Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance
Minutes of the Board of Directors – Work Session
Thursday, August 8, 2024
4:30 p.m. at the BWB Building, 201 West 3rd St. Jamestown, NY 14701 & via Zoom
Directors Present: Pierre Chagnon, JoDee Johnson, Ellen Barnes, Don Emhardt, Paul (P.J.) Wendel, Jr., Martin Proctor
Directors Absent: Jim Andrews, Mike LaTone, Janis Bowman
Staff in Attendance: Randall Perry – Alliance Executive Director, Jay Young – Alliance Communications Coordinator
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I. Call to Order
D. Emhardt called the Board Meeting of the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance (Alliance) to order at 4:31 PM. A quorum of 6 out of 9 Alliance Board Members were present at the start of the meeting.
II. Approval of 7/11/2024 Board Meeting Minutes
E. Barnes made a motion to accept the minutes from the 7/11/24 Board Meeting. The motion was seconded by P. Wendel and was passed unanimously.
III. Financial Update
R. Perry indicated that the meeting packet includes an updated financial summary report along with unaudited versions of the Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Statement through June 30 prepared by the Alliance’s bookkeeper. R. Perry indicated that grant funds continue to be paid out for 2024 projects. M. Proctor made a motion to accept the monthly financial report as presented. The motion was seconded by E. Barnes and passed unanimously.
IV. Alliance Committees Updates
R. Perry indicated the Alliance Lake Management Committee is scheduled to meet on 9/16/24 at 4:30 PM at The Lawson Center in Bemus Point. R. Perry indicated that additional information on that meeting will be sent out prior to the meeting.
R. Perry indicated that staff met with J. Johnson and J. Bowman in June, which included discussion related to the Data Analysis and Research Committee. R. Perry indicated during that discussion there was interest in asking the organizations performing lakewide surveys if there are any gaps in those surveys, or timing issues related to the detection of specific species.
J. Johnson indicated she had spoken with researchers from North Carolina State University and with Glenn Sullivan of Ready Scout about this issue. J. Johnson indicated that the timing of the surveys is likely good right now, and that NC State researchers will be surveying next week. J. Johnson indicated she spoke with T. Leenders of the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy recently about coordinating with surveyors from NC State if additional points are needed to assess populations of invasive starry stonewort and/or brittle naiad. J. Johnson indicated that the Chautauqua Lake Partnership may request additional funds from the Alliance to expand the NC State survey.
P. Chagnon indicated he had spoken to T. Leenders a few months prior, and that there seemed to be some disagreement between T. Leenders and NC State about the location of some starry stonewort fields.
J. Johnson indicated she was working to facilitate dialogue between both parties to find a consensus on the issue. J. Johnson indicated CLP had planned to perform chemical treatments on three areas of invasive starry stonewort in 2024, but that the species was not found in sufficient quantities to warrant treatment. J. Johnson indicated it was surprising to not find the species in areas it previously had been found, and indicated that previous detections may have been influenced by fragments caused by boat traffic. J. Johnson indicated that an herbicide treatment planned near the Harbor Hotel in Celoron was also not performed due to low dissolved oxygen levels. J. Johnson indicated that when the CLP coordinates herbicide treatments, factors like species presence and oxygen levels are always considered.
P. Wendel indicated that it would be helpful to let the public know that herbicide treatments are done with discretion, and are not carried out regardless of water and plant conditions.
P. Wendel and D. Emhardt indicated that they had recently noticed foul odors in certain areas of the lake, possibly related to algae growth.
A discussion followed of the canal located near the Lakewood Rod and Gun Club, and past efforts to clean that area.
J. Johnson indicated she agreed with P. Wendel that it is important to let the public know that herbicide treatments are conducted responsibly. J. Johnson indicated that one way to potentially deal with the issue of low oxygen levels would be to schedule treatments earlier.
R. Perry indicated that he has spoken with J. Young about communicating more details of the herbicide treatment program to the public, as suggested by J. Johnson and P. Wendel.
