A large group of conservation and sportsmen’s organizations is trying to push for a new way to regulate water levels on Lake Ontario. Groups such as Ducks Unlimited, New York State Conservation Council, Onondaga County Federation of Sportsmen, Onondaga Audubon, The Nature Conservancy and others say 5 decades of hydro-electric and shoreline concerns might be damaging wildlife and the environment …and the economy that’s based on them.
If you consider the more than 600 miles of Lake Ontario shoreline, it’s one of the biggest ecosystems in the region. Environmental and outdoor groups say the plan that manages water levels has sidetracked nature – damaging wetlands and by extension wildlife.
“The majority of our sports fish require coastal inland marshes to complete their lifecycle needs,” says Ducks Unlimited Regional Biologist Sarah Fleming. “Currently a lot of our marshes are in decline in Lake Ontario as a result of our stable water levels. Wetlands need to breathe, I think is the best way to say it. We’ve seen an invasion of non-native type of plant, restricts access to waterfowl, restricts access to Northern Pike to be able to penetrate and spawn in these particular marshes.”
Sarah Fleming is a Biologist with Ducks Unlimited…she says by extension the impacts on fish and waterfowl hurt the fishing and hunting economy.
“2.11 Million people hunted and fished in New York State in 2011. They spent over $5 Billion on hunting and fishing-related activities. That’s more than the revenue of the dairy products in New York State which is the top agricultural commodity.”
Her group and others have formed a coalition called "Support Plan 2014". They are pushing a new water management plan that allows the lake to rise and fall more naturally, restoring 64-thousand acres of wetlands…rather than the controlled water levels they say have stifled the ecosystem.
Now there are lots of concerns here…such as waterfront property owners worried about damage from storms and high water. A 5-year study suggests those impacts would be minimal. Nature Conservancy Director Jim Howe argues the time is right to update thinking about the lake.
“We do feel that this plan really aligns well with the goals of the U-S and Canada. Every day that we don’t enact this plan the lake and (St. Lawrence) river suffer more damage. It’s been 55 years; the time is now. We’re calling on the federal governments of the U-S and Canada to act.”
The groups estimate the 2014 plan could boost hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing tourism by $9 million a year and even grow hydro-electric power generation by $5 million a year.
