December 20th, 2015.
Volunteer divers Paul Lord (board member), Jim Vogler, Lee Ferrara, Chip Dunn and tender Timothy Pokorny (board member) removed the last two remaining 5 mph no-wake buoys from the lake today.
December 19th, 2015.
The Otsego Lake Association Board of Directors wishes you and your family a happy holiday season.
December 18th, 2015.
As some of you know NYSDEC, SUNY Oneonta and SUNY Cobleskill are currently working on bringing the Otsego Bass (Lake Whitefish) back through spring fry stocking (early May) and constructing spawning reefs. This fall they were successful in capturing 18 adult whitefish. Most of the fish were males in the 20-24” range. SUNY Cobleskill were able to squeeze the 3 females collected, roughly 72,000 eggs with an estimated 80% (57,000 eggs) becoming fertilized. There was a small write-up on the front page of yesterday’s Daily Star. Read the story here. A very interesting article about Lake Whitefish icefishing on Otsego Lake in the 1960’s can be found here.
November 19th, 2015.
Find out what’s been happening in and around Otsego Lake this year in our Fall “Our Glimmerglass” newsletter. Read the latest version here.
November 14th, 2015.
At the Board of Director’s meeting today Mickie Richtsmeier presented Carl Good with a framed photo of Otsego Lake for his long-time association with, and commitment to, OLA. Congratulations Carl!
October 16th, 2015.
Glimmerglass Film Days, a showcase for powerful films reflecting humanity’s complex relationships with the natural world, will take place November 5-9, 2015 in Cooperstown, New York. The festival features screenings of several award-winning films, as well as encounters and collaborations with internationally known artists, activists and aficionados in a 5-day series enlivened by local food tastings, and optional trail hikes and bike tours, all designed to celebrate the natural and historic resources of the Cooperstown region. OLA is proud to be part of the sponsors this year. For more information visit Glimmerglass Film Days.
August 8th, 2015.
Annual Meeting
This year’s annual meeting was another huge success. Special thanks to the Otsego Golf Club for opening their wonderful clubhouse for our meeting. We’d like to thank all the excellent speakers we had this year on Shaping Otsego Lake: Roads, Docks and Dams, Drones Monitoring Mud Flows on Otsego Lake, Anticipated Resurgence of Otsego Bass, Otsego Golf Club: Past, present, future & the new proposed boat wash station at Lake Front Park.
Check out the pictures here.
July 15th, 2015.
Annual Meeting
Plans have been finalized for this year’s annual meeting.
Main Topic: “Shaping Otsego Lake: Roads, Docks and Dams” presented by Dr. Cindy Falk and Dr. Will Walker of Cooperstown Graduate Program, SUNY Oneonta. This year we are meeting Saturday August 8th at the Otsego Golf Club 144 Pro Shop Drive, Springfield Center, NY 13468 (entrance on State Highway 80).
Photo courtesy of Smith & Telfer Photography Collection, Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York
Find out more here.
July 9th, 2015.
Brewery Ommegang
Special thanks go out to Brewery Ommegang who made a $1,500 donation to the BFS volunteer dive team. OLA has facilitated the delivery of a contribution from Ommegang Brewery to the Otsego County Soil & Water Conservation District for use by the Biological Field Station Volunteer Dive Team for work on Otsego Lake including maintenance and deployment of the no-wake zone buoys that protect Otsego Lake shorelines.
July 4th, 2015.
“We Love Our Lake, Boat Parade”
The second Annual July 4th Otsego Lake boat parade was a huge success. Many thanks to the boat parade committee for all their hard work in organizing the event. Special thanks to the 25 plus decorated boats that participated and 125 plus shoreline spectators who were scattered across 3-Mile Point, Sam Smiths Boatyard/Blue Mingo Restaurant, Otsego Sailing Club, Fenimore Museum, Cooperstown Country Club, Otesaga Hotel, Lake Front Park and a few private residencies. Some pictures of the parade have been uploaded click here. With so many amazingly decorated boats it was very difficult for the judges (Scottie Baker, Wayne Bunn, Joan Bunn & Timothy Pokorny) to choose the winners. Congratulations to the following winners.
