Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance
Minutes of the Board of Directors – Work Session
Thursday, April 9, 2026
4:30 p.m. at 201 West 3rd St. Jamestown, NY 14701 & via Zoom
Directors Present: Don Emhardt, Martin Proctor, Jim Andrews, Pierre Chagnon, Andy Goodell, Paul Wendel Jr., Mike LaTone, Whitney Gleason (Zoom), Twan Leenders, Heather Nolan-Caskey, Bruce Erickson, Ellen Barnes, David Chertoff, Rob Yates, Rick Syper, Janet Bowman
Directors Absent: Mike Moss, Larry Anderson
Staff in Attendance: Randall Perry – Alliance Executive Director and Jay Young – Alliance Communications Coordinator
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I. Call to Order
P. Chagnon called the Board Meeting of the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance (Alliance) to order at 4:30 PM. A quorum of 13 out of 18 Alliance Board Members were present at the start of the meeting.
II. Approval of the 3/12/2026 Board Meeting Minutes
D. Emhardt made a motion to accept the minutes from the 3/12/2026 Work Session Meeting. The motion was seconded by E. Barnes and was approved unanimously.
III. Financial Update
R. Perry indicated that the meeting packet includes an updated financial summary report for March along with the unaudited Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss Statement through the end of the first quarter.
R. Perry indicated that the Alliance received payment of the 2026 consolidated grant from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, which was part of the grant awards made by the Board to Members at the March meeting.
A. Goodell and R. Perry discussed changes in the sweep account balance between this year and last year, which were largely due to the timing of when grant payments were received each year.
D. Chertoff asked for additional information about the accounts receivable on the balance sheet.
R. Perry indicated that most of those receivables represent grant awards that have been made to the Alliance, are under contract, but have not yet been paid.
B. Erickson made a motion to accept the financial report as presented. The motion was seconded by M. LaTone and was passed unanimously.
IV. NYS Invasive Species Grant Program Update
R. Perry indicated that the state has announced its grant awards for the latest round of the DEC’s Invasive Species Grant Program, for which applications were submitted in December.
R. Perry indicated that unfortunately the Alliance’s grant request was not selected for an award. It sought $200,000 in state funding to manage invasive starry stonewort on the lake, working with multiple Alliance Members as partners and employing multiple removal techniques to unify the removal efforts at the lake’s infestation sites.
R. Perry indicated that he requested a debrief from the state for the application and is waiting to receive a date for that. R. Perry indicated that looking ahead for 2026, it’s important to regroup based on what funding is actually available, the removal tools that can be deployed, and the prioritization of management needs, which are challenging to assess for starry stonewort because it does not begin to grow to observable levels until around July.
R. Perry indicated that the CLP was successful with its grant application through the research side of the state’s program and congratulated them on securing an approximately $43,000 grant to work with North Carolina State University to evaluate ecological trends and optimize invasive species management on the lake.
M. LaTone indicated that Jackie Damore worked hard to develop that grant application collaboratively with NC State, and they are looking forward to the project.
A. Goodell asked if the Alliance has received feedback from the state on why its application was not selected for funding.
R. Perry indicated that he requested a debrief from DEC and is waiting for them to schedule a meeting.
A. Goodell asked if anyone was aware of the DEC performing its own starry stonewort management on the lake.
R. Perry indicated that he is not aware of that, however DEC has worked closely with the local towns and stakeholders who are performing management.
A. Goodell asked where starry stonewort is on the DEC priority list.
R. Perry indicated that the state has made clear its concern with the invasive species, but the scoring rubric used in the grant program makes it difficult for Chautauqua Lake to score highly when requesting funds to address starry stonewort. R. Perry indicated that in particular, the state’s thresholds for infestation size and length of time since detection are both very challenging to meet, even though the lake’s starry stonewort infestation is relatively new and isolated as it relates to the size of the lake.
A. Goodell asked if the DEC seeks out scoring input for the program, or if those decisions are made internally.
R. Perry indicated he was not aware if outside input on the scoring rubric is sought out.
A. Goodell made a motion to direct the Alliance’s consultant, GEI, to review the state’s invasive species grant scoring and draft a summary of recommendations regarding its appropriateness to Chautauqua Lake. The motion was seconded by Rob Yates and was passed unanimously.
M. LaTone inquired about the possibility of there being awarded funds that do not get used and whether those could be reallocated to Chautauqua Lake.
R. Perry indicated that in the rejection letter received by the Alliance it does state that should additional funding become available, the DEC may make additional awards for applications received during this grant round. R. Perry indicated he could share additional details with M. LaTone after he gets debriefed by DEC.
V. Alliance Consolidated Local Funding Program
R. Perry indicated that the Alliance has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Hultquist Foundation to support the Chautauqua Lake Partnership’s 2026 lake herbicide program.
