HomeMy WebLinkAboutCayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Org.PDF', it,
C{rluga Luke Watershed
I}{TE,RMUNICIPAL ORGANIZATION
Intermunicipal cooperation promoting protection of the watershed
December 7,2011
To Cayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal organ\zation Membet:
We are once agirin requesting your support for the work of the Cayuga Lake Watershed
resources. We continue to seek
of the Cayuga Lake Watershed
Restoration and Protection Plan (RPP)' The annuql
;a=
Cuyuga CountY
Aurelius (T)
Aurora (V)
Caluga (V)
Fleming (T)
Genoa (T)
l,edyard (T)
Scipio (T)
Springport (T)
Summer Hill (T)
Union Springs (V)
Venice (T)
Senecu CountY
Covert (T)
Fayette (T)
tnterlaken (V)
Romulus (T)
Seneca Falls (T)
Varick (T)
Tompkins CountY
Caroline (T)
Cayuga Heights (V)
Dryden (T)
Freeville (V)
Groton (T)
Ithaca (C)
Ithaca (T)
Lansing (V)
Lansing (T)
Newfield (T)
Ulysses (T)
Intermunicipal t)rganization (IO) to protect our water
additional funding and project ideas for implementation
since the watershed goals were developed, the Io has secured over $1 million for a
variety of projiects fiom the NYS Department of State under the Environmental
Protection Fund. We recently received funding to update the Restoration and
Protection Plarr. The goals of that project are to assess.changes in priorities and
emerging issue,s related"to the watershei and water quality' We will hold^public
meetings in orcler to hear from YOU on concerns and issues your municipality faces in
terms of water lresource protection.
The Cayuga LaLke Floatins Classrooqr Committee used $10,000 allocated by the IO to
leverage oro.. l$15,0m-il;-;aarlIo*i ftnds provided byprivate sponsors' As a result'
science-enrichment lake cruises were ptould"d to 1450 students, representing every
public school clistrict in the watershed, during the year" In addition, nearly 800 students
are participatirLg in "Trout in the Classroomi, raising trout and learning about healthy
stream habitats tfnougf]ori the schoolyear. Thes" ptog.u-s represent tremendous
opportunities to support both long-term stewardship of our water resources and high-
quality, real-world science experiences for students in our region' For specific
information orn Floating Classioom services provided to your community, contact
Committee chair, Bill FJster, at floatingcia$$raqrrlr ca '
If you have project ideas in your municipality, we welcome suggestions for future grant
opporlunities.
we urge you to appoint a representative if you don't already have one and encourage
your representative to attend meetings. Email notices are sent in advance of the
meetirrg. If your representative wishes to receive notices and is not on the email list'
please provide their email to <Jarb,v:clrvio{g)".vahog.c-om. I hope that you will consider
both your financial contribution to the IO ;d your commitment as active member of
the IO. Your expertise, energy, and time u.. n."".rury for us to accomplish the tasks
described in the Restoration and Protection Plan'
Sincerely,
Darby KileY
Coordinator
-a-
2
Greetings From The Floating ctassroom Gommittee...
rtrtmnlcp.r ortrntr.ion um* ml ghru;m;
Our communities face unprecedented
challenges as we manage the development ofregional natural gas shale and struggie tounderstand the growing value or frJs"tr water on re
a global scale. Our students face n"* '"'"' "" The32-passengerMA/lHaendel,lromeof theFloatingClassroom.
Despite the economic climate of 2010, theFloating Classroom enjoyed a quiefly '
successful year- expanding our'public ,,eco_
cruise" schedule and extra_curricular youthprogramming, while maintaining enric'hmentprogramming for every school Olstrict in theCayuga Watershed . 2Oll promises to beanother challenging year from a financial
standpoint, but we believe the need forengaging, opento-all educational opportunitieson our lake remains as compelling as ever.
challenges as school budgets are slashed across the state. whether the focus is life-science for 7thgraders or conversations about the economic impact orinu"riu" species torlouts, Floatingclassroom programs are intended to build ooffr [nowrlig.