Antique or classic Boat: “Mobile Lady”- Reese family
Man-powered: no participants, so we had two Patriotic winners.
Original or unusual: Accuweather Not – Dietz family
Patriotic theme: “Lady Liberty” – Violon family
& “God Bless America” – Dykstra family.
Joyful/party decor: “Wizard of Oz” – Harris family
Humorous: “Ivory Soap” floats your boat – Badgley family
Grand prize/best of parade: “Ivory Soap” floats your boat
Photo credit: Timothy Pokorny
June 17th, 2015.
FREE Invasive Species Training – June 26th, 2015.
Learn how to become a steward for your lake. Spend a day with BFS staff learning about aquatic invasive species, how to prevent their spread & boat inspection procedures.
WE NEED TO STOP THEM!
Learn what YOU can do to protect YOUR water body
HOW? Attend our FREE CRISP Watershed Steward Training! June 26th, 2015 from 9 am to 4 pm
SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station Boathouse 7016 State Highway 80, Springfield, NY 13333 ~ 7 Miles North of Cooperstown
Learn about:
•Plants & animals that can change your water.
•Laws used to protect against invasions.
•Where these invaders hide & how to sniff em’ out.
Any questions contact Paul @ Paul.Lord@oneonta.edu or 607-435-4989.
June 7th, 2015.
Otsego Lakes Festival
Now called the Otsego LAKES Festival, this event is traditionally a day of educational outreach with a focus on water quality. Once a celebration that recognized Otsego Lake and its vital role to the region as the headwaters of the Susquehanna River, the festival focus has been expanded to highlight the importance of Otsego County’s other major water bodies, including Canadarago and Goodyear lakes. This year’s event is Saturday July 11th, 2015. 12:00pm (Noon)-4:00pm More details available here.
June 6th, 2015.
Plans for 2015 “We Love Our Lake, Annual Boat Parade” have been announced. The grand marshal this year is Paul Lord. Quote: “While I do spend considerable time on and near Otsego Lake, there are so many focused-on Glimmerglass that I was truly surprised by this honor. I only hope that my day of grand-marshalling can bring positive attention to all who work to protect Otsego Lake. I want to highlight the good works of the SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station (BFS) and the BFS Volunteer Diver Team. There is much to be done to protect our local gem, Otsego Lake. OLA — and Otsego Lake — needs many partners.” Find our more here.
April 18th, 2015.
BFS Volunteer Dive Team
Paul Lord (right side) & Lee Ferrara (left side) braved the icy waters of Otsego Lake to install a 200-foot No-Wake Buoy.
April 12th, 2015.
NEW Boat Transport Law Awaiting Implementing Regulations
We celebrated, on Sept 2, 2014, when Governor Cuomo signed the new Aquatic Invasive Species spread prevention bill. The new law differs from previous regulations in that it applies to “all public waters”, not just NYSDEC waters and requires boats and floating docks be cleaned prior to launch. A copy of the law is posted here. NYSDEC didn’t know how the bill might look when passed or if the bill would be signed and, so, did not have implementing regulations prepared. The new law is for launching only and differs from existing DEC regulations. DEC is currently developing draft regulations to implement the new law. The new regulations will contain “a suite of spread prevention actions that watercraft operators can take before launching. They will be released for public comment, likely in early summer, and are expected to take effect in the fall.” OLA has obtained permission from the Village of Cooperstown to build a steam cleaning station in Lake Front Park to help implement the new law on Otsego Lake.
February 8th, 2015.
The Volunteer Dive Team had another successful ice dive this winter.
February 7th, 2015.
Board of Directors winter meeting. Things are really coming together for 2015. The annual meeting is Saturday August 8th, 201 at the Otsego Golf Club on the north end of Otsego Lake. Another fun filled boat parade will be on Saturday July 4th, 2015. Be on the lookout for new publications and new projects that help protect the lake. Click events to find out more about the boat parade and annual meeting.