Hydrilla Survey - Initial Outcomes

Quick update on hydrilla survey work conducted over the summer in Cayuga Lake- The Floating Classroom, Ichthyology Associates & Racine-Johnson completed a survey of nearly 1500 sites distributed throughout the south end of Cayuga Lake and found no hydrilla specimens!  This is great news.

Meanwhile, herbicide treatments continue in Cayuga Inlet, and have been expanded to the mouth of the Inlet at the lighthouses.  This is in response to the discovery of one hydrilla specimen along the base of the concrete wall heading into the lake. 

For details, go to www.stophydrilla.org

Fresh Water Jellyfish in Cayuga Inlet?

Well, not exactly, but members of the Ithaca and Danby Rural Youth Program discovered a huge mystery creature in Cayuga Inlet by the Farmers' Market, which turns out to be a "Bryozoan".  Rather similar to a jelly, and somewhat similar to a coral, although not related. 

Bryozoan "Blob" from Cayuga Inlet.

Bryozoan "statoblast" under microscope on the FC.

Volunteer Hydrilla Monitoring Begins!

We hosted our first hydrilla volunteer monitors today... and they absolutely rocked the lake!  We covered 23 sample sites (46 samples collected) and really high-quality data collected.  THANK YOU to all 9 of today's volunteer crew.  The lake is in good hands!  More pix on our Facebook site!

Herbicide Application Competed!

As of 9:00pm last night, the application of the herbicide Endothall was completed on Cayuga Inlet, and the inlet should be open to boating today.  Please be sure to head the instructions on the yellow warning signs, however!  Details are available at www.ccetompkins.org/hydrilla.  

HYDRILLA - We Need Your Help!



The Future For Cayuga??

Last night's public meeting on hydrilla in the Cayuga Inlet focused largely on meeting permitting requirements for upcoming herbicide applications.  Unfortunately, it is becoming clear that other aspects of the proposed hydrilla plan are in danger of not happening at all. 

Monitoring, in particular, is critical, as we do not know (a) the extent of the hydrilla incursion, or (b) the present character of the plant community in southern Cayuga Lake.  Without this information, we will not be able to assess the impact or efficacy of herbicide applications to our lake and water supply.  In fact, the presence of hydrilla in the lake itself, would tell us that the use of herbicides in the Inlet is nearly pointless, and hydrilla will simply return to the inlet from the lake.

A good part of the problem here stems from the fact that our State Senators, Nozzolio, Seward & O'Mara have failed to follow through on funding promised back in March!  Further, our local officials are all too willing to wait for the State to pick up the tab... but ultimately it will be our community that pays to price if hydrilla gets out of hand. 

Our State reps., and our local elected officials need to hear from you on this!  We've posted letter templates and contact info on www.floatingclassroom.net.  Let's make some noise!

ScienCenter Cruises Cayuga!

Alberto and young science monsters
 setting up water flow tests with gravel,
sand and lake-bed sediments.

We hosted Alberto Lopez, museum educator from the ScienCenter on today's eco-cruise!  Full boat of happy, inquisitive people and an absolutely perfect day on the lake!  Our intrepid young and old scientists did a great job and we want to extend our thanks to Alberto for a job well done!

Guests got to explore the boat and learn the ways of water during "Where Does Water Go?"  We discovered it takes along time for water to leave the ocean!

READY TO CRUISE in 2012?

Calendar and charter information at www.floatingclassroom.net !

Hydrilla Monitoring Teams Forming!  Individuals & groups can join lake monitoring cruises during June & July.  Training provided.   Get Details!

Internships:  We are accepting inquiries.

First Cruise of 2012 - Diatoms Galore!

April showers held off to the last minute, but finally lake levels are rising and we're on the water!  Students from Dr. Kelly Wessell's Ecology class at TC3 boarded the Floating Classroom for our first cruise of the year - beautiful day on the water with temps in the mid-60s. 