"no direct experience, preparing studentsfor academic achievement and empowering .orrrnitv-i,-"ro"rs to share ideas with confidence.we believe, as well,
_thar our phjlggopnv of collaboration will be our strength as we work to make theFloating classroom.as a cost-efficient, regional platform for science, math, technology and culturaleducation in 2011' we wish to thank all o'-f those ino"io*r. and organi,."iion, who joined us over thepast year' recognizing common threads,be,y""n ir'r"ii r*plctive iritereri" oi ,ir.ions, and ours.i":;;;Y'zx:r1i::;:;sl:*ffHg,:j;ffi S'i;";;,:::,1"[ ".a o,,. "o",nities, - Bitii,ti,,-chair,
Bu ild in g A Waters hed-Wide Educationat platform
Jfg cayuga Lake Floating classroom project was established in2003 as an education/pubric. o^utreach proj-ect ot ti. ciii-g; L"k"Waters h ed I nter- M u n i c-i pat O rg an i z {ti o n, or,,1 O,,, in keeping withthe reco m mendati o ns o t ine. cai u g u tr-i *, wate rs h e d Re sto rati o nand Protection ptan._The ptan wa! sig;eO in 2001 Ly ii-'"'geographicaily and curturaily diverse <iommunitier, *'ho recognizedtheir common interest in the "t"*"rJ"r,ip ;;"fi, ir"*f]""t
Today, th-e project provides educationar cruises aboard the MA/Haendar for over 2000 student" anJrJurts each year, representingevery.community in the watershed. T'he Froafinj cirrriloil'rrrocoordinates "Trout in the crassroom" conservation programs fornearly 800 studentr.r!i2 schoots. Xe,eping these il;;;,aftoat,,requires the services of severar vorunteer steering committees, ayear-rou nd prog ra m director and trained instructois.
-
rc""pini' tn",affordable requires us
-to manage the <iommunity_supported"watershed Education" and ."c6mmunity Accesr" rrnor, iolnrrr"that no one is priced out of ttre prograrnl
become a cost_errecg.9::1,",",0Hll:.,11::?ifi!:: ii"l,ff?Jffi[#?l],.;n:ffi:tf?$:,:.?8,,community-groups and municipalities in the cayugr W"t"i.h"-d, ,no, inJ""li in.rgn"ut the region. Thisreport provides a brief summaiy of our accompiisliments,
"nJrn outiine ot ori priorities for the comingyear.
Program Overview
Floating Classroom instructor
prepares students to collect plankbn
J
TheFloatingC|assroomProjectoffersasuiteofeducationa|and
recreationaiprograms for both youths and adults on Cayuga Lake'
These programs are conducted aboard the research vessel MV
Haendel, wnicn is owned by Tiohero Tours, LLC, a fully-licensed
commercialvesse|operator,subjecttoregu|arinspectionbythe
US Coast Guard.
. Lake cruise programs for schools are offered at locations
around Cayuga Lake. Students assess water quality and
biology lptiniton, fish and plants), and learn about the human
anO niturat history of the lake. Supplemental art, stream
ecology and team-building programs are also offered to
accommodate larger grouPS'
. "Water Wizards" and "Cayuga Explorers" programs bring
youths from different communities together in a non-
school/after-school setting for powerful, multipletrip
experiences on the lake.
.Pub|icEco-CruisesareofferedMay-octoberforall-ages,
and feature guest presentations on a weekly basis'
The Floating classroom also coordinates "Trout ln The classroom".
With suppoil from the Leqn Chancller Chapter of Trout Unlimited and
from private donors, participating schools receive cold-water aquarlum
systems, suitable for raising and studying fingerling trout over the
sthool year. The schools are encouraged to adopt local streams, as
they release their surviving trout each spring' Trout In The
Claisroom" offers a flexib,le and yret powerful platform for learning on
many levels. lt fosters personal cr)nnections with nature and provides
a reidy-made platform for scientisits, conservationists and other
community members to work with students. Details and information on
how to support this program can be found at
fi nqerlakestic. blogsPot. co!0.
Table 1. Al10 Prcgrar ParlhipantRabs
Gillises Trcut
Elementary 390 283
Middle School 661 129
HighSchml 234 120
College Age 2BO 13
Adult 496 I
Total 2061 554
To learn more' visit our blog-sites!
