'Will Dryden Go Dry?'

Photo: Put a brick in it - a brick in your toilet tank reduces water needed for flush. That is a good thing when you have to pour water into the tank for each flush, when your well goes dry.

"Will Dryden Go Dry?" That's a good question. It is being asked by a Dryden-based pro-fracking group, in terms of the Dryden Town Board voting for a zoning ordinance that would ban gas drilling in the Town of Dryden (August 2 is the likely date for the vote).

I am wondering the same thing, but in terms of Dryden's WATER WELLS going dry, due to this devastatingly dry summer.

How about it, Dryden residents - do we have water to spare from our creeks to use for fracking, at 5 million gallons of freshwater per frac?

When cows drink 50 gallons of water a day and more when being milked, aren't we already down to the dry creek bed in many places, and aren't many of you having to truck in water for cisterns and dry wells? This is the story I heard from friends in Lansing and Caroline last night, and I doubt it is different in Dryden.

Pro-frackers state that we have "spare, extra" water falling down out of the sky that we can use for fracking, and no one will notice its loss. Who are they kidding?

Farmers are smart, surely they won't fall for this nonsense. Right now, the creeks and our famous waterfalls are down to a trickle. Climate predictions state that the "new normal" has arrived in the form of extreme weather patterns such as last winter's deep cold and the spring mega-rains, followed by an extended, deep dry season. We do not have any water to spare, not one drop, for fracking!

Our climate will, it is projected (by the Union of Concerned Scientists), shift toward that of Georgia's today, by the year 2100. I don't want to think about Georgia's 2100 climate, but the Southeastern states seem to think that climate change is a commie plot and won't listen, anyway.

Meanwhile, I am dealing with my own domestic well going dry, and learning that many folks on (unfiltered) wells around here have to deal with water shortages every summer. They pay to have water trucked in to cisterns planted in their yards, and they go to the lakes and creeks for their baths and the laundromats for their laundry. That is the summer pattern here -- always has been; and is going to worsen as the "new normal" climate takes hold.

"Will Dryden Go Dry?" It already is dry -- and it will be parched and barren if fracking is allowed.

Canoga Creek Clean-up a Success

Thanks to all the members that participated in the 2011 Canoga Creek Clean-up. There were more than 20 people involved, from the Finger Lakes chapter of Trout Unlimited and Kuneytown Sportsmen's Club, with support from Cayuga Lake Watershed Network. We are well on our way to establishing the Canoga Creek Conservancy Consortium (C4).

7 bags of trash were collected, as well as at least as many tires and even an old TV set. A great deal of effort was expended removing the invasive and noxious Multiflora rose. The removal of this invasive species will allow greater access for anglers as well as for future conservation efforts to address erosion, improve in-stream habitat for brook trout, and reforestation activities in the state-owned Canoga Creek Wildlife Management Area. A special thanks to Andy Buss for bringing his enthusiasm and skills to the project, and to Eric Riegel for hauling the refuse and the use of his business' dumpster.

Keith Tidball

Secretary, Kuneytown Sportsmen’s Club

Embracing the Lake on Canoga Creek!

Thanks to Ashley and friends for their recent cleanup of the Wells College waterfall in Aurora NY. We are posting brief reports on a number of the "Embrace the Lake" cleanups encircling Cayuga Lake this spring. Following is a report from Keith Tidball on the Canoga Creek cleanup, held way back in March 2011 (brrr!). Canoga Creek drains to Cayuga Lake just south of Seneca Falls on the lake's northwest shore.

Sunday, March 27, 2011
Canoga Creek Clean-up a Success
Thanks to all the members that participated in the 2011 Canoga Creek Clean-up. There were more than 20 people involved, from the Finger Lakes chapter of Trout Unlimited and Kuneytown Sportsmen's Club, with support from Cayuga Lake Watershed Network. We are well on our way to establishing the Canoga Creek Conservancy Consortium (C4).

7 bags of trash were collected, as well as at least as many tires and even an old TV set. A great deal of effort was expended removing the invasive and noxious Multiflora rose. The removal of this invasive species will allow greater access for anglers as well as for future conservation efforts to address erosion, improve in-stream habitat for brook trout, and reforestation activities in the state-owned Canoga Creek Wildlife Management Area. A special thanks to Andy Buss for bringing his enthusiasm and skills to the project, and to Eric Riegel for hauling the refuse and the use of his business' dumpster.

Keith Tidball
Secretary, Kuneytown Sportsmen’s Club
http://kuneytown.blogspot.com/ <<< cleanup photos!

