Membership and Collaboration
The Cayuga Lake Watershed Network is a nonprofit organization founded in 1997, today with over 400 members and an active Board of Directors. Our work is to protect the 870-square mile Cayuga Lake Watershed, the Network shares strategies and resources with local and regional individuals, experts, community organizations and government agencies.
Staff
The Steward and Program Associate are the staff responsible for organizing, coordinating and carrying out this effort, with support from the Network’s Board of Directors, members, interns and volunteers.
Liz Kreitinger
Watershed Steward, Executive Director
Liz Kreitinger leads the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network with a commitment to science-based stewardship and strong community partnerships. She joined CLWN in 2022 and brings over 15 years of experience as an environmental scientist and educator to this role. Liz works closely with the Board of Directors to guide the organization’s strategic direction and oversees CLWN’s on-the-ground community education, engagement, and water quality programs. She is dedicated to advancing collaborative solutions to the watershed challenges facing Cayuga Lake and its surrounding communities. In her free time, Liz loves exploring the watershed and the greater Finger Lakes region by foot, bike, and boat with her family and friends.
Sarah Eckel
Director of Community Engagement
Sarah Eckel joined our team in November 2025 and brings 20 years of experience in non-profit strategic communications, coalition building, environmental policy, and development to her new role with us. She has led outreach programs for environmental and human services nonprofits at both regional and statewide levels in New York and Texas. At CLWN, Sarah is hard at work on program implementation, strengthening member and partner connections, and expanding the Network’s capacity to advance watershed protection. When Sarah isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her family in the watershed and testing the limits of how many house plants she can fit on her shelves.
Board Officers
Keith Batman
Chairperson
2025-2028
Keith came to Cayuga County 50 years ago from his home on the Ohio River, near Louisville, KY. With an M.B.A. in Organizational Management from Syracuse University, he was a faculty member and administrator at Cayuga Community College and SUNY, Empire State College, where he taught non-profit management. He is Dean Emeritus at Cayuga Community College and currently serves as President of the Cayuga County Board of Health and is active in both the local and State Democratic Party.
Keith’s commitment to water and water quality spans many years and has assumed past attention through his work as Chair of the Cayuga County Water Quality Management Agency; Supervisor in the Town of Scipio; Cayuga County Legislator and as Chair of that body; and as a member of the CNY Regional Planning and Development Board, among other positions.
Keith has a keen interest in continuing to work for clean water and healthy watersheds and is excited to bring whatever insights and experiences he may have to offer to the important work of the CLWN.
Louise Buck
Vice-Chair
2023-2026
Louise was raised in the Finger Lakes and has been an Ithaca resident since 1989. As a lake-shore homeowner, she considers the lake her home and is committed to its protection and well-being. Her passion for ensuring a healthy future for Cayuga Lake fuels her dedication as a CLWN Board member. Having lived and worked in the global south for 10 years, she gained a deeper appreciation for the Cayuga Basin’s unique qualities and can offer valuable experience in facilitating coordinated action to conserve and enhance productive landscapes in diverse contexts. As a Natural Resources Extension professional at Cornell and Program Director in Collaborative Landscape Management at EcoAgriculture Partners, she is excited to apply her knowledge to the challenges and opportunities the Cayuga Lake Watershed faces.
Patricia Haines-Gooding
Secretary
2023-2026
A long time Ithaca resident, Patricia has taught on secondary and college levels. As director of the Level Green Institute, she offers individual coaching in project development fostering environmental and social justice. A CLWN Board member for seven years, she serves on the Program and Climate Change committees, with particular interest in youth engagement.
Mark Benjamin
Treasurer
2023-2026
Mark is a native of Broome County, obtained a Bachelor of Science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and first gained an interest in water security and access to water living in the Nevada desert. Mark has served in a variety of leadership positions including chairman of the board of the Seneca County Chamber of Commerce, Investment Committee of the Seneca County United Way, and Board of Directors for Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes. Professionally, Mark works in marketing, public affairs, community partnerships and philanthropy at Seneca Meadows, Inc. in Seneca Falls, NY. Mark lives in Lodi, NY with his family, helping his wife tend to her lavender farm, playing games with the family, spending time foodying in the kitchen and authoring children’s titles and short stories.
Board Members
Charlie Cappellino
2023-2026
Upon retiring from Goulds Pumps in Seneca Falls as Vice President of R&D and Engineering, Charlie made the decision to give back both locally and nationally. He has always had a keen interest in preserving the environment and supporting the local community. Charlie is a Cayuga Lake HABs Harrier volunteer, past president of the United Way of Seneca County, and an active volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, the Seneca Falls Historical Society, and the Adirondack Mountain Club. Over the past year, he has participated in several CLWN programs, built relationships with other CLWN members, reviewed the DEC report on Cayuga Lake, and worked with the Seneca County Soil and Water Conservation District to accelerate efforts in reducing agricultural runoff. Now, he feels it is time to participate more deeply in the improvement of Cayuga Lake’s water quality.
