Contacts:
Oswego, NY, October 23, 2015 - New York Sea Grant is inviting public stakeholders in the Lake Ontario region of New York State to share their best thinking on what actions are needed through lake and watershed planning to prepare for possible future extreme climate conditions and population changes in the region at workshops on November 10, 6:30pm, in Watertown and November 12, 6:30 pm, in Rochester.
Specific areas for discussion at the workshops include potential actions related to water resource management, infrastructure, land use and zoning, governance, economic development related to agriculture, recreation and tourism, and ecosystem management.
The workshops will consider potential recommendations to address both exceedingly wet and dry futures in the Lake Ontario region through stormwater management, riparian buffers, wetlands restoration, stream hydrology, job training, and energy considerations.
“These workshops offer the public the opportunity to voice thoughts on the changing dynamics in the Lake Ontario region and how those changes may impact their communities, their businesses, the environment, and boating, fishing and other recreation interests,” says workshop organizer
David B. MacNeill, New York Sea Grant, Oswego.
“Lake and watershed planning informed by grassroots wisdom along with input by experts in climate, natural resources, and other fields will help communities be better prepared to adapt to the challenges of an uncertain future,” says New York Sea Grant Associate Director and Cornell Cooperative Extension Assistant Director
Katherine Bunting-Howarth, Ithaca, NY.
New York Sea Grant will add public input to a report that will be presented to local, State and Federal agencies and stakeholder organizations to assist future planning efforts.
Seating is limited for the November 10 workshop at Cornell Cooperative Extension Jefferson County, 203 North Hamilton Street, Watertown. The November 12 workshop in Rochester will be held at the Rochester Museum and Science Center Bausch Auditorium, 657 East Avenue, Rochester. Doors open at 6:15pm for each workshop. Registration is recommended by calling New York Sea Grant at 315.312.3042,
slm22@cornell.edu.
Funding for the workshop is through the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments project of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to build capacity to manage risks from climate change and variability in the Great Lakes region.
More Info: NY Great Lakes Watershed Counties
The counties included in the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments project in New York State are Cayuga, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Monroe, Niagara, Onondaga, Orleans, Oswego, and Wayne.
The watersheds included in the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments project in New York State are Black, Buffalo Eighteenmile, Cattaraugus, Chaumont Perch, Chautauqua-Conneaut, Conewango, French, Indian, Irondequoit Ninemile, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lower Genesee, Niagara, Oak Orchard Twelvemile, Oneida, Oswegatchies, Oswego, Salmon Sandy, Seneca, Upper Allegheny, and Upper St. Lawrence.
More Info: New York Sea Grant
New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University
and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based
programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP
engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting
scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed
to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our
aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated
services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental
sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great
Lakes resources since 1971.
New York Sea Grant maintains Great Lakes offices at SUNY Buffalo, the
Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark and at SUNY Oswego.
For updates on Sea Grant activities:
www.nyseagrant.org has RSS,
Facebook,
Twitter, and
YouTube links. NYSG also offers a free e-list sign up via
www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for its flagship publication,
NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published several times a year.
