SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station (BFS) Volunteer Dive Team, with support from Otsego Lake Association, Cooperstown, NY (OLA) and the Otsego County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) successfully completed the spring deployment of no-wake-zone buoys (NWZBs) around the Otsego Lake shoreline on June 15, 2025 (Sun), which was delayed due to the ice damage to the CLMB anchoring system this spring. Big thanks to OLA volunteers who contributed to the prep and deployment that spanned multiple days. These buoys are important for the safety of swimmers and paddlers as well as the reduction of shoreline erosion that washes sediment and associated nutrients into the lake, which can fuel harmful cyanobacterial blooms. SCUBA divers removed the cone-shaped, ice-resistant winter spar buoys from the underwater anchor chains and re-attached the bigger and heavier marker buoys.
Please watch out for these NWZBs marking the 200-feet no-wake-zone from the shore. The 200-feet band encircles the entire Otsego Lake.
If you observe any damage to the NWZBs (marked with “SWCD”), please contact SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station immediately at 607-547-8778 or email Paul. Lord@oneonta.edu or Kiyoko.Yokota@oneonta.edu.