With so little runoff so far this year, water clarity is high- 7m Secchi Disk readings in deep water- and spring is progressing slowly in Cayuga.  Nevertheless, there is alot going on!  DIATOMS are the story of the day.  In all of our samples, populations of tiny asterionella and fragillaria are booming right now.   The BioFresh blog offers an excellent introduction to these incredible living fossils, and features this cool animation and haiku!

HYDRILLA VOLUNTEER WORKSHOPS SET

The Cayuga Lake Watershed Network and the Hydrilla Task Force will host 2 workshops for those interested in assisting with volunteer monitoring for hydrilla on Cayuga Lake this year.  Once trained, teams and individuals will be invited to participate in Floating Classroom monitoring cruises and will be able to borrow equipment to conduct their own surveys.  You only need to attend one workshop!

Thursday, May 3, 9:00am-noon

Sunday, May 5, 3:00-6:00pm

Merrill Family Sailing Center, 1000 E. Shore Drive, Ithaca (both days)

Contact steward@cayugalake.org to register.  GET TRAINED!!

LOW WATER DELAYS CRUISE SEASON

Each winter, Cayuga's water level is lowered 4 feet in anticipation of spring runoff.  With no snow and very little rain this spring, the Lake remains over two feet below normal.  Until the water comes up, the MV Haendel cannot access docks at the south end of Cayuga. 

We hope to open our cruise season Sunday, May 6, at Ithaca's Water Week celebration.  Ithaca Farmers Market.  1-hour cruises at 11:00 and 12:30, and a 2-hour eco-cruise at 2:00pm.  See you there!

Awesome Day at BJM Science Fair!

Alison and Bill had a super time today at the Beverly J. Martin Science Fair!  The theme of this year's fair was CHANGE.

Our fifth buddies created trout illustrations and a great poster
charting the change of their BROWN TROUT.

Students from pre-K to 5th used their knowledge of insects and dichotomous keys to learn about insects that spend most of their lives living in our streams.   The insects are great food for trout, and tell us the water is clean.

Alison (CU Intern) helps a young scientist identify a specimen.

It's a Stonefly Larva!

After 2 or 3 years, these insects CHANGE- they go through metamorphosis, and emerge from the stream as flying adults! Its all about CHANGE!   Thanks to Ellie and Leo, and the staff at BJM for all their work to put this together- see you next year!

JOIN US AT BOYNTON MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR
ITHACA FISHING & CONSERVATION DAY

SATURDAY, MARCH 17!

Thanks for a Great Year!

Our season on the lake has come to a close just a little early. On Tuesday, the Haendel hit something large and damaged both port and starboard props. Coulda been Ol' Greenie- we didn't see a thing!

With the snow falling today, perhaps the season ended just at the right time- we'll be back on April 1, 2012 with new things to offer on Cayuga Lake. In the meantime, check out our Finger Lakes Trout in the Classroom blog and look for important Cayuga Lake info on our Facebook site.

HYDRILLA RESPONSE - A Summary at Year-End

Floating Classroom crewmembers Jordan Stark & Bill Foster discovered the invasive species, Hydrilla verticillata, in the Cayuga Inlet on August 4, 2011. The discovery led to the rapid development of a multi-agency task force, a temporary closure of the Inlet and an herbicide application during October- all intended to slow the establishment of this aggressive plant, and keep it from invading the lake. Work will continue this winter; the NYS Canal Corporation will lower lake levels slightly more than usual, in an effort to freeze-out exposed hydrilla root systems.


Thanks to the help of many volunteers and agencies, an extensive survey was initiated over the course of the fall to determine the extent of occurrance of hydrilla in and around the Cayuga Inlet. It remains unclear at this point whether hydrilla has established itself in the main body of the Lake, however a number of small specimens were found by Floating Classroom participants in the southwest corner of the lake (Hogs Hole).


Its going to take a community-wide effort to contain this plant, and to keep it from spreading from Ithaca to the entire Great Lakes basin. Regardless of what we find in the spring of 2012, we know that the removal or control of hydrilla is a challenge that will require a community-wide effort for some years to come. Here is what you can do to help:

1. Take advantage of workshops and spring Floating Classroom cruises and learn to identify this plant! The more eyes "on" then better!
   