For happenings on the lake - FloatingGlassroom.blogspot.com
For info on classroom activities - FinoerlakesTlc.bloospot.com
Accomplishments in 201 0
Having made substantial gains in programming during the prior two years, the Floating Classroom Steering
Cornmittee focused on ec[rity of services and Jommunity outreach during 2010. The Committee established
several priorities for deveiopment, outlined in the box to the right, and realized
a good deal of success irr addres:;ing them over the course of the year.
Proqrams for All Watershed Schools: Schools have recognized the Floating
Ctassroonr as a vatuable tool for science and math learning, and have made
substantial investments t9 enable their students to participate. Not all districts
have equal means, unfortunately, and the Floating Classroom's Watershed
Education Fund ensures that we can provide equal opportunities for youths in
all communities. Thanks to contributions from lO member communities and
from private donors, we were once again able to honor all requests, and
deliver programs to students from every schooldistrict in our'1000 t_9nr","
,
mile watershed. We are particulerrly pleased to welcome the entire 7'' grade
from South Seneca Middle School to the program this year. We hope to see
this level of participation from everry district in coming years.. Providing
equitable opportunities throughottt our Watershed will remain our priority'
ru
services enjoyed the lake more than ever, and even got to l:n-9ift',rng at Myers Point. This 150'seinecanoe Cayuga lnlet. Youths also received free comiiniiy net, provided by Jeremy Dietrich, provided aaccess coupons so that they could invite tiienos and family fantastic new activity for summer programs.
to share their Froating crassroom experiences during puotic cruises.
4Accomplishments in 201 0- Conti nued.
Equitv Bevond the School:
Art Cruises by Camille Doucet,
Paula Bensadoun & Louisa Sandvik
offered a new way to see the lake.
More Public cruises & More pubric A,ccess: In pursuit of increasedcommunity outreach, we doubled our.e,illcruise schedule, to inctudeboth Sundays and Thursdays. Thanl<s to an anunOance
"i,rpp"rtfrom local experts, the cruises featured piesentations ranging from artto ornithorogy; from myths to mini-sulls,'"no *" rook forward tocontinuing our expanded schedure in 2011. T'he cruises attract bothlocar and tourist participants, providing, an opportunity for insight intoperceptions of the health of Cayuga tike fiabte Z.) ' -' " - w'.
Additionaily, to ensure that ail segments of our community wourd beable to participate in pubric eco-ciuisers, we distribu tea cJmiiiityaccess coupons to a number of comnrunity organizations, so iheycourd make them avairabre^"no-questions-askJo,, in tneir oni.",
"no "tcommunity events. some 200 coupons were returned in 2010 and weexpect better usage rates during 201 11.
During 2010, we
:::gll j: i?i:: -1y:f ' "ssjr r roat i ns c r asffi m t"s ;;; ;; ; ;broader public presence. The outcoilres of that *brr,"o"."r"- -
apparent, as inquiries and participation revers began to in"i"a.e.Perhaps most importan'y, however, we were fortunate to welcomett9l*^l :yji:,"'" :i,jl^ ::y? f f jJ q" o rp r e oe n i n o tr e ;;;; ;; ;;. s#l?,:tH:ilJ::?.Jf""J:y:*l:.":*;y.::ny, "no inL.J.'l, o".jffiiil:,Tilffi5ij:l?o,tifln".',,of the year. Three new working groups *"r" io*"jltasked with overseeing outreach, progr".ring
"nO"financial concerns for ihe Floating'Clas.roo, bteeringCommittee. We are very glad to-have
"u"iyon"aboard, and look for great things in 2011.
rtnatsmnent@
Table 2. potts oveitnEeGFsndw-
"Trout In The Classroom,, Students release browntrout to Falt Creek. ,,-flC" expandeO to ii scfroorsduring 2010, and threre schools are testing the viabilityof native brook trout for the program. - - "r .''
