| Winners Chosen for
3rd Annual Essay Contest
The Cayuga Lake Watershed Network's Annual Essay Contest winners
have been selected. Our judges struggled to select the winning
essays among approximately 100 high-caliber entries, addressing
this year’s topic, "Why is Water so Special?"
Winners received cash prizes totaling $560, donated by ITT Industries/Goulds
Pumps of Seneca Falls and Auburn. The contest challenges youth
and adults to think about their role as stewards of the Cayuga
Lake Watershed. Look for an announcement of the theme of our 2004
contest in January. We hope to read your entries!
In this and our upcoming fall issue, we will feature excerpts
from each of the winning categories. The complete essays are available
via the electronic version of the Network News and at the Network
Website. We urge you to take
a look.
Why is Water so Special?
By Renee DeYoung
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| Renee DeYoung recently completed 12th
grade at Finger Lakes Christian School, Seneca Falls,
NY. |
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What are some of the things central New York is known for? We
have Waterloo, the "birthplace of Memorial Day"; the
city of Auburn which is known for its countless crows; and of
course the small yet famous town of Seneca Falls with the Woman’’s
Rights Hall of Fame building. If, however, you were to look at
a geographic map, none of these things would jump out at you.
No, to look at a map you would have to agree that the most notable
aspect of this portion of the nation is our beautiful lakes, more
specifically the Finger Lakes… To truly understand why this
watershed is so important we need to go back to some of those
common sense facts we learned in junior high. For starters, we
know that people will settle in places that offer not only the
things they need, but also the setting and environment they want.
According to several studies, two of the most substantial factors
that play a role in where people choose to live are clean water
and air. In fact, the idea of being able to live on the waterfront
appeals to people so much that those properties on the edge of
a clean body of water have a real estate value about 28% higher
than that of similar properties located elsewhere…
Show
Me the Whole Essay!
Why is Water so Special?
By Laura McLachlan
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| Laura McLachlan recently completed
6th grade at A.J. Smith School, Aurora, NY. |
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Cayuga Lake watershed not only supplies citizens and others with
jobs, it also attracts many people with its diversity like bird
watching, windsurfing, boating, swimming, and canoeing. It also
brings scholars to Cornell University and Ithaca College in Ithaca
and Wells College in Aurora. There are many activities to do in
the water, for example diving, kayaking, jet skiing, or going
fishing. The wineries on both sides of the lake combine enjoyment
and the relaxation of sightseeing. All of these activities depend
on good unpolluted water quality. When most people think of water
pollution they think of a pipe from a factory discharging contaminants
for a clearly perceptible source of pollution. Non-point sources
are things like runoffs from construction sites, fields, parking
lots, and roads. Non-point pollution is harder to pinpoint and
control than specific sources of direct contamination. Runoff
from eroded soil ends up in the lakes as silt, which not only
fills lakes with murky sediments that harm fish and other water
life, but also washes down the nutrients that fertilize the overgrowth
of algae and weed in lakes. Although Cayuga Lake has fair water
quality there are still some concerns…
Show
Me the Whole Essay!
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