Hemlock/Canadice Lakes

[karenmichelle]

Hello, everyone. I can only imagine how the Sarrs in the south feel. Habitat destruction is everywhere. As a newcomer, I feel akward in bringing this up, but please read on ...

Roughly ten-thousand people visit the Hemlock and Canadice Lakes' 7100+ acres of Adirondack-like wilderness every year. These are the last of the Finger Lakes whose shorelines are undeveloped. Location: Livingston, Ontario Counties, New York State. The situation is politically-heavy. The privately-owned City of Rochester property has been on the NYS DEC "wish list" for decades. For 125 years, the city has utilized these lakes as a mainstay water supply. The 20-year contract between the City of Rochester and the Monroe County Water Authority runs out in April 2008. Plans are being made now regarding their future. Rochester is cash-strapped and the land is for sale. Considering the urbanization pressures the other Finger Lakes face, this is a real find for environmentalists and developers alike.

I've never knowingly seen CPs in the wild, and I'm guilty of overlooking the bladderwort chapter. Petitioning for the preservation of these lakes led me to my first bladderwort sighting. I'm new to forums, uploading pics to photobucket, etc ... I'm learning a lot fast, so please bear with me.

Sorry about the lack of pic titles/headings.

The first pic is of a DEC-made frogpond in the middle of Hemlock Lake's south-end swamp. The DEC made a dozen of these "frogponds" and few larger "duckponds" - all with these plants in them. There's three images of a rusty-colored pond with plants living in them. The plants are found throughout Hemlock's wetlands and, to a lesser extent, at Canadice's swamp.












For more info, visit:
newyork.sierraclub.org/rochester/watershed_issue.htm
www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/newyork/files/cwny_newsletter_fall_winter_06.pdf

Any support would be greatly appreciated.
newyork.sierraclub.org/rochester/petition.htm

[BarryRice]

Hey Karen,

First off, the plant you have photographed is called Utricularia macrorhiza, which may be noted on your state resource lists as Utricularia vulgaris.

Regarding the conservation side of things, I'm not quite sure what you're asking. It sounds like you're saying that this area is a natural resource that may be protected, but equally may be developed? Unfortunately, once developers have set their sights on an area, the money they have in their pockets is a potent weapon, and the political power it can buy is formidable.

[karenmichelle]

Thank you for the ID, Barry. Just wanted to let people know another site is potentially on the "chopping block", and yet maybe "saved". The City has been meeting behind closed doors so there's been lots of speculation. There's been talk about the DEC possibly acquiring it, among other options. A similar uproar occurred back in the 80s and the land was "saved" then. In the 80s, the concern wasn't over money. The concern was supposedly how to supply Rochester with its water needs as the population had increased dramatically. Since then, the population growth has stabilized and now the concern is simply money. The current mayor of Rochester has been to Albany seeking increased financial support with some success. Some people, including myself, think the "time is right" for state acquisition with the state supposedly is in a position to buy.

The environmental concerns don't stop there. The next question, where will Rochester get its water? Currently, the estimated daily water usage from these lakes is around 50 million gallons.

What I can easily foresee is the following scenario: The City will sell the shorelines for development and the "scrappy swamps" will be left for the DEC, like the other Finger Lakes. 125 years of preservation has been invested. I'd hate to see it go bye-bye now.