The Rich History of Our Cayuga Lake Watershed
Mariah Bowers, South Seneca Middle School
The Cayuga Lake watershed has a rich history that has changed immensely
over the years. Perhaps I should start at the beginning. A watershed
is the total area of land that drains into a body of water. The
Cayuga Lake watershed covers 785 square miles, and is home to over
120,000 people who need to help protect it. We, the current residents
of the watershed appreciate its gifts to us like good soil for agriculture,
places for recreation and water to drink. But we might not appreciate
or respect the watershed as much as those who have lived here before
us meaning the Iroquois Indians. They kept the water clean, and
never took more from the land than they needed. Since there is so
much life in our watershed between animals, tourists and the current
residents we need to make sure that we don’t let pollution
destroy the Cayuga Lake watershed. So even though we might not respect
the land as much as it’s former residents the Indians, we
the current residents should use and be enriched with the gifts
of the watershed without taking it for granted.
We, the residents of the Cayuga Lake watershed should be very grateful
for the watershed’s gifts to us. The soil of the Cayuga Lake
area is among the most fertile and rich in the nation, which helps
the local farmers collect their annual receipts of $176,423,000.
But farming isn’t the only thing our area is known for. Cayuga
Lake is a successful recreation and tourism spot with a lot to offer.
People can go boating, fishing, swimming, hunting, bike riding,
bird watching and camping in our local state parks. Also something
Cayuga Lake is popular for is their wine tours, where people can
visit each winery in the area and taste different types of wine.
So our watershed has a lot to offer to many different kinds of people.
Though we try to keep our watershed clean, we the residents of the
Cayuga Lake watershed have nowhere near the respect for the land
as the former residents, the Indians. It is said that during the
time of the Indians if you were looking down into the lake that
the water was you clear you could see thirty to forty feet down.
The Indians never took more than they needed from nature. When they
killed an animal, they would use every part of it up to the bone.
Then pray to the Gods to have the animal’s spirit reborn.
Just as we do today Indians enjoyed recreational sports such as
Lacrosse, a sport that we still play today! The Indians were inspiring
people. They accepted the gifts of the land without being wasteful
or greedy.
Pollution is a scary and hurtful thing to the Cayuga Lake watershed.
Phosphorus pollution comes from many things: For example fertilizer,
soaps, detergents, human and animal waste. So if you live by the
lake and you have a poorly maintained septic tank, your waste could
be going into your water! Gross!!! Exactly as phosphorus in fertilizers
can make gardens grow, it also can enhance the growth of algae and
other weeds. This eventually turns the water green giving it an
unpleasant smell and taste. Then as a result the lake begins to
lose its appeal to swimmers and boaters, leaving the watershed to
a low recreation rate. As the water gets more polluted, less water
is left for us, its residents to have for bathing, drinking etc.
Oh I just realized I’ve been discussing the result of pollution
and I forgot to tell you how it happens in the first place. Well
it’s very simple and it’s called “Surface Runoff”
which is when water grabs waste throughout the land the land as
it travels. So finally as you can see our watershed is a very fragile
thing that needs our care to keep it safe and clean.
The Cayuga Lake watershed. A place with a rich past present and
hopefully, future. Our watershed is a large area of land and we
need to remember that it is our responsibility to protect it from
pollution. We are thankful for the watershed’s gifts to us.
And we should follow in the footsteps of the Indians to keep it
a clean and peaceful place to live. 80% of the earth is water when
only 1% of that 80% is safe to drink. That’s not a lot. So
we the current residents of the Cayuga Lake watershed should make
sure that we and our future descendants have clean water to drink.
A watershed is a fragile and important thing in our everyday lives.
I know this sounds corny but we need to remember the philosophy
of the Indians. By taking only what you need from nature and if
you treat it with respect it will remain bountiful.
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