Category: News

Avoid Yellow Buoys: Important Lake Boating Advisory

There are three yellow buoys placed in the lake along the main inlets by Cortland County Soil and Water Conservation District.  The buoys will be in place for the month of September and into October.  At these locations sediment is being collected to better understand how much sediment is coming into the lake at each of the inlets.  Please avoid these as you are boating throughout the month.

This is a continuation of the study begun earlier in the year and we hope to use information gathered to guide our efforts in reducing sediment in the lake.

Fall ’25 Meeting and Picnic

Join us on Saturday, September 13th at Preble Park for our annual fall meeting and picnic beginning at 11 a.m. As usual, we will provide hot dogs and soft drinks. Please bring a dish to pass.

Everyone on the lake is invited to get an update on our work progress from this past season as well as our plans for the coming year. We’ll discuss the challenges we faced this year, the dockside/shoreside harvesting pilot, and thoughts for a full roll-out.

To help plan for food on hand, please take a moment and fill out the following questionnaire prior to September 10th: https://bit.ly/LYLFall25

Harvester Update

The harvester is returning to the lake for some late summer clean-up next week. We will be able to offer shoreside harvesting if you are interested. Please fill out the brief form by clicking the button below and we will contact you to confirm and schedule.

Because of the short time frame, we will need everyone to register by Friday. Work should be concluded next week to give you the last few weeks of summer with fewer weeds!

Boat Parade Continues the Tradition

This year’s boat parade did not disappoint!  The weather was spectacular for participants and spectators alike.

Two judges were selected that did not participate in the parade and were not affiliated with or know any of the participants!  There were five participants and each boat showed creativity making choosing the winners a challenge.

First place was awarded to Beetlejuice.  Laura Fergosi said they chose Beetlejuice as their theme from the Beetlejuice 2 movie that just came out.

2nd Place went to Rubber Ducky.

3rd Place was awarded to the Partridge Family.

Thanks to all those who participated continuing this tradition on the lake!

Herbicide Treatments Completed

We have successfully completed today’s herbicide treatment. This treatment was focused on two areas:

  • A 2-acre bed of milfoil in the channel along I-81 that is potentially feeding milfoil into the rest of the lake
  • A ~3-acre bed of curly-leaf pondweed in the middle of the lower channel that impedes traffic and recreational use

All recreational activities on the lake can now be resumed.

The restrictions on drinking the lake water and using it for watering plants may last several weeks. We will update this website when the restrictions are lifted.

Fall ’24 Meeting and Picnic

Join us on Saturday, September 21st for our annual fall meeting and picnic beginning at 11 a.m. at the main pavilion in Dwyer Park. As usual, we will provide hot dogs and soft drinks. Please bring a dish to pass.

Everyone on the lake is invited to get an update on our work progress from this past season as well as our plans for the coming year. We’ll review the Lake District operations and how we see it evolving.

To help plan for food on hand, please take a moment and fill out the following questionnaire prior to September 14th: https://forms.gle/ddZuL5QuFGXxKyq46

Septic Workshop July 23rd

Helping to keep our lake clean begins with you! Your septic system, if not maintained, can provide runoff into the lake. This provides nutrients for the plants (weeds) to grow and increases our costs to manage them. 

Cortland County Soil and Water is running a series of septic system workshops this month. If you sign up and attend, you will receive a $100 coupon to use for cleaning/maintaining your septic system. 

One session will be conveniently held at the Preble Fire Hall on Tuesday, 7/23 at 7pm. Call SWCD at 607-756-5991 to register!

Annual Boat Parade 7/6 at 6pm

Our Annual Boat Parade will assemble at 6pm at the north end of the lake (near the boat launch) on Saturday, July 6. Boats will be assigned a number and then parade around the lake.

There is no pre-registration and no special theme, but creative designs are encouraged. We’ll award gift cards to the top 3 finishers as judged by our two judging stations.

Thanks to Laura Fregosi who is organizing the event. LYLPS is providing the gift cards.

So come out and celebrate Independence Day with our community.

Fall Drawdown

The annual drawdown of Little York Lake is scheduled to begin on October 1st and be completed within a week. The maximum drawdown is 2 feet and is supposed to be down gradually during that time. The drawdown is managed by the Cortland County Highway Department.

The drawdown is intended to limit weed growth near the shoreline as well as allow owners to maintain their property. The timing and maximum drawdown are designed to limit the impact on inhabitants in the benthic layer, an important part of the fish food chain.

In the past, we’ve experienced some issues with excessive initial drawdowns. Now is the time to make appropriate plans for this annual process.