5
Project Financing
The Floating Classroom Steering Committee oversees the
allocations 6f funding for the program, and directs the use of the
watershed Education and communrity Access funds to ensure that
programs are affordable for all wate,rshed applicants. These funds
are directed to support planning, insitructors, equipment, and boat
charters. Additionally, the Committee works with the program
director to oversee the disposition of monies associated with
program develop grants and other rnonies. Overall, no more than
1O% of income is directed to general operating expenses or
faOte a. 2010 OPerating Budget
eayuga Lake WS "lO"$ 13,000.00
Other Local Gov't $ 10,250.00
Grants s 19,861.00
Small/Private Donations $ 9,729.00
Schools & Clients $ 33,625.00
Volunteer Services (Est.)$ 10,000.00
Total Budget $ 96,465.00
overhead, and this is made possibh: by our Project partners, who
provide technical expertise, equipnreni roans, and educational materials on a regular basis. Thus, the Floating
Classroom remains a relatively smilll, streamlined, organization from a financial stand-point, allocating nearly all
available funds to directly support erducational programs. With a total budget of just under $100,000, we
provided education services to over 2500 watershed residents during 2010'
Scholarship-S upported Cruises for Watershed Clients
The Watershed Educatlon Fund is our largest budget
Dryden Central Schools I corpon"nt, and provides matching funds for watershed
Groton CentralSchools I schools and community groups on a sliding scale. With
Ithaca City Schools I ship-board cruise programming valued at $300/hour during
Lansing High School I )i.OiiOi s-notarshtps pr6vided about 45% of fees for public
Newfield Middle School I ..noof.. Notably, the average cost-share rate actually
South Seneca Schools | """"':^, I declined from previous years, despite tightening school
.?:l:"t^"i:lfi'3,9.1"":tll::l^, | 6iog"tt. rhis rund depends upon annial membership dues
Southern Cayuga Middle S;chool I wuvvere' ' '" '-
Trumansburg High schoot I naio uv municipalities to the cayuga watershed
EA Ctune Montessori School, lthaca I interminicipal Organization ("lO')' The aggregation of
rmmacurate conception school, rthaca I municipaltulolns lll":g-li[ l::::llti:pi?-:::s^earrv
peachtown schoot, Ar;;"'""- | in tn" year allows the Floating classroom committee to
I attraciadditionat contributions. In fact, during 2010, just
,contacrtheFtoatinsctassroomfordetailedrundinsinrormation. I $tg,OOO in lO funding helps uS levefage an additional
I $tZ,OOO to support watershed schools. This arrangement
;"@"*.".-d#J';:i""'ff 6i[iiisilt!fr11"*i&]l?'fi?j*:i::'ygql' qllw ovYvrqr rrrvl
their residents. Our Watershed Access Fund stood at roughly $25,000 in 2010, and is anticipated to grow by
10% in 2011.
Alternatively Funded Proclrams
Alorrg with our Watershecl school ,cruises, there are several other areas of programming, each of which depends
upon specific sponsors arrd cooperrative arrangements. Our Community Access Fund is anchored by support
from the park Foundation, in lthac;a, NY, and i! allocated to support outreach and programming for low-income
communities. Additionally, Trout iln the Ctassroom is supported by specific grants and volunteer service
contributions. Given that"t'he budget period for Trout in the Ctassroom reflects the school year, rather that the
calendar year, it is presented sepiarately in Figure 2.
i-
lFC Cruise Prrogram$ ZOIO
559,G&STotal
:t250,5x
Trout In The Classroom 20ilF11
12classes,$27,m
o.0x
ro,!m.9x
dzGilr,7x
H#Fsurel
r rrrri.isl & hBt F.*
ra:oq39ta
I lrriqEl
rcH-*Eidqr.8mi
(16r -(HE
.Gffi
rlFDDdi{rc
x tlfi-sdH|l
'crd-dF
11Gffi
. lEl Daadi(ra
H*tdmturiE l
ffi&\rdffi
Figure 2.
i
l
Looking south on Cayuga Lake
Priorities for 2011
: The Floatingutassroom will work to develop relevant and practiial
services for urban and rural low_income communities
during Z.lll Our programs wilt be created with guidancefrom individuals and organizations working directiy withthese communities. Our focus areas, p"n'Oing tneir input,will include distributing community access coupons toencourage public cruises participation, using the FloatingClassroom to strengthen existing programs, anOencouraging communication and scholarship. Themeasure of our success will be the extent to whichparticipation levels increase within these communities.
