Author: littleyorklake_5bxuky

Fall Meeting & Picnic 9/17

We’ve had a busy summer at Little York Lake and now is the time to review what we’ve accomplished and begin to plan for 2023.

Please join us Saturday, 9/17, at 11:00 a.m. at Preble Park to learn all that has been happening on the lake and what our plans are for 2023.  We’ll also discuss the implementation of the lake protection district.

Please click on this link to indicate if you plan to attend and what you would like to bring for the picnic. We need a good headcount to provide enough hot dogs!

The meeting will be followed by a dish-to-pass and BYOB picnic.  The LYLPS Board will provide hot dogs, cutlery, plates, napkins and cups.  

We are also collecting dues of $25 for our 2022/23 membership year. There are 3 easy ways to pay:

  • Send a check to P.O. Box 56, Little York, NY 13087
  • Pay online at littleyorklake.com
  • Bring your payment to the meeting on the 18th.

We need your support to continue our efforts at improving the lake.

Annual Meeting 2022

Our annual meeting will be held Saturday, June 18th at 10:00 a.m. in Calvary Baptist Church, 6753 State Route 281, Preble. We’ll have elections for president, secretary, and vice president (1-year term). We’ll also update everyone regarding our lake management activities as well as have an update on the lake district. See our newsletter for more details.

If you haven’t paid your dues already, please bring your payment to the meeting. Additionally, luminaries will be available for purchase.

2022 Work Plan

Our 2022 work plan is available here. In addition to other activities, the association is proposing to continue our treatment efforts to help manage the weeds.

We are planning to continue our campaign against milfoil with another, smaller, ProcellaCOR treatment primarily focused on the “seed” areas: the mouth of the stream in Dwyer Park and the channel from Goodale Lake.

This year we are moving away from other chemical treatments to focus on mechanical harvesting of starry stonewort and pondweeds. Our goal is to have two weeks of harvesting (not consecutive). We have one confirmed for the last week of June and are still working to secure a second week of harvesting.

Tax District Update

The Cortland County Legislature voted to create the Little York Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District subject to a referendum of eligible voters. Anyone who is registered at a residence in the district is eligible to vote.

The election is scheduled for Tuesday, February 8, 2022. Polling will take place at Calvary Baptist Church on Rt. 281 in Preble from 6 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The registration deadline is January 14 and the last day to apply for an absentee ballot is January 24. You can get the absentee ballot application here (pdf). 

LYLPS is holding a Zoom webinar on Tuesday, January 18th at 7 p.m. for property owners and eligible voters to answer questions and clarify any issues. You will need to register in advance to get the link to the meeting. Click on this link to register for the webinar. You will receive a link to join the webinar within 24 hours of your registration. Your link will only work for one device, so don’t share it.

Following the webinar we will publish the Q&A on the website.

If  you have any questions in advance of the webinar please email us at [email protected] or call 607-218-2550.

Starry Stonewort Treatment 7/26

Solitude Lake Management will complete our third and final treatment of the season on Monday, July 26th. We will be applying Captain XTR which is the same product we applied last year. The only restrictions are for domestic and potable water use. Please refrain from these uses until we report that testing has been completed.

See the poster below for details. This same poster will be posted along the affected waterfront.

LYLPS Pursues Sustainable Lake District

The Little York Lake Preservation Society (LYLPS) is meeting with Cortland County officials to establish a sustainable lake district around Little York Lake. This will create a mechanism for ensuring a long-term, predictable funding base for improving and maintaining the lake. 

A range of invasive species have been introduced to the lake, primarily through the public boat launch. These include zebra mussels, starry stonewort, Eurasian milfoil and variable leaf milfoil.  

While LYLPS has been working actively since 2014 to meet the challenges to lake usage presented by these invaders, it began aggressive herbicide treatments in 2019. Over the past three years LYLPS has raised over $40,000 from residents and received $18,000 in support from Soil and Water to provide $58,000 in treatments. 

The result has been a dramatic improvement in lake appearance and usability from a reduction in invasive species, primarily milfoils. 

While everyone has benefited from these efforts, the unfortunate truth is that the funds have been primarily raised from approximately 2/3 of the community. LYLPS realized that this is not sustainable and that short term gains could be quickly lost as people tired of shouldering the burden for others. 

LYLPS established an ad hoc committee of 10 community members to explore long-term funding alternatives. After considering several approaches the committee recommended the creation of a sustainable lake district. Because the lake straddles two towns, Preble and Homer, the district needs to be formed under the County. This also aligns with the County’s interests of ensuring that citizens can enjoy the lake from Dwyer Park. 

By establishing the new district LYLPS intends to develop long term management approaches to ensure the continued viability and access to the lake for everyone: boaters, swimmers, kayakers, and fishermen. 

While this district will provide a financial base, it cannot fully meet the ongoing financial needs of a sustainable lake management plan. Continued financial support from the County and citizens who use the lake will also be needed.  

LYLPS remains committed to its mission of improving and maintaining the lake for everyone to enjoy. 

Pondweed Treatment 5/26

LYLPS has scheduled the first of three summer treatments for the morning of Wednesday, May 26th. This treatment is targeting curly-leaved pondweed, an invasive species, with Aquathol-K.

There is a 24-hour restriction on swimming. There are no restrictions on fishing, livestock watering, irrigation, or fish consumption. Potable water use is restricted from the treatment day until water testing is completed. We will announce completion on this website.

See the following for details: