Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance
Minutes of the Board of Directors – Work Session with Members & Funders
Thursday, August 14, 2025
4:30 p.m. at 201 West 3rd St. Jamestown, NY 14701 & via Zoom
Directors Present: JoDee Johnson, Don Emhardt, Martin Proctor, Jim Andrews, Paul Wendel Jr., Mike LaTone, Pierre Chagnon, Andy Goodell, Larry Anderson.
Staff in Attendance: Randall Perry – Alliance Executive Director and Jay Young – Alliance Communications Coordinator
Member and Funder Representatives in Attendance: Jan Bowman, Whitney Gleason – Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy; John Ford, Heather Nolan-Caskey– Chautauqua Lake Association; Dave McCoy – County of Chautauqua; Louise Ortman, Rob Yates, Mike Pfeil – Town of North Harmony; Jeff Molnar– Village of Bemus Point; Jim Cirbus – Chautauqua Lake Partnership; Mark Wenzler– Chautauqua Institution; Karen Rine – South and Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer Districts; John Shedd – Village of Lakewood; Tory Irgang – Chautauqua Region Community Foundation; Leigh Rovegno – Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation; Rick Syper – Village of Mayville. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
I. Call to Order
P. Chagnon called the Board Meeting of the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance (Alliance) to order at 4:31 PM. A quorum of 8 out of 9 Alliance Board Members were present at the start of the meeting.
P. Chagnon thanked all those representatives of Alliance Members and Funders for attending the meeting.
II. Approval of 7/10/2025 Board Work Session Minutes
D. Emhardt made a motion to accept the minutes from the 7/10/2025 Work Session Meeting. The motion was seconded by M. LaTone and was approved unanimously.
III. Financial Update
R. Perry indicated that the meeting packet includes an updated financial summary report for July.
IV. Lake Management Consultant Update – Discussion with A.J. Reyes, GEI Consultants
P. Chagnon indicated that the Alliance has executed a contract with GEI Consultants for professional consulting services related to lake management in 2025. R. Perry indicated that A.J. Reyes, the project lead and a certified lake manager, is in attendance via Zoom and will be delivering a brief presentation outlining the work that GEI is performing followed by a discussion.
A. Reyes introduced himself and provided an overview of the GEI team, as well as the firm’s qualifications and structure. A. Reyes indicated that he and his team are very familiar with a wide range of lake management techniques and strategies, and that their goal is to provide unbiased science-based advice to the Alliance Board. A. Reyes indicated that as part of this process his team is performing background review of relevant documents and data, and meeting with lake service providers, researchers, regulators, and government officials in order to understand the current state of the lake and how it is being managed. A. Reyes indicated that GEI staff performed a reconnaissance of the lake in April and July in order to familiarize themselves with the geography of the area and observe early-season and summer conditions in several key areas of the waterbody. A. Reyes indicated that plant conditions on lakes can often arise independently of planning done by stakeholders. A. Reyes indicated that work on the lake including plant surveys, diver-assisted suction harvesting of invasive starry stonewort, and plant harvesting are still ongoing. A. Reyes provided an overview of the Chautauqua Lake Association harvesting program, and the Chautauqua Lake Partnership’s herbicide program. A. Reyes indicated that there has been a large amount of nuisance plant growth in the South Basin since at least June, with large mats consisting of mostly native elodea along with invasive Eurasian watermilfoil. A. Reyes indicated that researchers from North Carolina State University recently used drone imagery to document the South Basin growth. A. Reyes indicated that the large amount of elodea growth seems atypical, and it is unknown at this time what the direct causes may be. A. Reyes indicated he did not believe that the widespread conditions were caused by any specific management actions or decisions. A. Reyes indicated that climactic factors may play a role. A. Reyes indicated that CLA is now focused on harvesting the plant material in the South Basin. A. Reyes indicated that work is underway to address infestations of invasive starry stonewort at Prendergast Point, Ashville Bay, and near Elmhurst. A. Reyes gave an overview of harmful algal bloom conditions throughout the summer, and indicated that large basin-wide blooms were present during GEI’s July visit.
P. Chagnon thanked A. Reyes for his presentation.
Discussion followed that included: elodea and possible management options; potential contributing factors for heavy elodea growth and feasibility for predicting year to year growth; the differences in scale of management programs targeting invasive plants versus the larger scale of heavy South Basin elodea growth in 2025; DEC permitting processes, how they compare between regions and states, and adjustments based on the new freshwater wetland regulations; remaining work planned by GEI including an end of year summary and recommendations; fish exclusion zones and the value of good communication between DEC and local stakeholders on how they are designated and managed; the value of annual plant survey data and the evaluation of the effectiveness of lake management techniques; other lake management tools that may be under consideration by GEI such as alum, dredging, weevils, and algae controls, and the potential relevance of certain tools for this lake compared to others; and starry stonewort including opportunities for increased information sharing among groups such as the possible formation of a working group.
P. Chagnon thanked A. Reyes for his time.
A. Reyes thanked all of the local stakeholders for working with him, and indicated he looks forward to continuing their work.
V. Further Discussion on Potential to Restructure Alliance Board of Directors to Include Representatives of All Towns, All Villages, and the Three Service Providers
P. Chagnon indicated that the Alliance Board and staff have worked on a proposal regarding potential alterations to the structure of the Alliance Board, by-laws, and next steps. P. Chagnon indicated that the meeting materials include the new proposal for consideration by Members and Funders, as well as an outline of the existing Alliance Board.
R. Perry indicated that the new board structure under consideration would consist of 18 total seats – three County seats, a seat for each Town (five) and Village (four), and two seats each for the Chautauqua Lake Association, Chautauqua Lake Partnership, and Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy.
Discussion followed that included: suggestions for more or fewer seats for certain members; comments on the size of the new board; importance of having consistent individuals representing members each month; potentials for conflicts of interest; value of ensuring elected officials and “on the ground” service providers are represented on the board and the opportunity for increased collaboration; and process-related discussion such as eligibility and term length.
P. Chagnon thanked everyone in attendance for their input.
VI. Other
R. Perry summarized the Board meeting schedule and format for the remainder of 2025. Board and staff only work sessions are scheduled for 9/11, 10/9, and 12/11. Member and funder representatives are invited to attend the 11/13 meeting.
R. Perry indicated that local funding applications from Members for 2026 are due on 9/4/25 at 4 PM.
J. Cirbus asked if using the Alliance’s Multi-Criteria Analysis Tool was still the best option for evaluating proposals to the local consolidated funding program.
P. Chagnon indicated that is a good question to consider.
J. Johnson asked if GEI could play a role in the process.
P. Chagnon indicated the Alliance should consider the role of its consultant in the proposal review process.
VII. Adjourn
D. Emhardt made a motion to adjourn the August 14, 2025 meeting. The motion was seconded by M. Proctor and was passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 5:56 PM.
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