resource' the Floatins pta931oo1will incorporat,e new tecnnJroiy to im-prove 1r" u"rul ii:liTrffiX,.,Tt'"3;'"avenue for accomplishing this objective witi oe the use of monit5-tnternet-oase,i cominunications to supportcommunication between groups on the boat and groups in r"mote locations. vv" *iri
"lro work to improve theuse of data collected on the lake to support c-urnculum requirements in schoor. rvreasures of success wit incrudeteacher/client feedback and the rate oi use of rr-rerated tcioi". -
ffifeSOUfce. the Floati no Clacc rnn- .^,; 1 1l ^ll-*^-
While we have yet to ac;hieve our true goal of serving
;J}:i1ru *?i;:?:ii1lJ:'#-'"*"?:-"jl ?rl l:;:1":Lj:t,[,;;:'
'iiji:?H"T:?3?Ti;'i'",[j"3ji.n *"vears' we will make everv effort to maintain this mireston", "nJ.onifi#,:;"]jo"#ffiff:l;Jji
,f"':?.:1j^,l?Yl?IlllrIi:::,:1envjronmentinwhichtheF|oating3ffniig;i,i!*::','i:i,:',:?ffii;ill*ltyl::".*lHlqlili,::Jn?i1"3'J'l#H?il?#:flH*
"t;;;il;ii"".,il,rlnnafinno la a,,. lAf^t^-^t^^ -r - '
funds, and increased income frorn tourist_orienteO piogr"rring
Fun! A great deal of effort goes into keeping the FloatingClassroom afloat- but when it,s all said
"nO
oon", we,ve got tonave some funl Nothing beats being on the water, and rrie look
lollarO to new experiences in 201 lLnd more of the best frompnor years.
We hope you willjoin us i,n making fhese goals a reatityl
7
The lmportance of Workirng Together"'
The Ftoating Classroom Proiect offers a unique
learning experience for cayuga watershed residents of
all ages, and an attraction for visitors to the Finger
Lakes region. The Proiect cctuld not exist, however,
without collaboration and partnership with the
following organizations and individuals' We thank
them for their time, energy and funding during 2010'
Gayuga Lake Floatiing Glassroom
Steering Gommittee
Bill Foster, Progr'am Director
Thomas Vawter, Outreach Chair
Colleen Mclinn, F'rogram Development Chair
Jeff Furst, Financial Planning Chair
Floating Glassroom CommunitY
SuPPorters - 2010
Cayuga Lake Watershed Network
City of lthaca Water DePartment
Commu nitY Science I nstitute
Cornell CooPerative Extension
Cornell University, Lab of Ecology &
Evolutionary BiologY
Dryden Recreation DePartment
Greater lthaca Activities Center
Ithaca Area Stormwater Coalition
Ithaca Youth Bureau
Lansing Parks
The LeoPold FamilY
Prof. Nelson Hairston
Finger Lake Regional Parks
Park Foundation
Seneca Meadows, Inc.
Sheldrake Point VineYards & Winery
Southside CommunitY Center
Tompkins County Rural Youth Services
Tompkins Co. Water Resources Council
The Town of Newfield
TRIAD Foundation
Trout Unlimited, Leon Chandler Chapter
US Environmental Protection Agency
Wells College
The Member Municipalities of the Cayuga
Lake Intermunicipal Organization
-and-
Educators Across the Region!
Dennis Montgomery
Lynn Leopold
Jeffrey Werner
Alicia Plotkin
Mark ClookeY
Jill Cohen
Carroll Cook
Colleen Kearns
Thea Martin
Jeremy Dietrich
Jodi Riggs
Hilary Lambert
*Committee meetingy minutes available upon request'
Thank You! From All O"f Us."
l
alln
cayuga Lake Ftoating G/ass room project
It's Your Lake - Get To Know til
to volurteer, or Donate to the Froating classroom scholarship Fundl
On the web: floatingclassroo/n.c ayugawatershed.org.
f I o ati n g c I ass roo m. b I o g s p ot. c o mEmail: floatingclassroom@cayugawatershed.org
Call: Tiohero Tours, at (607) 697-0166.
Cayuga Lake Floating
435 Old Taughannock
fthaca, NY 14BSO
[d:[!trL3-tt]..I
-
-T 3-
Classroom Project
Blvd.
To
Mr./Mrs hars sent you a copy of the 20i 0
Contact us to Volunteer,
Cayuga Lake Floating :Classroom Prorject Annual Report