Canandaigua Lake Watershed
Task Force
6907 Walton Point
Rd.
Naples, NY 14512
The Canandaigua Lake
Watershed is located 25 miles southeast of the City of
Rochester in the Finger Lakes District of New York State.
Canandaigua Lake is one of the western, medium-sized Finger
Lakes. The 174-square-mile watershed area includes all
or parts of thirteen towns, two villages, and one city
in three counties. In addition, five municipalities, including
two outside the watershed, utilize the lake as a source
of public drinking water for 48,000 people.
When water quality problems
and issues arose in 1988, work began to resolve problems
and has since been ongoing. Milestones include the preparation
and publication of The State of the Canandaigua Lake
Watershed-1994, formation of the Local Government
Watershed Policy Committee (LGWPC) in 1995, signing of
the Watershed Compact in 1995, LGWPC review of remedial
actions from 1995-1998, creation of an enhanced water
quality monitoring program for the watershed (1995-present),
creation of a Watershed Council from the LGWPC in 1999,
local adoption of a Watershed Management Plan in 1999,
hiring of a Watershed Manager in 1999, and the beginning
of implementation in 2000.
The Canandaigua Lake
Watershed Task Force was formed to act as an umbrella
organization to identify, coordinate, and provide leadership
for the efforts of public and private groups that have
a stake in the Canandaigua Lake Watershed. We always emphasized
the temporary nature of the organization; it was envisioned
as a work group to act as a catalyst and a focus for efforts.
As its efforts have resulted in a Watershed Management
Plan for Canandaigua Lake, considerations of the future
role of the Task force have taken place. At present, choices
being considered are to continue in its present function
for some time, to merge with another lake group, or to
change into a foundation. The Task Force began with an
agency/organization focus but later adopted by-laws, which
favored leadership by citizen volunteers. In 1995, the
Task Force sought and received non-profit status from
the State and the IRS. In actuality, we have used and
maintained several forms of organization. Stakeholders
have been encouraged to take leadership in the effort,
to attend special interest committee meetings, and to
provide expert testimony relating to remedial actions.
The series of public information/education
meetings undertaken in 1988-89 brought the idea of watershed
issues to the fore. Lake issues had primarily been thought
of in terms of Canandaigua Lake and shoreline-recognition
of the watershed area as a contributor to water quality
required a shift in public thinking. The meetings were
generally question and answer sessions aimed at identifying
issues and concerns about the lake and focusing the attention
of residents on lake and watershed issues.
How
would you outline the steps in organizing your project
to advise another group on a similar project?
1. Listen to concerns
2. Organize meetings
and ask questions of the groups and individuals who attend
3. Define problems
and issues
4. Involve those with
a stake in the issues
5. Emphasize strengths
and resources
6. Provide a fresh
perspective (in this case, watershed)
7. Emphasize a coordinated,
uniform and comprehensive approach
8. Seek the best available
scientific studies and advice
9. Share information
10. Communicate freely
and with a wide varity of audiences.
How has
the project affected your community?
The project convinced municipalities,
groups, and individuals within the watershed that they
form a kind of community and can act as a community to
further their mutual interests.
What particular
stumbling blocks, challenges, or defeats did you encounter?
There was political opposition. In the
beginning, there was an 'if it ain’t broke, why fix it?'
mentality. There have also been 'turf' difficulties among
the participating agencies and organizations and similar
problems between participating municipalities. Some squawking
about property rights was also heard. In general, though,
the beauty, importance and value of the lake have re-asserted
themselves. The effort also gained sufficient visibility
to become a genuine campaign issue.
How many people were
involved (initially vs. finally)?
The initial work-group
was about 15 people. The first public meetings drew about
60. The cast of characters changed over the years, though
the numbers stayed about the same.
How many people-hours
were spent on various aspects of the project?