R. Perry indicated that there was no update from the Alliance Watershed Committee.
R. Perry indicated that he has been working with Alliance auditor Saxton, Kocur and Associates on the 2023 audit, and that materials are being prepared. R. Perry indicated that materials should be ready for review by the Audit Committee in late October or early November, with the return due on 11/15/24. R. Perry indicated that the Audit Committee consisted of D. Emhardt, P. Chagnon, E. Barnes, J. Andrews and Bruce Erickson in 2023. R. Perry indicated that the Audit Committee has space for three Board members, plus the Chair as ex officio, and two at-large Member representatives.
A discussion followed of Alliance Audit Committee members and potential new members.
D. Emhardt, P. Chagnon, and E. Barnes indicated that they would be willing to serve on this year’s committee. R. Perry indicated that he will contact B. Erickson and J. Andrews to determine if they are interested in continuing to serve on the Committee. After discussion the Board indicated that it will formally appoint Audit Committee Members at the September Board meeting.
V. 2023 Alliance Consolidated Local Funding Program
a.) Status of Awards Made To Date for 2024
R. Perry indicated that the meeting packet includes a breakdown of 2024 Alliance Consolidated Local Funding Grants made to date in 2024.
J. Johnson indicated that the $10,000 grant awarded to the CLP for chemical treatment of invasive starry stonewort will not be expended in full, as those treatments did not occur. J. Johnson indicated there may be a restocking fee for the chemicals. J. Johnson indicated that if additional surveying or sampling is done for emerging invasives, the CLP may request additional funding for its NC State survey. J. Johnson indicated that funding request would likely not exceed $8,000.
M. Proctor indicated his support for waiting to see what those additional costs may be before allocating funds.
R. Perry asked if J. Johnson could provide additional information on those potential costs in advance of the September Board meeting.
J. Johnson indicated she would do that.
R. Perry indicated that he has received invoices for the 2024 herbicide treatments coordinated by CLP, and it appears there may be a small amount of unspent grant funds remaining in 2024.
b.) Status of Funds Remaining for Use in 2024
R. Perry indicated he has communicated with Chautauqua Lake Association Executive Director D. Conroe on the topic of additional funding needs for the CLA’s 2024 operations. R. Perry indicated that D. Conroe cited a $94,000 gap to continue CLA operations into September. R. Perry indicated that CLA is still awaiting potential revenues from municipalities and donations.
P. Wendel indicated that he has been in dialogue with CLA President John Ford about the need and requests for additional funding from either the County and/or the Alliance. P. Wendel stressed the importance of having more details on how money is spent if additional funds are granted to the CLA.
D. Emhardt indicated he would like to see CLA equipment work with the town’s Mobitracs up to October 1, potentially starting in Mayville and working south towards the CLA shop to perform a final round of cleanup before winter.
J. Johnson indicated her support for more details and a statement of need before additional funds are granted to CLA.
D. Emhardt indicated that CLA should be able to provide details regarding things such as their fuel usage and payroll expenses.
M. Proctor asked if the CLA funding request was made in order to meet a pre-determined funding goal, rather than to pay for work performed.
P. Wendel indicated he agreed that CLA should be able to provide more details related to its budget and how additional funds would be utilized if awarded. P. Wendel indicated that he expects the County will pivot next year to more detailed contracts and deliverables for lake work.
A discussion followed of grant funding timelines and the ability to roll over funds year-to-year.
P. Wendel indicated that if the $94,000 request to CLA is granted, more details should be provided on how that money is being spent.
D. Emhardt indicated he would look into the issue further with CLA.
VI. Lake Management Discussion
R. Perry indicated that at the 7/11/24 Board Meeting a motion was approved to explore the preparation of a solicitation for lake manager services.
P. Chagnon indicated that his motion was to prepare a request for proposals for a lake manager.
R. Perry indicated that to move forward it would be helpful to get more details on the type of services being sought, whether it is for consulting/advisement or on-the-ground management work. R. Perry asked if there was any clarification on whether this RFP would seek professional services or actual management work.