Creek Cleanup

Lots of groups are doing a wonderful job cleaning up around the Lake. Thank you everyone! Not only does it make a great environmental impact, it can be lots of fun too! The trip to the Wells Waterfall was a bit tricky with all the waterflow, but by log and by creek wall we made it to the end with four bags of garbage and a bag of recyclables. We found some unexpected things, including an old Coca-Cola machine and we got a chance to enjoy nature with the surrounding plants and animals.

To all the other groups out there, or those of you thinking to participate, have fun!

All this rain

All this rain has turned the lake shore brown. Usually there are just some streaks near the inlets but today we have a full scale ring. Luckily there hasn't been too much poured on the farm fields yet this season so the runoff might not be too awful. There will have to be a trip to the shore when the waterline recedes however, something interesting might wash up...

All this rain has also submerged the wells dock. When the waves move you can see it but otherwise its a wash. Part of me wants to wander onto it while the rational part reminds me that the water is both strong and freezing!

Perfect!

The weather is wonderful for Embrace the Lake and groups are cropping up left and right! Hope everyone has a great time having a great impact!

Well that's no good...

I recently had this e-mail passed on to me and unfortunately it does not have much cheer to bring...

"Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Recently, what started as a disturbing rumor, became an alarming fact. Corporate giant, Inergy, LP of Kansas City, Missouri, revealed plans to store huge volumes of LPG (liquid petroleum gas) in underground salt caverns and construct a giant 14 acre open brine pit, all right next to Seneca Lake. The letter from Joseph Campbell at the beginning of this newsletter speaks to this. The company's own web site describes this project as being part of their overall strategy to take advantage of massive drilling in the Marcellus shale and, "to make The Finger Lakes the gas storage and transportation hub for the Northeast United States".

This special edition of the Crooked Lake Keeper is posted so that our neighbors may become aware of this impending abomination before it becomes a "done deal." We invite both your awareness and consideration in taking the following action steps ...

1. Attend the informational forum: "Seneca at a Crossroads". Watkins Glen High School Auditorium. Thursday, April 14th from 7-9 pm.

2. Write a letter expressing your views, Use the template provided or, for more impact, write your own.

*Letter to the editor The Corning Leader-34 West Pulteney St. Corning, NY 14830

The Elmira Star Gazette-PO Box 285 Elmira, NY 14902

The Dundee Observer, Review and Express-45 Water St. Dundee, NY 14837

The Finger Lakes Times-218 Genesee St. Geneva, NY 14456

3. Letters to local elected officials-Find names and addresses on the attached Citizens Sample letter.

4. Go to www.gasfreeseneca.com Sign the petition, join the listserve, sign up for emails, Forward this newsletter to everyone on your email list, "Like" us on facebook. Help make this issue go "Viral".

5. Download and print the flyer and post it everywhere!!

Inergy's plans will devastate the Seneca Lake and Watkins Glen areas, and by extension, the rest of the Finger Lakes as well. What has been a wonderful region for recreation, tourism, agriculture and quiet rural living runs the risk of becoming a distant memory due to the greed of an out-of-state company. Please consider taking action now before it is too late.

Thank you,

Joe Hoff

KCAH Chairman

I don't know about you, but I think fracking is bad enough, but then to make our major source of freshwater the NE headquarters for storage is just terrible. Hydrofracking is one of those frustrating subjects, where you want to shout "what don't you get about dangerous chemicals and crust disruption that burns more fuel than it produces?" Though sometimes we may not want to say that quite so succinctly and...well, with a few profanities thrown in. I really don't think enough people understand that this is a decade of drilling for approximately a years worth of natural gas. They get confused, because natural gas is supposed to be one of the "better" environmental options below alternative power like solar and wind. People are also being told they have the potential to earn money by selling their land. When you are trying to send a kid to college and maintain a household, that might sound like a good enough incentive. Unfortunately for those people, they could not only have their land shattered but come out of the deal with literally pennies in compensation if their land doesn't produce. Thats some depressing stuff right there...

I also think it is even worse that the man behind this operation is from Missouri. It's a lot easier to contaminate peoples drinking water when they are far away I suppose. So far though, we are doing pretty good at fighting off fracking, but now we, as a community, need to step up our game. If anyone would like flyer, the sample letter, or the newsletter that came attached with this, you can send me (Intern Ashley Benning) an e-mail at ambismb@aol.com.

Spring

It's robins!

It's sunny mornings!

It's grass!

It's spring!

And for me it's spring break! Well, in two more days...

