Great Lakes researcher and SUNY Fredonia professor Sherri Mason is preparing to swim the length of Chautauqua Lake the week of June 19. The 15.5-mile journey will look to prepare her for her big swim on Lake Erie in August. Submitted photos

Sherri Mason’s research has led to striking discoveries regarding plastic pollution in the Great Lakes system.

Her work found plastic particles within all five lakes while counts on Erie and Ontario lakes rivaled those within the ocean.

Her groundbreaking work was recognized in 2016 as she was named one of the Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental champions. The recognitions carried on into this year as she received an Excellence in Environmental Research award from the Earth Month Network.

This month, Mason is ready to conquer a new challenge as she looks to raise awareness on the freshwater system and its importance to peoples’ lives.

In less than two weeks, Mason will swim the length of Chautauqua Lake, a 15.5 mile journey. The swim is slated for the week of June 19 with the exact date to be determined upon the weather forecast. Mason will begin at Lucille Ball Memorial Park in Celoron where she’ll swim northward to Lakeside Park in Mayville.

Mason said the swim will serve as her trial run for her 24-mile swim on Lake Erie on Aug. 19. Mason told The Post-Journal she’s excited for both swims — and a little nervous, too.

“This is by far the biggest undertaking of my life,” Mason said. “But I have been training all year, so hopefully I am ready and able to successfully complete this endeavor.”

Mason, who’s a SUNY Fredonia professor, said she’s been training constantly since last year. The training has entailed endless hours of swimming in the pool, which she said gets tedious after a while, along with some open water swimming.

“The temperature and the waves have made the transition back out into the open water challenging, but I think I am making good progress,” she said.

As for the motivation behind the swim, Mason said the Great Lakes and all associated freshwater resources are in jeopardy. Programs like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Sea Grant programs are on President Donald Trump’s list of of proposed cuts for 2018. Lawmakers in Washington, D.C, maintained funding for both programs through September when work will begin on a new budget.

Mason came before the Chautauqua County Legislature early in the year to support the federal programs. County legislators passed a motion stating their disagreement with the proposed cuts.

“We have come a long way since the 1960s when tributaries to the Great Lakes would regularly catch on fire, but that progress came because of regulations like the Clean Water Act under the administration of agencies like the EPA and NOAA,” she said. “We can’t live without freshwater, and around here, our livelihoods are so intimately connected to these amazing bodies of water.”

Through research efforts on plastic pollution at her lab at SUNY Fredonia, several states within the Great Lakes passed bans on microbeads. Several counties, including Chautauqua County, also passed bans on personal care products with minuscule plastic spheres. Mason came before county legislators to discuss her research and why such a ban was necessary.

Efforts at the local and state levels ultimately led to passage of the Microbeads- Free Water Act in Washington, D.C., in December 2015.

The swim is being support largely through individual donations to her Go Fund Me account with additional support from Evergreen Outfitters. The overall swim is expected to take eight to 10 hours, ending between 2-4 p.m. at Lakeside Park.

Mason will be accompanied by one powerboat and at least two kayakers throughout the endeavor to act as guides, provide nutritional and safety support while timing the swim. Interested parties are welcome to support Mason from lakeside or boats trailing behind her team.

Additional information on the swim can be found by visiting Swimming For the Great Lakes Facebook page or the Go Fund Me page at gofundme.com/TeamDrSam.