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SWCS Students Help ‘Rake For The Lake’ Friday

Chautauqua Lake Association President Rudy Mueller explains to Southwestern Central School students Nick Swan, Jayden Hultin, and Nolan Froah about cleaning the shoreline. Heather Caskey, CLA employee, also listens. P-J photos by Michael Zabrodsky

LAKEWOOD — “The prupose of this is to clean up the shorline.”

Heather Caskey, of the Chautauqua Lake Association, said that Friday to Southwestern Central School student volunteers Jayden Hultin, Nolan Froah, and Nick Swan, as they listened for other instructions to clear weeds from the shore of Chautauqua Lake at the YWCA, 185 E. Terrace Ave.

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A few minutes later, some SWCS National Honor Society Members arrived, received the same instructions, and then with rakes and wheelboarrows in hand, the students proceeded to follow Rudy Mueller, CLA president, to the shoreline to begin “Rake For The Lake.”

Mueller is seeking volunteers who live along the shoreline. He said it’s not from the land, and not from the water. It’s just along the shore.

He said his goal is to get the weeds that have floated up in the past month. The CLA doesn’t have any more equipment in the water, or the association would try to take the weeds. What he doesn’t want to see is the weeds to sit through the winter and decompose, If the weeds sit, they turn into muck and mud and fertilizer for next year’s algae bloom and weed growth, he said.

As part of “Rake for the Lake” this is one of the piles of leaves and debris collected from the shoreline of Chautuqua Lake. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

Heidi Swan-Leuze, Samuel Mincarelli, Faith Hamilton, and Alexis Grijalva, formed a group and begin to remove some weeds. As soon as the group formed a pile, Brandon Smith arrived with a wheelbarrow, and the pile was transferred to the wheelbarrow. Smith then grabbed the wheelbarrown and walked it to the curb at the opening of Y’s driveway. There he dumped the pile into a bigger pile of weeds.

“We are happy to be doing something for our community. They (the students) will earn some community service hours, which are requirements of being National Honor Scoiety Members. They also get the enjoyment of helping the community,” said SWCS Honor Society Adviser Katie Damcott, who was supervising society members Swan-Leuze, Grijalva, Mincarelli, and Hamilton.

Mueller said because the water level will be dropping, the weeds will be fresh. He noted that this project is not affliated with the Village of Lakewood’s leaf pickup. If you volunteer, the weeds will have to be taken to the curb of the road. The village’s Department of Public Works will pick up the weeds during the week of Oct. 24, Mueller said.

Currently, this is a project just in Lakewood, but Mueller hopes other lakeside municipalities will hold similar events.

Mueller said people who live along the shoreline in the village can begin volunteering at any time, but all work has to be completed and brought to the curb by Sunday.

From left, Southwestern Central School students Alexis Grijalva, Faith Hamilton, Samuel Mincarelli, and Heidi Swan-Leuze help Rudy Mueller, Chautauqua Lake Association president, in back, with clearing weeds from Chautauqua Lake.

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