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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCayuga Lake Watershed Letter 8.22.2009.PDFCayuga County Aurelius (T) Aurora (V) Cayuga (V) Fleming (T) Genoa (T) Ledyard @ Scipio (T) Springport (T) SummerHill (T) Union Springs (V) Venice (T) Seneca County Covert (T) Fayette (T) Interlaken (V) Romulus (T) Seneca Falls (T) Varick (T) Tompkins Coanty Caroline (T) Cayuga Heights (V) Dryden (T) Freeville (V) Groton (T) Irhaca (c) Ithaca (T) Lansing (V) Lansing (T) Ulysses (T) Cayuga Inke Watershed INTERMUNICIPAL ORGANIZATION Intermunicipal Cooperation promoting protection of the watershed October 22,2009 Dear Clerk, This mailing is directed to you in the hope that you will distribute the information to your municipal board. We are requesting our annual fee from municipalities at this time with payment in the next 30 days, so that we can prepare a budget in January 20L0. If your municipality allocates the money for 2010, payment in January is also acceptable,lust please let us know. Thank you for your attention to this request: We hope to make your contributiol go a long way to protect and educate others on the cayuga Lake watershed. Thank you, Stephanie Church Chair, Cayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization Contact: Darby Kiley (IO Coordinator) 215 N. Tioga St Ithaca. NY 14850 Phone: 607 -27 3-17 47 xI50 Fax:607-273-L704 Email : dkiley @ town. ithaca.ny.us Cayuga CountY Aurelius (T) Aurora (V) Cayuga (V) Fleming (T) Genoa (T) Ledyard (T) Scipio (T) Springport (T) Summer Hill (T) Union Springs (V) Venice (T) Seneca CountY Covert (T) Fayette (T) Interlaken (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) CaYuga l^ake Watershed INTERMUNICIPAL ORGANIZATION Intermunicipal cooperation pronxotinS protection of the watershed October 22,2009 To Cayuga Lake watershed lntermunicipal organization Member: we are once again requesting your support for the work of the cayuga Lake watershed lntermunicipal Organization-(IO) to protect ouf water resoulces' We continue to seek additional funding u"Olto.;""i ideas for implementation of the Cayuga Lake Watershed Restoration and protectiorrPlan (RPP). The annual membership is $900 for 2009' Since the watershed goals were developed, we have applied for and leceived over half a mi*ion dollars i, fdJ;; from the tws u*puttment of state under rhe Environmental Protection Fund. We reJently submitted an application to update the RPP'^If you have project ideas in youl. municipality, we welcome suggestions for future grant opportunities. The Io continues to dedicate its financial resources to the activities of the Floating Classroom o' Cuyogu iuk", contributing at least $10,000 each year for educational opportunities throulio* ifr" watershed. bnclosed is the Floating Classroom Annual Report. We wouldle happy to provide more information if your local scho'ols and organizations are ooi y*i iutnitiar wittr educational opportunities that are available with the Floating Classroom. The Io recently amended the by-laws in order to reorganize the administrative responsibilities of trr" orgu"zation. The "Administrative center" will now be annually elected and will not be tied to the responsibilities of the chairperson. We hope that this promotes active engagement in muitiple municipalities and does not overburden the chairperson. The T;; of Ithaca is the current administrative center, taking over from the Town of Lansing. we appleciate their contributions in making sure the administrative and financial needs of the IO are met' We urge you to encourage your IO representative to attend meetings' Email notices afe sent in advance of the ti."-tittg. If your representative wishes to receive notices and is not on the email list, please plovlde theiiemail to dkilelr@town.ithaca'ny.us. I hope ,t u, you will considertoth your financial contribution to the IO and your commitment as active member of the IO. Your expertise, enefgy, and time afe necessaly for us to accomplish the tasks described in the Restoration and Protection Plan' Sincerely, Stephanie Church chair, cayuga Lake watershed lntermunicipal organi zation Town of Aurelius CouncilPerson *please take a look at our website www.cayu{:alvatershed.org for more information on the RPP CAYUGA LAKE FLOATING CLASSROOM PROJECT "'ff*gwgf*g F*cp/e *f ,SJf ,Ag*s f* ffl* F#f{ll"e *rf SoyrrgrCI {sj*s,, Dear Municipar Representatives: september 15' 2009 Enclosed is an Annual Report and Summary for the Floating Classroom project, which hosts more than 2000 students and adults each year aboard our 45-foot vessel, Tiohero Tours, M/V Haendel. During 2008, we provided programs for at least one class from every school district in the Cayuga Lake Watershed. We are onxious to keep moving toward our goal of providing one, common experience on cayuga Lake for every youth in our watershed! This year, we also kicked-off a winter-long program, "Trout In The Classroom,, at six schools, and expanded our eco-cruise offerings for residents of all ages. We believe that the experiences we offer can help to ensure that