E. Barnes made a motion to accept with appreciation the $100,000 grant award from the Hultquist Foundation. The motion was seconded by B. Erickson and was passed unanimously.
B. Erickson made a motion that the $100,000 grant be passed through to the Chautauqua Lake Partnership for its 2026 herbicide program. The motion was seconded by D. Emhardt, and it was passed unanimously with abstentions by M. LaTone and A. Goodell.
R. Perry summarized the currently unallocated funds that remained available for use in 2026.
P. Chagnon indicated that in the past these funds have been used to address unanticipated needs that may arise during the season.
T. Leenders noted that there are currently funds being carried over into 2026 that were originally allocated to the CLP’s starry stonewort algaecide pilot program. T. Leenders asked if those funds could be used for other starry stonewort work if the algaecide pilot is not carried out in 2026.
A discussion followed of the current starry stonewort algaecide permitting process, proposed treatment areas for the algaecide pilot, and other starry stonewort management elsewhere in the lake.
M. LaTone indicated that it is the CLP’s intention to seek DEC permits and carry out the work in 2026.
VI. Other
R. Perry briefed the Board on a proposed no-cost scope adjustment to the existing 2026 contract with GEI Consultants. R. Perry indicated that CLP has received funding via the state’s invasive species grant program, which would include work very similar to a task that had been outlined in GEI’s current contract with the Alliance. R. Perry indicated that GEI was originally contracted to perform data analysis related to aquatic plants and the lake’s herbicide program, and that very similar work is now expected to be funded by CLP’s state grant award. R. Perry indicated that following discussions with GEI, it is being proposed that those data analysis funds now be reallocated to have GEI perform starry stonewort reproductive bulbil sampling, as well as increasing their time spent consulting with and advising the Board and Members performing lake management. R. Perry indicated that these tasks would allow GEI to better understand the reproductive cycle of invasive starry stonewort, and work more closely with service providers managing the lake.
A. Goodell asked if the Board might consider moving GEI’s proposed starry stonewort sampling funds to the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy’s invasive species detection and rapid response program.
R. Perry indicated that the CWC program is very broad, and includes tasks like kayak detection paddles, public outreach, and other important invasive species work done by T. Leenders. R. Perry indicated that this newly proposed GEI task would be to perform sampling of starry stonewort reproductive structures in the sediment, which has never been done on the lake but has been identified as an important data gap specific to starry stonewort management.
T. Leenders indicated that surveying the bulbils is critical to managing the species on the lake. T. Leenders indicated that there is currently a lack of understanding about how and when the algae reproduces in Chautauqua Lake, due to its particular climate and ecosystem. T. Leenders indicated that the local project team would very much like to know how current management is impacting these reproductive structures.
Discussion followed that included starry stonewort reproduction and how it impacts management; how consultant costs are determined; and the invoicing process between GEI and the Alliance.
After discussion, A. Goodell made a motion to authorize GEI’s scope adjustment to remove the plant data analysis scope item and shift $16,000 towards starry stonewort bulbil sampling and $8,606.25 towards additional lake management consulting, with no impact on the overall value of the contract. The motion was seconded by T. Leenders and was passed unanimously.
A. Goodell outlined the efforts of and challenges faced by the Chautauqua Lake Partnership while seeking herbicide permits for 2026. A. Goodell provided a timeline of the efforts, including the submission of applications in December. He also noted changes to the CLP’s riparian rights status for 2026; the lengthy review, comment, and resubmission process; unanticipated needs for municipal resolutions; the tight treatment windows for the lake; and the efforts of political and business leaders to encourage timely permitting decisions. A. Goodell commended the municipalities for working quickly and indicated he is optimistic that the CLP will be successful in 2026 despite the challenges.
A. Goodell indicated that he has drafted a resolution on behalf of the Alliance for the Board’s consideration, urging the DEC to provide proactive and timely leadership in addressing Chautauqua Lake management issues.
A. Goodell indicated that the resolution is not intended to be critical of DEC, but rather it would broadly encourage improvements.
After discussion, A. Goodell made a motion for the Alliance to submit the resolution to DEC. The motion was seconded by E. Barnes and was passed unanimously.
P. Wendel discussed the recent news regarding the court’s decision on the DEC freshwater wetland regulations and asked A. Goodell what he thought the next steps might be.
A. Goodell provided an overview and discussed some possible approaches the state may take regarding the appeals process.
VII. Adjourn
B. Erickson made a motion to adjourn the April 9, 2026 meeting. The motion was seconded by D. Emhardt and was passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 5:36 PM.
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The Alliance Board of Directors passed a motion to approve these 4/9/26 Meeting Minutes on 5/14/26.