2. Stay up-to-date on plans being prepared by the Task Force. Your input will be valuable! Click on the hydrilla image or go to http://ccetompkins.org/environment/invasive-species/hydrilla for up-to-date info!

SEPT. 11 - HYDRILLA CRUISE SUCCESSFUL!

Yup, with the help of 13 eco-cruisers, we collected a number of plant samples from the southwest corner of Cayuga and found NO hydrilla! The Floating Classroom will be working ot supplement ongoing survey work on the lake this fall, so look for coming opportunities to help out!

Lake Status: Lots of debris in the south end of the lake still, and the water is quite turbid. Out in deeper water, however, things are more typical of the season. Water clarity is increasing slightly (3.5 to 4 meters).

INVASIVE SPECIES DISCOVERED!

Floating Classroom instructors Jordan and Bill made an incidental discovery of what looked like a non-native relative of Elodea canadensis while preparing for programs on August 16. We sent work to Bob Johnson at Cornell, a regional expert, who later confirmed the plant as Hydrilla verticillata, and extremely invasive species that has not been observed in upstate New York until now.

Take-home message: IT PAYS TO KEEP TO KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN. We are not experts in aquatic invasive species, but we are familiar enough with the lake to know when something looks odd. That's all it takes! Here is what you need to know.

Environmental Appreciation Days cruise

The Floating Classroom was happy to host kids participating in the Environmental Appreciation Days camp on Monday. We had a great time riding the waves as we cruised from Ithaca to Taughannock State Park! During the cruise, we explored our perceptions of what a healthy lake might look like and how to share these ideas with our community. We also talked about some of the projects being conducted by high school interns on the lake this summer. The group also completed a full lake profile using a Hydrolab remote sensor provided by the City of Ithaca to measure water temperatures, chemistry and chlorophyll levels.

Things are looking good on on the lake right now. Temperatures are in the mid-70s down to 15 meters. Our thermocline was detected between 17 and 20 meters where the temperature whent from roughly 68 degrees F. to 50. Sunlight penetration was estimated to be 11 meters and chlorophyll levels, which are an indicator of photosynthetic algae where highest between 5 and ten meters. Check out our Facebook page for comments, more pictures, and observation from the camp!

ENVIRONMENTAL EXPLORATION DAYS OPEN REGISTRATION!

The Floating Classroom joinsCooperative Extension 4-H, Cornell Plantations, the Lab of Ornithology and our regional State Parks in offering a fantastic, one-week camp opportunity for kids, ages 12-14! Participants will spend each day at a different location, taking part in hands-on, fun activities and explorations, and learning how they can play a role in community-led resource protection. For a complete schedule & signup info, go to http://ccetompkins.org/4h/camps/environmental-exploration-days

GOOD NEWS ON CAYUGA!

Over the past weeks, we've been wondering if there would be a "bloom" of the blue-green algae anabaena in Cayuga Lake. With unusually warm surface water temperatures and an abundance of nutrients left over from spring rains, the stage was set. This type of algae has caused recent beach closures around New York due to its potential to produce neurotoxins. The picture to the right was recently taken at Oneida Lake.

With help from eco-cruise participants, GIAC's Summer Conservation Corps, and youths from Danby, Ithaca, Trumansburg, Dryden & Lansing, we collected frequent samples and noted a mild anabaena bloom! Over the past week, however, Cayuga's surface waters have been teeming with zooplankton, which have almost completely consumed the problematic algae!

At this point, it looks like Cayuga Lake is resilient enough to stay healthy, even during an especially hot, dry summer. That's good news! If you'd like to learn more about the ecology of Cayuga Lake, check out our "Cruise Prep" pages for more on lake sampling and collected data!

HOP ON-BOARD AT THE ITHACA ARTISTS' MARKET!

The MV Haendel will be at the Ithaca Farmers' Market on Friday July 29 for the Artists' Market! Stop by to view some water-related art, including "A Year in the Life of Six Mile Creek" OR take an art-cruise (4-5pm) or a sunset cruise (7-9pm) Call for reservations!