that here. Period. "
richard102167ny wrote on Mar 10, 2008 1:18 AM:
Dan W wrote on Mar 9, 2008 10:54 PM:
Farmer's Gal wrote on Mar 9, 2008 4:41 PM:
Pentangelli wrote on Mar 9, 2008 1:08 PM:
Farmer's Gal wrote on Mar 8, 2008 3:40 PM:
quiveringthigh wrote on Mar 8, 2008 12:19 PM: