How the Cayuga Lake Watershed Affects my Life

Teal Arcadi, grade 6, Home-schooled, Trumansburg, NY

Teal Arcadi

Watersheds are a fragile and beautiful part of the ecosystem. They are amazing places that have taken thousands of years for the earth to create. They are a beautiful part of my life and are very special to me. They can also be ruined very quickly by humans, and that is why we must all do our part to keep them clean and healthy for us and the animals that live in them.

In the Cayuga Lake watershed there are many beautiful kinds of wild life, such as herons, ducks, geese, cormorants, many kinds of song birds, and some spectacular fish, just to name a few. Sadly, some of these beautiful animals are dying off, due partly to pesticides and herbicides which are carried from farm fields in water run off that leads into the creeks and rivers, polluting the water which makes the fish sick, which makes them swim slowly and that makes them easier for the fish dependent birds such as cormorants to catch, and the birds get sick from consuming the sick fish and eventually it will cause a long chain reaction. This is one of the biggest reasons we must all try our best to keep the watershed clean.

As for the some of the prettier aspects of the Cayuga Lake
watershed, it has some truly awesome gorges, all of which have something slightly unique to them: Taughannock Falls has huge shale cliffs, as well as being one of the tallest waterfalls in the region. Buttermilk Falls has tall, naturally made stone sculptures, and large round holes in the creek bed that sometimes go as deep as 14 feet into ground, and at Treman park, the water rushing down the gorge there has worn amazing pools into the stone creek bed and walls. Treman also has some of the most beautiful and untainted views in the Cayuga Lake watershed.

During all of the seasons I like to walk by all of the
different bodies of water; they are magnificent and beautiful places, and each one seems to have something special to it. Whether I am hiking in one of the gorges, swimming in one of the lakes, or kayaking in some remote inlet, they are all wonderful places to be.

There many fun things to do on or near water, like going on
long canoe rides on one of the lake's weedy inlets or outlets, hiking in one of the gorges, swimming in the cold lake on a hot summer day, or camping near the lake. The Cayuga Lake watershed is definitely a great place to be.