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Progress has been made but challenges lie ahead Remember the Cuyahoga River fire?  This Cleveland calamity in 1969 suddenly woke up the nation to the realities of industrial pollution.  It was one of the key factors that led to the creation of the federal Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 and the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972.  So …

Happy New Year to you from all of us at the Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium!  We are eagerly looking forward to making the most of every opportunity 2022 offers us to fulfill our mission to act on, advocate for, and communicate about local water quality issues. Congratulations to our neighboring watershed of French Creek!  Pennsylvania has named French Creek the 2022 River of the Year.   …

There is a lot of misinformation in circulation concerning how best to maintain Chautauqua Lake. Our advice is to think critically about what you’re hearing and search out the facts from verified sources.  Please note the footnotes that appear at the end of this article which document our sources.  The following four examples illustrate how misinformation is impeding effective management …

Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason, a renowned researcher in the area of plastic pollution in freshwater systems, will speak at the Annual Gala of the Conewango Creek Watershed Association (CCWA) and the Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium, A Waterkeeper Alliance Affiliate, on October 12, 2021.  This Gala will be held via Zoom due to COVID-19.  Please pre-register on the CCWA website at www.conewangocreek.org.  The …

Chautauqua Lake is an old lake, rich in plant diversity and an abundance of living things. The shoreline waters host a well-established diversity of aquatic plants that support multiple natural communities, hold sediments in place, and provide food, oxygen, and critical habitat for countless creatures. All are woven together in an amazing web of interdependency, complexity, and connection. But our …

Welcome to our summer issue of the Spine-E-News, so named after thecreature featured in our logo, the Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera). If you’re not yet a subscriber, you can sign up HERE. Our Community Response Team Investigates Concerns As a Waterkeeper Affiliate, the Chautauqua- Conewango Consortium has the capacity to accept concerns about the conditions of all the waters …

The Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium recognizes the importance of identifying and eradicating aquatic invasive plant species, and we support aggressive action, including herbicide use, to prevent newly-arrived species from becoming established within an ecosystem.

by Becky Nystrom Where land meets lake and green things grow, life abounds. Wild and wet natural shorelines of the Chautauqua-Conewango watershed are home to thousands of species and the gifts of nature…and invite your gentle presence. Overhanging branches of old black willows, maples, viburnums, and dogwoods offer shelter, shade, and fish-spawning habitat at the water’s edge, and roots of …

In honor of World Water Day, we’re shedding light on a few facts about water that put the work of Waterkeepers into perspective.  1) 2.2 billion people live without access to clean water That’s 28 percent of the world’s population, or more than 1 in 4 people — and 2 million of them live right here in the U.S.  This …

During the winter – this year especially – we often yearn for the fun times we spend on our region’s waterways during the warmer months.  As we await the arrival of spring, we invite you to explore this gallery of photographs by Jeanne Wiebenga which features some of the waterways within our watershed. Jeanne will be collaborating with other photographers …