P. Chagnon indicated that he would draft a proposal of what he envisioned for the RFP, and that proposal could be sent to members of the Board for discussion and next steps.
D. Emhardt asked if a lake manager was being sought as someone who would compel lake management entities to do work a particular way.
P. Wendel indicated that Princeton Hydro is one organization that could perform this type of work. P. Wendel indicated that they could take existing lake data that has been gathered by several different research groups and recommend management actions. P. Wendel indicated his continued support for early-season surveying of areas of high plant growth and proactive management. P. Wendel indicated that in order for a lake manager to work effectively local service providers would need to participate.
P. Chagnon indicated that the NC State 5-Year Plan for lake management states that invasive curly-leaf pondweed should not be harvested in June because that will encourage its spread. P. Chagnon indicated that is an example of a management approach that a lake manager could use to inform the work done by service providers.
A discussion followed of the use of county-owned lake management equipment.
R. Perry indicated that the impacts of the new state wetlands regulation remain to be seen. R. Perry indicated that the permitting for various types of lake maintenance could change when the new regulations are implemented in 2025.
D. Emhardt indicated he recently had a positive interaction with NYSDEC staff during Mobitrac operations in Hartfield Bay. D. Emhardt indicated that the NYSDEC representative thought the Mobitrac work was helping produce a cleaner lake.
J. Johnson indicated that although there was significant public concern about recent ProcellaCOR herbicide treatments in Lake George, observations made by divers in the area show that the treatments were effective and native plants were not harmed.
D. Emhardt indicated that he has seen a positive impact on native species when curly-leaf pondweed is harvested early in the season.
R. Perry provided the Board an overview that outlined an example of a lake management plan and the potential role of a lake manager. R. Perry indicated he looks forward to seeing what P. Chagnon’s draft looks like and hearing feedback from other members of the Board. R. Perry indicated that an important consideration would likely be the concept of authority.
P. Chagnon indicated that the policies set by a lake manager could be used as a tool to help the Alliance distribute funds to service providers. P. Chagnon indicated that in this scenario, Alliance Board Members could make funding decisions based on the recommendations of a lake manager and alignment with a unified plan.
E. Barnes indicated that a lake manager could potentially work with NYSDEC to streamline permitting, and help individual municipalities focus on priority areas.
P. Chagnon indicated that NYSDEC may be more receptive to different types of lake maintenance work if presented with a holistic lake maintenance plan.
R. Perry indicated that related work is being done or has been done in parallel with this discussion, citing NC State’s 5-year plan and the work that is now being started by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to find solutions to lake impairments. R. Perry asked if the 5-year plan could be seen as a starting point for the work done by a future lake manager.
J. Johnson indicated she thought the 5-year plan is a good starting point, and that new information from the Army Corps or from The Jefferson Project can be added to it.
P. Chagnon indicated that in speaking with Princeton Hydro, due to climate change, they now develop multiple lake management plan alternatives depending on the severity of winter weather.
D. Emhardt indicated that he has seen more variation in lake conditions over the last five years than in all the previous years he has been on the lake.
VII. Other
a.) Discuss potential Alliance membership with NYSFOLA
R. Perry indicated that M. LaTone asked him about the Alliance potentially joining the New York State Federation of Lake Associations. R. Perry indicated that the cost is $75, and that the CLA, CLP, and CWC are already members.
D. Emhardt indicated that he had positive experiences at NYSFOLA meetings, and that representatives from the Finger Lakes are involved in the organization.
J. Johnson made a motion authorizing R. Perry to have the Alliance join NYSFOLA. The motion was seconded by E. Barnes and was passed unanimously.
A discussion followed of requirements for Alliance Membership, and Alliance Member rights under the by-laws.
VIII. Adjourn
P. Chagnon made a motion to adjourn the August 8, 2024 Board meeting. The motion was seconded by M. Proctor and was passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:03 PM.
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The Alliance Board of Directors passed a motion to approve these 8/8/24 Meeting Minutes on 9/12/24.