CAZENOVIA — At the 17th annual Cazenovia Lake Summit, held late last month, the Cazenovia Lake Association and a variety of other stakeholders provided the community with an update on the health of the lake and a variety of efforts to protect the lake from invasive species and other potential negative impacts.
“It’s clearly our top priority,” CLA’s Bob Crichton said of invasive species prevention, adding that $1.25 million has been spent mitigating the impact of milfoil on the lake since 2008. “If we allow things like hydrilla or gobies into the lake, that number will be significantly higher. So, we have to be diligent, otherwise we’re fighting a real uphill battle.”
Earlier this year, the new boat cleaning station was installed at Lakeside Park, where four boat stewards are employed to ensure that any boat launched there is clean before entering the lake. The village also put tighter restrictions on contractors who enter the lake by boat, said village Trustee Tom Tait, who serves as the village’s CLA liaison.