Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance
Minutes of the Board of Directors – Work Session
Thursday, March 12, 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, Larry Anderson, Paul Wendel Jr., Mike LaTone (Zoom), Twan Leenders, Whitney Gleason, Heather Nolan-Caskey, Bruce Erickson, Ellen Barnes, David Chertoff.
Directors Absent: Rick Syper, Mike Moss, Janet Bowman, Rob Yates
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 4:31 PM. A quorum of 14 out of 18 Alliance Board Members were present at the start of the meeting.
II. Approval of the 2/12/2026 Board Meeting Minutes
B. Erickson made a motion to accept the minutes from the 2/12/2026 Work Session Meeting. The motion was seconded by D. Emhardt and was approved unanimously.
III. Financial Update
R. Perry indicated that the meeting packet includes an updated financial summary report for February. R. Perry indicated that a portion of the Alliance’s 2026 agency allocation from the County was received, and the supplemental funding for 2025 starry stonewort removal, awarded by the Board the prior month, was paid to the CLA.
IV. Alliance Consolidated Local Funding Program
R. Perry indicated that the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation has made a grant award to the Alliance for $300,000 as part of the 2026 Consolidated Foundations Grant. R. Perry indicated that the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation has made a grant award to the Alliance for $100,000 as part of the 2026 Consolidated Foundations Grant.
A. Goodell asked how much the Sheldon Foundation awarded the Alliance in 2025.
R. Perry indicated that the 2025 Sheldon Foundation award was $266,666.
B. Erickson made a motion accepting the grants and authorizing R. Perry to execute the 2026 grant agreements with the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation and the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. The motion was seconded by E. Barnes and was passed unanimously.
R. Perry indicated that the Alliance has submitted a grant request to the Hultquist Foundation for $100,000 to be used for the Chautauqua Lake Partnership’s herbicide program.
R. Perry introduced the Alliance’s lake management consultant, AJ Reyes from GEI Consultants, who joined the meeting by Zoom to discuss funding scenarios for the 2026 Consolidated Program.
R. Perry indicated that the total amount of grants received by the Alliance for 2026 from the Sheldon, CRCF, and Lenna Foundations is $550,000.
R. Perry outlined a funding scenario to the Board based on the secured consolidated grant funds.
T. Leenders asked if the Hultquist Foundation’s grant request was a part of the 2026 Consolidated Program.
R. Perry indicated that the Hultquist Foundation request is separate from the consolidated foundation grant and seeks to fund a single project, the CLP’s herbicide program. R. Perry indicated that the Hultquist Foundation grant award is expected to be announced in April.
W. Gleason asked if grant award agreements could be written to give service providers more flexibility regarding which projects and work are funded.
R. Perry indicated that could be a possibility if a member was interested and the Alliance Board wanted to explore the approach.
A discussion followed regarding the project selection process, other funds provided to the Alliance by Chautauqua County, and the typical timing of supplemental funding decisions.
Discussion occurred related to plant surveys, including which members were planning to conduct them in 2026, their timing, their objectives, and potential opportunities for finding efficiencies.
A. Goodell asked how the proposed 2026 funding levels compared to awards made by the Alliance Board in 2025.
R. Perry provided a comparison to the 2025 awards.
P. Chagnon indicated that after the Board makes grant awards to members from the consolidated foundations grant, additional funds can then be allocated as needed.
W. Gleason asked if the CLA could utilize a portion of its operational support funding on capital equipment if needed.
P. Chagnon indicated that CLA could make that request to the Alliance during the preparation of grant agreements, if they would like to.
D. Chertoff asked about the status of funding for starry stonewort management.
A. Reyes indicated that stakeholders are still in the process of determining what funding will be needed to address starry stonewort in 2026. A. Reyes indicated that the Alliance does have a pending state grant request to address the invasive species, and that there is still state grant funding available to perform diver-assisted suction harvesting in Chautauqua and North Harmony.
A discussion followed of plant revegetation efforts in starry stonewort management areas.
A. Goodell made a motion to approve the following 2026 Member grant awards from the $550,000 consolidated grants received from the CRCF, the Sheldon Foundation, and The Lenna Foundation. The motion was seconded by D. Emhardt and was approved unanimously.
| Project | Award |
| Chautauqua Lake Association: 2026 All Inclusive Operational Support | $241,000 |
| Chautauqua Lake Partnership: Chautauqua Lake South Basin Herbicide Application | $126,000 |
| Town of Chautauqua: Mobitrac near shore cleanup | $53,000 |
| Chautauqua Lake Partnership: Lake Surveys | $45,000 |
| Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy: 2026 Chautauqua Lake Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detection & Rapid Response Program | $40,000 |
| Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy: Watershed Technical Assistance and Stormwater Management Program | $45,000 |
| Total | $550,000 |
V. Board Meeting Schedule and Format Discussion
R. Perry briefed the Board on the Alliance’s current communications strategy and platforms, including the Alliance’s website and Chautauqua Current submissions to The Post-Journal. R. Perry indicated that following the Board’s discussion at the February work session, he and J. Young developed a plan to expand Alliance outreach to the public. R. Perry suggested that the current communications approach be expanded to include regular news brief posts, which would be made on the Alliance website and distributed to its subscribers, as the Board meeting minutes are currently. R. Perry indicated that these posts would cover information related to important lake and watershed news as well as information related to Alliance Board meetings.
Board discussion followed that included public and media interest in Alliance Board activities; Board meeting formats; public engagement and feedback; the Alliance annual meeting; and the proposed expansion of the communications strategy
After discussion, M. Proctor made a motion to approve the expanded communications strategy. The motion was seconded by D. Emhardt and was passed unanimously.
The Board discussed the upcoming Annual Member Meeting scheduled for 5/14/26, indicating that it would open to Members, funders, and the general public and will provide a good opportunity to assess how the new communications strategy is going.
After further discussion, the Board indicated that they would like to invite current Alliance Members and local funders to the September work session as well.
VI. Other
P. Wendel indicated that the County’s Chautauqua Lake Symposium will be held on 3/21/26 at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel, and that expected presenters include North Carolina State University, GEI Consultants, NYSDEC, and The Jefferson Project, with others possible.
VII. Adjourn
B. Erickson made a motion to adjourn the March 12, 2026 meeting. The motion was seconded by W. Gleason and was passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 5:59 PM.
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The Alliance Board of Directors passed a motion to approve these 3/12/26 Meeting Minutes on 4/9/26.