The Cayuga Lake Watershed

Emily Locke, Romulus Central School

Emily Locke

People from all over the world come to see the Cayuga Lake Watershed. Its beauty is attractive to everyone. Yet, people don’t realize that they can be harming the Cayuga Lake Watershed. Boating, jet-skiing and pollution cause dirty water, and harmful effects to the watershed.

On a summer afternoon, people usually go out on a boat ride or jet-skiing and have a good time. However, fuel may leak from the boats or jet skis and will kill fish and other species. It also causes the pollution. Pollution can lead to polluted drinking water. Lots of people can get ill from the dirty water.

Lots of creatures roam the Cayuga Lake Watershed, including zebra mussels, the Eurasian watermill foil, and many others. People think that many creatures are pests, but they can be helpful, too.

Zebra mussels look like shells that stick to sturdy surfaces. Most zebra mussels stick to the bottoms of lakes. Although zebra mussels cut people' feet, they also have helped the Cayuga Lake Watershed by cleaning out algae.

The Eurasian watermill foil is a green plant. It has at least three to five leaves on the stem. Each leaf has twelve or more pairs of leaflets, (which are smaller leaves on the larger leaves.) They can range from three to fifteen feet in the shallow water. New York State has spent millions to control the plant.

A lot of people enjoy swimming in the Cayuga Lake Watershed, but they have to watch out for dangerous things. Like, sewage systems, they may somehow get into the water and spread bacteria. People who get close to the water can get a terrible sickness. Most people who swim in the lakes know to protect your feet from the zebra mussels. Those were a couple reasons why swimming can be dangerous and can affect the Cayuga Lake Watershed.

Fishing is very popular on Cayuga Lake. Many people come to Cayuga Lake to fish for bass or your basic lake trout. You might also see fisherman fishing for landlocked salmon on the Cayuga Inlet. Cayuga Lake also has bass tournaments, which attracts people from all over. Although, when fishing after a storm, the water can get muddy, and fishing is hard.

Hiking is also an enjoyable activity in the Cayuga Lake Watershed. There are many trails that can be used by all hikers. In fact, you may see cross-country skiers and snow-shoers there also. Although hiking is enjoyed by lots of people, just one little thing could harm the Cayuga Lake Watershed, such as a gum wrapper. Many people might just drop a gum wrapper and think it won’t do a thing to the Cayuga Lake Watershed, but it will. It would be just as easy to put it in your pocket as to drop it on the floor.

Even though the Cayuga Lake Watershed may not get as much respect as it needs, it still is a beautiful place to be. Lots of people don’t harm the Cayuga Lake Watershed intentionally. They are just out there enjoying life, and what it can be.