students and families from the many communities around Cayuga Lake grow to see themselves collectively as stewards, sharing and investing in its future. The Floating Classroom has been sponsored and largely underwritten by the Intermunicipal organization since its inception. Your continued support for the lo goes a long way in making the Floating Classroom possible, and we hope that the programs we bring toyour community provide a clear and immediate benefit. Thanks For Your Support, Bill Foster, on behalf of the Floating Classroom Project Committee Anticipated Participating Districts & communities: 2009 - 2o1o Fall 2009: Boynton Middle School, lthaca South Seneca Ronnulus Middle School Southern Cayuga Schools Seneca Falls Middle School Union Springs Middle School EA Clune Montessori, lthaca Lansing High School Peachtown School, Aurora Trumansburg High School Seneca County SURGE Sprins 2010: Ithaca School District Groton Middle School Newfield Middle School Dryden (After-school program) lmmaculate Conception School (lthaca) Waterloo Middle School Frontenac School Maxwell CLDS Academy Greater lthaca Activities Center Ithaca Youth Bureau Tompkins County Rural Youth Services An Extension of the Cayuga Lake Waters hed I ntermu nicipal OrganizationCAYUGA LAKE FLOATING CLASSROOM PROJECT Educating for the Future... 2008 Annual Report Prepared by the Ftoating crassroom committee of the cayuga Lake watershed rnter-Municipar organization Our Mission.., "' to engage people in the fy.ture.o! Cayuga Lake by inspiring stronger personalrelationships with the waterways that defin" inii, communities. Our Method... The Floating Classroom provides lake cruises, stream studies and classroomprograms that blend sound science, historical perspective, personal values and fun. Webelieve that these hig.htlr participatory experiences can equip individuats of all ages toimprove their lives, their communities aia their environment. "lt's Yonr Lake... Get To Know lt!,, L Project Overview The Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom Project was established in keeping with the findings of the Cayuga Lake Watershed Restoration and Protection Plan ('RPP'), completed in 2001 by a coalition of 44 municipalities located in the Cayuga Lake Watershed. The Plan identified public education as a priority for the success of a watershed protection effort that would require the cooperative efforts of a culturally and geographically diverse population. The Floating Classroom provides scholarship- supported educational cruises on Cayuga Lake, aboard a 45-foot vessel, the MA/ Haendal. Stream studies and the well-known'Trout In The Classroom" program, are also offered. Trained instructors are available to lead programs focusing on water quality, ecology, local history, and current issues. The Floating Glassroom Committee and Organization The Floating Classroom Project was initiatedin 2002 as an education/outreach effotl for the Cayuga Lake Watershed lnter-Municipal Organization ("1O"), and continues to be guided by a volunteer Floating Classroom Committee of individuals representating educational institutions, private business, local governments and communities. The Committee meets on a monthly basis; public reports and minutes are available upon request. The Committee maintains a close relationship with Tiohero Tours LLC, owner and operator of the research vessel, MA/ Haendel. Lake-based educational programs are conducted aboard the Haendel, and all necessary licensing and certification is maintained through Tiohero Tours. In addition to its relationship with Tiohero Tours, the steering committee collaborates with many local organizations (listed on page 7) to develop and promote educational programs, and maintains a cooperative agreement with Wells College, our 501(c)(3) academic paftner in Aurora, New York. Operating History Cruises aboard the MA/ Haendel were first offered in 2003 as an entirely volunteer effort. An operating budget was developed thereafter to support instructors and equipment, and demand for programming began to grow. Since 2005, the Project has offered combination "Land & Wated' programs, which accommodate classes of 80 or more students by offering stream study, afi and other activities concurrently with lake cruises. The Project also introduced summer cruise programs and 'Water Wizzards" mini-camp programs in collaboration with Tompkins County Rural Youth Services programs. As a result, 70 to 80 cruises were conducted in each of the 2006 and 2007 seasons. 2008 represented a turning point for the Floating Classroom. The establishment of a year-round program management position resulted in substantial increases in programming and scholarship funding. 