There is no way to estimate the massive
number of people-hours involved. At one phase of the project,
a State grant required us to account for a match in hours,
and we found the match exceeded the hours paid for by
the grant by about 2:1. Over the eleven years of the project,
tens of thousands of people-hours were utilized.
How was public involvement
motivated and facilitated?
The project required grass-roots involvement.
Early on , we emphasized the project as a way for people
to take care of their own home and as a way to protect
their investment in lakeshore property. They were asked
to practice 'good housekeeping' in relation to the streams
and lake. Our earliest activities were to set a series
of listening-meetings around the watershed. The committee
structure of the Task Force was designed with stakeholders
in mind and functioned for the focused discussion of issues
and self-education. After about five years of this process,
however, there was a 'hand-off' of issues and processes
to local government leaders.
How was public education
a component of your program?
Public education was not a component
of the program; it was the fundamental basis of our program.
Public education is a key to successful implementation
of pollution-source control strategies. By educating,
empowering, and providing the residents of the Canandaigua
Lake Watershed with proper information, significant positive
effects on the control of nonpoint source pollution can
be achieved.
Educational programs
emphasizing the need for care of the Canandaigua Lake
Watershed predate establishment of the Watershed Management
Plan by nearly a decade. At its inception in 1989, the
Canandaigua Lake Watershed Task Force recognized the need
for community-wide education. Education programs have
played an integral part in development and acceptance
of the Watershed Management Plan. The future success of
the Plan will be partly based on incorporating the knowledge
base gained and further educational efforts into the remedial
actions being implemented.
The educational programs included public
information/education meetings, watershed information
surveys, a large display booth exhibited at public events,
educational publications, newsletters, educational signs
including 'Lake Friendly Farmer' and 'Sensible Salting
Requires Sensible Driving', seminars on pesticides, boating,
and monitoring, and septic system information. Educational
materials and programs for children have included a watershed
issues coloring book, a play, a puppet show, aquatic macroinvertebrate
stream sampling, and a school curriculum on watershed
themes (which has been incorporated into local classes).
What was the primary
means of communication?
Almost all forms of communication were
used. We utilized videotapes, created a watershed slide-show,
issued press releases and followed up with radio, television,
and the print media. We placed articles in other organizations’
newsletters and established a quarterly newsletter of
our own. The watershed project spanned ten years in which
internet communication changed from rare to common; if
we were to re-mount the project again, internet communication
would play a major communication role.
What resources were
available/acquired/tapped into?
Massive resources, human
and capital, were devoted to this project. For example,
the Local Government Watershed Policy Committee meeting
monthly for 5 years involved more than 700 hours of municipal
officials’ time, 600 hours of staff time, and 200 hours
of volunteer time. A Policy Support Committee created
to assist the LGWPC logged more than 1200 hours of staff
time. The Watershed Task Force has had more than 150 meetings
since beginning involving more than 3500 person-hours.
At least 6000 hours of staff time has been dedicated to
the watershed project by various planning departments,
soil and water conservation districts, and cooperative
extensions.
Since its beginning
in 1989, the watershed project has acquired and attracted
over $1,000,000 in resources from sources such as the
individual municipalities, the State of New York, the
federal government, the Kaplan Fund, the National Trust
for Historic Preservation, private individuals, the Great
Lakes Commission, and the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat
Fund.
What level of media
exposure were you able to attain and how did it affect
your efforts?
We have been lucky to have had good coverage
at every stage by local and regional newspapers and radio.
The group was given an early push by a 'Future of the
Finger Lakes' week-long series published by the Rochester
Democrat & Chronicle. The Canandaigua Daily
Messenger also published special series, feature articles,
meeting announcements, a weekly summer column on boating
safety, a water quality coloring book, and updates on
activities and studies. Good communications with and through
the media have been tremendously important in keeping
the project on track, in the community eye, and well-explained
to the broader non-technical audiences.
Canandaigua
Lake Watershed Task Force
6907 Walton Point Rd.
Naples, NY 14512
