We had all but given up on the five-year Chautauqua Lake Management Plan proposed and developed by Dr. Robert Richardson of North Carolina State University.

NC State’s Aquatic Plant Management Program officials propose, for those who have forgotten, a staged plan that deals with the entire lake rather than the 2017 Chautauqua Lake Macrophyte Management Strategy’s approach that divides the lake into subsections based off of shoreline use and the need to balance human interaction with environmental considerations. University officials said the approach is good for small areas but shifts lake management strategies away from a focus on plant ecology to meet the county’s goals in managing vegetation in the lake.

After a flurry of discussion in town and village board meetings about a year ago, discussion of the plan became quieter than a church mouse for most of 2025. Only the town of Ellery formally backed implementing the plan. The Mayville Village Board clearly said it would not back the plan, while some boards – like the Lakewood Village Board – tabled the plan and then stuck it in a drawer.

Last week, Richardson’s plan came out of the drawer, at least in Lakewood. In a letter to Julie Barrett O’Neill, state DEC Region 9 director, and Pierre Chagnon, president of the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance, Mayor Randy Holcomb, on behalf of the trustees and village residents, said the village is generally in support of the plan.

“Despite our collective efforts, we have had continuous problems with attempting to control the weeds and harmful algal blooms in our lake, which have made our lake less usable. The plan provides a path that will help control these issues in the future; a qualified Lake manager is an essential part of the plan. We need to address the weed and HAB problems to ensure the safety of everyone who uses the lake and for the economic security of our towns, villages and county.”

Village Board members chose to table the plan again because Trustee Ben Troche wanted more time to review documentation before he can cast a vote on the proposed Chautauqua Lake Management plan, but it is likely a yes or no vote is coming at the next Lakewood Village Board meeting on Dec. 8.

Lakewood’s reconsideration comes at an interesting time for Chautauqua Lake. The Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance board has restructured with greater inclusion of lake maintenance groups and lakeside town and village officials. The Army Corps of Engineers is still working on its series of recommendations for the lake. And, now, it appears there may be movement on the N.C. State University coordinated lake management plan.

First Ellery. Now, possibly, Lakewood. Will there be more dominos to fall?