117 cruises were completed during the season, including six mini-camp sessions over the summer. With increased classroom programming and the introduction of a year-round educational program, called "Trout In The Classroom", the total value of programming doubled between 2007 and 2008. Based on feedback from teachers and other clients, we anticipate near 100% return rates in 2009 and a moderate level of continued growth in demand for programming. A Floating Classroom instructor prepares students to collect plankton sampres. The 32-passenger vessel, Mlr' Haendel, 2008. Accomplishments in 200g 1 The Floating classroom Advisory committee set severar overarching goals for the 2008 season. we believe that each of these priority areas was successfully addressed during the year. overall, student and pubric parlicipation in Froating crassroom programs increased dramatically. Table 1 summarizes lake-cruise parlicipation rates, which nearly doubled from 1203 persons in 2007 to 2124 cruisepafiicipants in 2008. A significant portion of this increase is direcily attributable to two initiatives ouilined berow- the extension of our programs to communities at the north end of cayuga Lake, and the introduction ofpublic eco-cruises for adult and family audiences. In addition to our cruiseprograms, nearly 600 area students began participating in ,,Trout In the Classroom", during the 2009-2009 school year. 2008 Project Priorities Ertend eruiestodtml disti&athe rprh erdof CayEal,ake Extendprqmnninta dassrnnshrcughouthe xhoolyear. ExWndno*dwl prqmmming hrough sumner anpsadpudiccrui . Deliver antinuing edualion worl<stryforeduators. Student Art at Wells College, String Room Gallery, 2008. T*1. mGr.dse Patic$1srts Grades 4-5 284 Grades 6-8 906 Grades 9-12 207 College Age 272 Adult 169 Total 2124 to offer programs based at Wells College, in Aurora. As a result, 211 students from schools in cayuga and seneca counties Programming Highlights School Cruise Proqrams: For the first time in the operating history of the Floating Classroom, 2008 saw schools in every district around cayuga Lake parlicipate in our Foundation of Syracuse, Ny, the project was able to overcome the logisitical challenges of moving the MA/ Haendel and instructors to the norlh end of the Lake Programs. As an extension of the lo, the ability to serve "ulh Wut"rrhed communityis an intrinsic component of our mission. with supporl from the John Ben snow pafiipated in lake cruise programs. (A complete list of school districts served may be found on page 5.) Additionaily, we saw an increase in coilege revel programs, with classes from cornell, lthaca college and wells on-board. Flendinq.Art & Science Education: Working in collaboration with Wells College,the Floating classroom was able to offer a new experience for students fromUnion sprirrgs, seneca Falls and southern cayuga schools. The classesparticipate<i in lake cruises, exproring the hisioiy of the rake and testing thephysical characteristics of rake wateis, incrudin[ temperature, crarity, i.ioityand oxygen levels at various depths. The stud6nts also coilecteo slmptesttplankton, which they transported to Wells College lab facilities. The planktonpopulations were observed to gage the health o-t ttre cayuga Lake foodweb,in a simulated coilege-rever biorogy rab. crasses arso tobriadvantage of theview from the wells college boathouse to create lakescape mosaics,designed to illustrate the relationship between biology, physical setting andenergy in the environment. The blending of art withlcologicat .on""f,tr,resulted in an exhibit 9i.s9uj!eg cavuoa stuoent art at w"erts coilese'sstring Roorn Gallery, titled, "A Room-with A Lake View". A display 5fstudent artwork in Union Springs is also planned for May. Trout In The classroom After a successful pilot program at Dewitt Middleschool durirrg rhe 2007-200g schoolyear, six schools were selected toparticipate in "Trout In The classroom" for the 2oo8-200g schootyear. Roughly 500 students, ranging in age from 2nd grade to 1Oth grade, are raising trout fry atCayuga Heights, South s.. * 4 Hill and Enfield Elementary schools and Boynton Middle school in Ithaca, Groton Middle School and Lansing High School. The program provides aquari ums, age-appropriate teach in g materials, and classroom mentors at no cost to participating teachers. Suppod and guest presentations are provided courtesy of lthaca's Leon Chandler chapter of Trout unlimited, cornell's Lab of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the TRIAD Foundation. Over the course of the year, students care for and study trout fry provided by NY DEC, releasing them to aclopted local streams during spring. Trout In The Classroom provides an excellent range of learning opporlunities for classes, including ad, reading and language skills, as well as science. The students benefit from repeated interactions with community mentors and develop personal relationships with their trout. The year-round educational program also compliments our warm-weather field trips nicely. Information on activities and studies conducted by classes can b e f o u n d at www. f i n q e rl ake st r,c,blegsBql'eol1. Summer Mini-Camps Six weeks of summer camp-style programs were offered during the summer of 2008' During each 'Water Wizzards" session, youths f rom two communities parlicipated in a variety of boat-based activities, and shared their experiences with one another. Two "Cayuga Explore/' mini-camps were also offered successfully on an open-enrollment