An aerial view of Chautauqua Lake. Submitted photo

The time is now to voice opinions or concerns in Albany about Chautauqua Lake’s wetlands designation.

The last day to submit written comments is Sept. 19.

Jim Wehrfritz, a longtime advocate on Chautauqua Lake issues, who earlier this year began raising concerns about the new wetlands designation and its potential impact on Chautauqua Lake. Concerns initially focused on the Burtis Bay area of Chautauqua Lake in the town of Ellicott and village of Lakewood. Wehrfritz has said the new regulations could affect the entire lake. Homes along Chautauqua Lake’s shores makeup more than 25 percent of the county’s total taxable value.

“One size doesn’t fit all,” Wehrfritz said. “The wetlands regulations are not appropriate for a 13,000-arce lake with 150-plus years of shoreline development and hundreds of millions of dollars of private investment.”

The 2022 Wetlands Law amendments and 2023 draft regulations can regulate the use of significant portions of the lake and adjacent shoreline with major negative impacts on tourism, commercial interests, property values, and ultimately, property, school, and sales tax revenue.

“The time is now. People around the lake who will be affected by this need to participate in the submission of comments to the DEC (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation), need to participate in virtual hearings on Sept. 10, and potentially participate in an in-person hearing on Sept. 12,” Wehrfritz said.

“Wetlands provide economic and ecological benefits to all of New York’s communities by improving natural resiliency, helping protect communities from flooding, particularly in response to climate change, while providing essential habitat for fish and wildlife,” Interim DEC Commissioner Sean Mahar said. “I encourage New Yorkers to review this proposal and provide input as we fulfill Governor Hochul’s commitment to modernize wetlands protections and work to ensure the long-term health of these vital ecosystems.”

The Chautauqua Lake Property Owners Association, Wehrfritz added, is attempting to organize carpools to take people to Albany on Sept. 11 and 12.

-Written comments can be submitted to WetlandRegulatoryComments@dec.ny.gov with the subject line “Wetlands Part 664 Comments” or mailed to NYSDEC, Attn: Roy Jacobson, Jr., 5th

Floor, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4756.

-To register for a virtual hearing via Webex, you can do so by Sept. 8 at https://forms.office.com/g/cqEDZA2A5b. There are two hearings scheduled for 1 and 6 p.m.

-The in-person hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the DEC Central Office at 625 Broadway, Albany. To register, visit https:forms.office.com/g/j7CkFeJNRU or questions on the carpool can be emailed to Paul Johnson at prjlakeside@hotmail.com.

The towns of Ellicott and Ellery as well as the villages of Bemus Point and Lakewood have passed resolutions opposing the state wetlands designation.

State Sen. George Borrelo, R-Sunset Bay, recently introduced legislation that will exempt inland lakes that are navigable waterways and have an area of 150 acres or more from freshwater wetlands designations. The bill will further exclude the Great Lakes from the definition of “inland lake.”

The DEC added that it encourages the public to comment on the proposed regulations.

At a recent Lakewood Board meeting, Trustee Ellen Barnes echoed Wehrfritz’s thoughts concerning the designation.

“Chautauqua Lake is a very unique lake. It sits at an elevation of 1,308 feet, which makes it one of the highest navigable lakes in North America. It is highly developed, with 43 miles of shoreline, is used for all sorts of recreation, and is known for good fishing. This sounds like a lake that should be cleaned up, its resources preserved, and have it continue to be a lake, not as the DEC is planning to have parts of the lake and areas adjacent to the lake be declared wetlands.”

Barnes added that she did not know how many other lakes in the state also have been targeted by the DEC as wetlands.

“If you don’t want your lake as a wetland, I suggest getting on (visiting) the websites and making comments,” Barnes added.