One Warm Day

So, because of the lovely warm day this Saturday, we went on a walk along the lake shore. We found some trash on the way, washed up from last summer, but we also found some goodies. Digging through the rocks by the Wells boathouse, we found the typical coal, and a huge variety of stones, along with some nice fish bones, including the jaw to the side.

Despite the rain, it was a beautiful day to get outdoors, and it was even warm by the water. Today however is a little whiter, so let it be a lesson, get out when you can!

Does anyone know where spring is?

It's sunny outside but the warmth just isn't there...

The geese are back though, there are some buds up by buildings (already!), the birds sing in the mornings, and the squirrels are scampering around, so it has to be out there somewhere!

Photo Contest!

Attention Cayuga Lake and Water-Lovers!

The Cayuga Lake Watershed Network seeks your favorite water-themed photos in a small informal contest!

If we get enough entries, we’ll award prizes for best and next-best Cayuga Lake Watershed photo and best and next-best Water Anywhere photo.

These have to be your own photos – provide your name, location and date of photo, and caption.

Send them to Ashley Benning at abenning@wells.edu

We’ll feature the winners on this Facebook page, and publish the photos in the Network’s quarterly newsletter, “Network News.”

Due by: March 18

Its warming up!

So, its getting warmer out there, lets hope this lasts. The birds were actually singing today, maybe a good sign?

Hopefully the warm weather stay's for Hilary's pet project "Embrace the Lake" which kind of sounds really awesome and I'm sad I didn't do last year. This year I will have to be a good role model and drag out a few friends of my own. Of course, we like to run around in the streams anyway, and we do tend to find a good deal of trash, so this time, we'll just have to grab a few bags to bring it back in.

I personally have always liked searching around outdoors, and think there is nothing cooler than finding bones or fossils, or rocks that I should know the name of because of geology but mainly refer to as "ooh, shiny!" But really, the streams are super fun, and one of my best memories is visiting local waterside locations with my friends. They're beautiful, and there is just so much to find! So if I can go hiking AND help the lake stay healthy, and maybe even improve it then why not? Sounds like fun!

Bad Weather

I don't know about the rest of the lake shore folk, but these crazy temperature fluxes have sent out a bout of Wells plague. Here we're all sleepy...and coughing.

Hurry up spring!

Introducing: The Watershed's New Intern

HI

So I'm the new intern with the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network. Lucky for me, HQ is located right on Campus, so I actually get to do something great without leaving home turf. Thats even better for me because honestly, I'm kind of lazy. (shh, don't tell anyone). I'm really excited to work with the organization that I think is the primary caretaker of the lake and its lovely tributaries. Not only are they important as a source of water, (well, obviously, try going a week without water and tell me how that goes, or don't, you may be too parched and smelly to leave the house...) but it is also a GREAT local source of fun. Between the lake and the streams, you'll never be hot in the summer, and you get to see GORGEOUS frozen waterfalls in the winter. Not to mention the lake keeps the shoreline relatively snow free. Trust me on this one, I live about 20 minutes north of the lake, and there hasn't been a day this winter that the snow wasn't waist high...

Now, I know it just sounds like I'm plugging the lake, but that is mainly to lead to a plug for my first creation as an intern. Photo contest! The subject of course, is water-bodies. They look great and they don't squirm in and out of focus like puppies or people. I want everyone to get outside, despite the cold and snow, and see that winter is not all bad, and there is still beauty out there not buried by snow. And if you happen to take a picture that strikes and epiphany and gives nature a profound meaning in your mind, well, then no harm done...and if you happen to catch hypothermia then my bad...

So, I could tell you all about myself, but there is a blog bio for that, so I will just tell you I am a sophomore at college and I have spent my entire life within a two hour distance from here, and actually have family just around the corner. I really love my school (despite the price) and I love the area. I'm in a long term relationship, so if I ever meet up with anyone in the field for some fun activities, I probably won't be alone. Also, surprise surprise, I am an environmental science major. Shocking, no?

So, to wrap up this ramble, I will mention the picture of me and the lake. One of us is just ridiculous, but I will leave the decision of who up to you...

Getting started -- once again!

Dear folks interested in Cayuga Lake NY's beauty, issues and challenges--

We got off to a great start with this interactive blog site almost two years ago, and then fell into a black hole of overwork.

As of January 2011 we have a new Cayuga Lake Watershed Network intern, Ashley Benning, an undergrad at Wells College in beautiful Aurora NY. She will be helping us get things up to date and on the move once again.

The photo is of the winter beach on Cayuga Lake with Wells College in the background.