basis in cooperation with the lthaca Youth Bureau. A sliding fee system was established to encourage youths from all communities to spend four mornings with us on Cayuga Lake. Floating Classroom scholarships were provided to match funding from Tompkins County RuralYouth Seruices and the lthaca Joint Youth Council for lower-income youth in Enfield, Newfield, Caroline, Trumansburg, Danby and lthaca. public Eco-Cruises The Floating Classroom views public cruises as an avenue for educating watershed residents and encouraging members of all populations within our community to participate in the stewardship of our water resources. In keeping with that notion, we offered public cruises in association with Earlhday, Water Week, lthaca Festival and the Lansing Harborfest during 2008. With support from the Park Foundation, a weekly eco-cruise series called, "Love Your Lake", was initiated during the Fall. Five cruises featured guest speakers and lake monitoring demonstrations. Attendance levels were excellent, and the programs were well-received. Along with our summer camps, these public cruises represented a significant step toward realizing our 2008 priority of expanding non-school programming and recognition of the Floating Classroom in Watershed communities. Educator Traininq During 2008, Floating Classroom staff worked with the NYS BOCES to prepare a teacher workshop, Unforlunately, the workshop could not successfully be scheduled to fit the needs of public school teachers, and was postponed to 2009. A second workshop was completed, however, during January, 2009, for teachers at the nodh end of Cayuga Lake. Participants evaluted the year's introductory programs and charled a course for continuing development of Floating Classroom programs that would encourage interaction between classes from multiple districts. Water Wizards youth camp collect water samples at Jennings Pond, Danby, NY. Student illustration: Leptadora, a planktonic predator Students observe fresh plankion samples. 5 Project Financing The Floating crassroom remains a rerativery smail, effective, organization from a financial stand-point. The committee relies onpartnerships to ensure efficient use of resources. Scholarship Proqrams The largest component of our expenditures is the Floating classroom schorarship fund, which matches payments from schoors and community groups on a sliding scale, to ensure that programs Table Z. Sources of Support Cayuga take WS 'lO $ 11,000.00 Other Local Gov'i $ 12,100.00 Colleges/U niversities $ 19,300.00 PrivateSponsors $ 22,000.00 BOCES/Schools $ 7,150.00 Totallnvoices $ 71,550.00 Volunteer Sewices.($ 4000.00) are affordable to all watershed applicants. A typical, two-hour cruise 2008 lncome and Resources. Volunteer was valued at $550 during 200g. On average, scholarship" prouiJ"O service is based on estimated hours. li":*1ti:""j"t"Y"^t^li?]i:::n:o|., ?nd somewhat less or private schoots and other orsanizations. rhe ::T:"j::T:1"]li"-r "f^,1?.,-c"vy,ga Lake watershed rntermunicrp", o'.n""n"tiol, ;ff ,#::i;J-::? "YY r ilwr r yt vv tLtttD lil9 u :ilj,T:: l?"lllltjii: .ll*|^"li',v,, duTs rhe past three years, sisnificanr f undins has been ailocated ro theFloating classroom by the stormwater coarition of rompkins county. Dryden (Middre schoorand Erementary, via Dryden Recreation Dept.) Groton (Middte Schoot) Ithaca (Dewitt & Boynton Middle schools; cayuga Hgts, Enfield & south Hill Elementaries) Lansing (High Schoot) Newfietd (Middte Schoot) South Seneca (Elementary and SURGE program) Seneca Falls (Middte School) Southern Cayuga (Middle School) Trumansburg (High School) Union Springs (Middte Schoot) -private schools- EA Clune Montessori School, lthaca lmmaculate Conception School, lthaca Peachtown School, Aurora Project-Specif ic G rants During 2008' the Floating classroom enjoyed a good deal of success in seeking support from regionalphilanthropic organizations' over $37,000 in grant funds were provided for specific projects ouflined in tfre r Charters I SupportCrew : Lead Instructor r Planning Overhead I Equipment tffi programmatic highrights section. rt is worth noting that the Floating Classroom received support from the Tompkins County Legislature's Community Celebrations program to present several public cruises. The Towns of Dryden and Newfield also allocated recreation and stormwater program funding, respectively, to support seruices for their youth. Nearly two-thirds of project income was locally generated, and it will be a priority for the project to ensure a balance of local and non-localfunding in coming years. Table 2 presents a categorization of income during 2OOB. 6 Looking Ahead From a programmatic perspective, the successes of 2008 encourage us to have great expectations for 2009. The financial challenges of 2008 and 2009, however, will have challenges in the form of constricted school budgets and reduced programming levels for many of our educational clients. with funds at a premium and competition intensified, the quality of our programs will determine our success. Across the board, therefore, we will emphasize