Additionally, the board members unanimously gave support to the organization for a grant application the alliance hopes will help better monitor, and manage, emerging invasive species within the lake.

Recently, the alliance has undergone a restructuring to attempt to give representation to every municipality surrounding the lake. This was done through increasing the board size to include 18 different individuals. Of these people, nine will now represent local municipalities, six will be from the three current lake maintenance organizations, and the remaining three are governmental leaders from the county-level. With the addition of these members, the town of Ellicott was one of the locations that had to decide on an elected official from the town that will become a representative. This selection occurred at the town board meeting on Dec. 2. After a brief discussion, town highway superintendent Robert Pickett Jr. received multiple nominations for the role, before being eventually selected. Pickett not only has current involvement in lake efforts, but has also kept up with lake news for many years now, according to Councilman Kenneth Swan.

During the Tuesday meeting, board members were also asked to issue a letter of support to the alliance to support a DEC grant application for funding to help battle starry stonewort, an invasive microalgae that has spread throughout the lake so far. Town Supervisor Janet Bowman said there has been starry stonewort found in the lake near Townline Road, on the edge of the towns of Ellicott and Ellery. As a result of the close proximity, and increasing presence of the species in the lake, the town officials decided that it would be best to give a letter of support for the grant application. The motion to support was unanimously approved, and the grant period would last from about April 2026 to March 2029 if awarded, stated Bowman.

All of these efforts within Ellicott are a part of the alliance’s greater efforts to manage, and eradicate starry stonewort all across the lake. The species is fairly new to the lake, only having been first seen in small patches in 2009. However, a 2022 survey discovered dense growths of the microalgae, specifically in two points within the lake. Due to the sheer scale of the growth, and the host of negative environmental impacts, managing the outbreak has quickly become a top priority for alliance members.

Test dives are pictured being performed in 2023. Photo courtesy Chautauqua Lake Watershed and Management Alliance

Large formations of starry stonewort were discovered at Ashville Bay, in the town of North Harmony, and at Prendergast Point, in the town of Chautauqua. Efforts to manage, and reduce, the outbreaks in these areas have already begun. In 2023, the alliance members worked with these two towns to help with the submission of grant applications. As a result, each town would receive about $100,000 from the Invasive Species Grant Program, with an additional $25,000 to each town due to a partially matched donation from the alliance. As a result of these funds, both towns have been able to begin the use of Diver-Assisted Suction Harvesting. This technique allows for very targeted removal, and works well with the nearby wetland permit requirements. DASH allows divers to remove algae at the base of the lake, where a majority of its reproductive structures are stored. DASH also allows the divers to leave native species unaffected, due to the specific targeting that is possible through this system. Algae removal is currently underway, and will continue, in both areas thanks to the efforts of Integrated Lakes Management.