Eric Devin
2023-2026
Eric Devin has lived in the Finger Lakes region for 45 years, having moved to the area to attend college and falling in love with it. His career has focused on customer relations and service, primarily in the foodservice, healthcare, and higher education markets. He is currently an Enterprise Account Executive for the CBORD Group in Ithaca. As an avid fly fisherman, there are few streams in this part of the state he hasn’t explored. The best fishing is found where the water is cleanest, a lesson he has carried with him since growing up in the Catskills. This awareness of clean water has fueled his lifelong concern for water quality. He believes that CLWN provides everyone in the watershed with an opportunity to learn about and act as stewards of the streams and lakes that make this region special. He is proud to be part of such a great organization.
Dolly Donnelly
2023-2026
Dolly is a resident of Cayuga County and recognizes the importance of Cayuga Lake to her community. She looks forward to advancing the Network’s mission while ensuring that her community is represented in their work. Her familiarity with issues of concern for the lake, including her experience as a HABs Harrier volunteer (in a quadrant with some of the most frequent blooms in recent years) and her current role as a Village of Cayuga Trustee, provides a solid foundation for her service on the Board. Additionally, Dolly believes her background as an attorney gives her an analytical and strategic outlook, which is valuable when working on committees and boards. In her previous board and committee roles, she has found success as a facilitator, helping groups reach consensus.
Dave Fitzgerald
2025-2028
Dave (Fitz) Fitzgerald has had the privilege of being a lifelong steward and property owner on Cayuga Lake. Over his adult life he relocated three times, all within the lake’s scenic region. He started at the far north end on the west side of Cayuga Lake and eventually settled in the mid-lake area, just south of Canoga.
He has served on three business boards of directors and two municipal boards, including a term as Fire Commissioner with the Red Jacket Fire Department. In addition, he spent ten years on the Town of Fayette Planning Board, including four years as Chairperson, where he worked on numerous lakeshore projects and consistently advocated for healthy lake practices.
Dave retired on December 31, 2024, as Chief Operating Officer of an automotive aftermarket warehouse distribution business with eight stores and a warehouse across New York and northern Pennsylvania. In retirement, he is thoughtfully planning his next chapter and is eager to dedicate a significant portion of his time to protecting the lakes.
Heidi Lott
2023-2026
Heidi is a lifelong resident of Seneca County and a multi-generational farmer who cares deeply about the quality of crops, soil health, and ensuring that nutrients applied to crops stay in the field while maintaining clean water in lakes and streams. She holds an AAS in Biotechnology, a BT in Plant Science, and an MS in Agronomy. Heidi stays up to date on new technologies that can benefit both the land and water, and she is committed to continuous education. She believes it is vital to use good practices that protect both the environment and water bodies. As a representative from the agricultural community, Heidi looks forward to serving on the CLWN Board and being involved in the watershed.
Tim Martinson
2024-2027
Tim Martinson (Tompkins County) has been a resident of the Town of Ulysses since 1989. In his career with Cornell Cooperative Extension, he worked with the wine and grape industry as viticulture extension specialist from 1997-2022, where he developed Ag Environmental Management worksheets tailored to vineyards in association with the region’s Soil and Water Conservation Districts in 1998 as part of the “Keuka Lake Looking Ahead” watershed project. This document was later expanded to a comprehensive sustainable practices workbook used by growers throughout New York. He cites the power of collaborating and engaging residents, government, industry and agriculture in the effort to protect and enhance water quality in the watershed that they share. As a resident of the Cayuga Lake watershed, he’s interested in supporting this approach in the community in which he lives.
David Weinstein
2024-2027
A resident of Tompkins County for over 40 years, David has long been a supporter of the efforts to protect Cayuga Lake and its surrounding watersheds. This includes serving as a member of the Climate Change Committee of CLWN for the past 3 years. He is also a long-time volunteer with the Community Science Institute (CSI), collecting samples for almost 25 years and serving as both a member and chairperson of the CSI Board. A forest ecologist, he is retired from the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University, remaining active in research as an emeritus. He is interested in the importance of thinking about the watershed as an interconnected whole instead of a collection of streams whose water quality needed to be monitored and in formulating the possible mechanisms to help protect our environment, He served for 20 years on the Planning Board of the town of Dryden, and remains active on the Unique Natural Areas Committee of the Tompkins County Environmental Management Council. When he is not working out at the Arnot Research Forest of Cornell, he enjoys hiking (and X-country skiing, if possible) with his wife, Christina Stark, encouraging plants to grow in both his garden and wild places, and just strolling through natural areas to soak in their beauty.
David Wolfe
2023-2026
David Wolfe retired from Cornell as Professor Emeritus in 2021. In addition to teaching, his research and outreach efforts at Cornell focused primarily on soil and water resource management, and climate change adaptation and mitigation in natural and managed ecosystems. This experience often involved working with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, non-profits, farmers, and community leaders. He lived for many years in the Ellis Hollow area of Ithaca and more recently moved to a home on Cayuga Lake in Lansing. When not working David enjoys the many opportunities for hiking, lake swimming, birding, and other outdoor activities. In addition to serving on the CLWN Board, he also is a member of the Town of Lansing Conservation Advisory Council, and the Tompkins County Water Resource and Environmental Management Councils.
Liaisons
Dan Hill
Liaison to Cayuga Nation