more training for our staff, and good communication with our client community. Within this context, several programmatic priorities have been established: Maintaininq Recent Advances: We will Work to enSUre a consistent level of Support for schools maintaining a commitment to our "Trout ln the Classroom" program, and for newly participating districts at north end, during 2009 and the coming years; Tarqeted Proqram Expansion: Although our core audience for programming (schools) is, by its nature limited, there is significant growth potential within the Cayuga Watershed and in nearby communities. We will continue to develop multi-modal learning opportunities, particularly involving art and science, as a basis for expanding public interest, as well as educational potential, in Floating Classroom programs. Special emphasis will be on public educational cruises during 2009; Increased Collaboration: 200g promises to bring Cayuga Lake and water resources into sharper focus, as public discourse continues on locally imporlant topics such as water supply, recreational use of the lake, and gas drilling. More global concerns, such as climate change, freshwater shorlages and non-native species introductions are also recognized to have local consequences. Perhaps now more than ever, watershed organizations need to work together to provide useful information and attractive opportunities for the public to engage in stewardship. In keeping with the FC's commitment to collaboration, we will explore opportunities for closer ties with other organizations and stewardship efforts in From lhe "Guide to Surface Water Quality Monitoring in the CaYuga Lake Watershed", CLWN, 2008: "The futu,re of the CLW is in the ha:nds of the thousands of PeoPle who live in and visit the region" ...One way to encourage such stewardship is through involvment of students and other citizens in wate r-qu al ity monitoring. Monitoring conducted by citizen volunteers increases public awareness...[ofl water quality and its protection." the Watershed. ./ The FC will work with members of the Cayuga Lake Monitoring Partnership to ensure that it is providing accurate and timely information to the public, and regular outreach opportunities for monitoring partners; ./ The Cayuga Lake Watershed Network and the Community Science Institute hope to target specific communities in the watershed for outreach and involvement in citizen monitoring activities. We look fonruard to working with them in support of these efforts during 2009. ,/ The FC will place emphasis on ensuring equity in its programs, and will work with community organizations to improve panicipation levels amongst low-income and under-served populations. Communitv Supporl: The future of the Floating Classroom will largely depend on the level of suppotl we can achieve within our own community. The Committee and coordinator will focus a good deal of energy on creating opportunities to attract and accommodate community volunteers, individual donors and business sponsorships, as well contributions from philanthropic organizations. Learning basic boating skills. I The lmportance of partnerships The Floating classroom on cayuga Lake presents a valuabre rearning opportunity for watershed residents of allages' and an attractive enrichment experience for visitors to the Finger Lakes region. However, we do notoperate independently' To make our program successful, we depend upon coilalorative partnerships with awide variety of institutions and organizations beyond the membership of our steering committee. we wish toacknowledge the following for their important role in ensuring the long term sustainability of our communitiesand natural resources, as weil as for their work with the rtoaiing crassroom: Tompkins County Water Resources Council Stormwater Coalition of Tompkins County Tompkins County Rural youth Services Ithaca youth Bureau Trout Unlimited, Leon Ghandler Chapter Cayuga Lake Watershed Network Finger Lakes Institute Cornell Cooperative Extension Community Science Institute Ithaca College Cornell University Welts College -and- Educators around the Watershed! Thank You! From Att Ot IJs... 8 The cayuga Lake Floating classroom Proiect Depends on CommunitY SuPPort! Share your knowledge andfttnthisiasm- volunteer educators are needed! Join the Friends of the Floating Classroom and lend your expertise in education, technology or management! Make a donation that witl help get students, families and everyone out on the lake! From the Members of the Floating classroom committee... Lyn n Leo pold, I nter- Mun icipal Organ izatio n (Co -ch ai ) Bitt Foster, Trout Unlimited (Co-chai) Thomas Vawter, Wells College Thea Martin, Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES Dennis Montgomery, Tiohero Tours, LLC Colleen Kearns, Cornell University Caroline Hoover, ICSD, retired. We Look Forward to Hearing from YOU! Learn more about how your can help, check out: f I oati n acl as s roo m. cav u a awater s h ed. o r d' Contact us at f I o ati n a c I ass ro o m @ c av u q awate r s h ed. o rq -or call' Tiohero Tours, at (607) 697-0166.