Citizen Led Environmental Action Network at Silver Lake
The resource and advocate for betterment of water quality at Silver Lake.
CLEAN GOLF TOURNAMENT 7/12/2026
CLEAN ***STATE OF THE LAKE MEETING*** SATURDAY, JUNE 6TH
CLEAN@Silver Lake invites you to our 2026 State of the Lake Meeting!
We’ve been hard at work this offseason advancing projects to improve water quality, reduce nutrient loading, and protect the long‑term health of Silver Lake. We’d love for you to join us, hear the latest updates, and share your input.
- Date: Saturday, June 6
- Time: 9:00–11:00 a.m.
- Location: Epworth Hall, 20 Janes Avenue, Silver Lake, NY 14549
KEY TOPICS AND SPEAKERS:
Dredging Update — Scott Schrader, Wyoming County Administrator: Pilot program progress, action plan and next steps.
Nutrient Reduction Efforts — Allan Fagan, Wyoming County Soil & Water Conservation District: Strategies to reduce phosphorus and runoff that fuel harmful algal blooms (HABs) and excessive weed growth. These efforts support clearer water, fewer toxic blooms, and a healthier lake for recreation and drinking water.
State Boat Launch Update - John Snyder, NYS Parks
Additional Invited Guests
- Rep. Claudia Tenney — Federal funding for dredging
- NYS DEC representative
- Senator George Borrello
- Wyoming County Supervisor James Brick
Your presence demonstrates to our partners and elected leaders that the community is united and committed to protecting Silver Lake.
Attendee Bonuses
- FREE native plants and shrubs
- LED flares for sale for the July 3rd Ring of Fire - Order your flares today below. We have 250th Anniversary Red/White/Blue Flares (3/$10) and traditional Red Flares (4/$15)
Thank you for your dedication to a cleaner, healthier Silver Lake. We look forward to seeing you on June 6th!
DEC WALLEYE SURVEY 3/25
The DEC is currently managing Silver Lake to produce and maintain a balanced walleye fisher. On the night of 3/25, the DEC conducted an early-spring boat electrofishing survey to evaluate the status of walleye in the lake. The fish are measured, weighed and scales are taken for age determination.
Since 2016, the DEC has been stocking the lake biennially. Click on the picture to read the 2019 DEC report. The 2026 report will be posted when complete.
CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO SEE THE 2019 WALLEYE REPORT
DREDGING UPDATE!
WITH DEC APPROVAL, DREDGIING COULD START NOVEMBER 2026!
We’re pleased to announce that $1 million has been secured for Phase 1 of the Silver Lake Dredging Project. Thank you to Claudia Tenney for securing this critical funding and helping keep the project on track for 2026.
CPL has submitted the DEC permit application. DEC approval is essential for the project to move forward. If approved, dredging could begin as early as November 2026.
Phase 1 Plan
- Dredging from the Walker Road bridge to the pedestrian bridge at the outlet
- Dewatering and placement of material at pre-approved disposal sites
- A proposal is under review to run a pipe beneath SLT to access the A&A property
- Phase 2 will be developed after Phase 1 results are analyzed
Phase 2 funding is being pursued by the County, with LWRP grant funding as a possible source.
Let’s keep the momentum going!
LED FLARES – A Chemical Free Solution with No Pollution!
250TH ANNIVERSARY RED/WHITE/BLUE FLARES AND TRADITIONAL RED FLARES AVAILABLE
MAKE THE SWITCH TODAY - HALF THE PRICE OF AMAZON!
- RED/WHITE/BLUE FLARES 3 FLARES/$10
- TRADITIONAL RED FLARES 4 FLARES/$15
Switching to LED flares isn’t about ending a tradition, it’s about strengthening it and our commitment to protecting water quality.
****Exclusive member pricing for lake members****
NOTE: Chemical flares produce toxins that negatively impact humans, plants and water bodies. Help keep our lake clean and reduce excess nutrients and toxins in our air by making the switch to LED flares.
CLEAN WORKS TO ERADICATE JAPANESE KNOTWEED AROUND THE LAKE
CLEAN Team members led by Frank Bright have worked tirelessly to eradicate Japanese Knotweed around the lake. This year, the team visited all previously treated sites. The overall JK kill-off has been excellent. Team members secured all property owner permissions and new vendor quotes to execute two (2) JK treatments at the Silver Lake Country Club in ’25. The sites are located at the creek paralleling Pvt Dr 1 (near the hole 14 “T” box) and along Luther Rd parallel to the Hole 13 fairway. Native plants will be planted by the CLEAN once these sites have been cleared of the knotweed.
THE ISSUE WITH KNOTWEED:
Knotweed's early spring emergence and dense growth give it a competitive advantage over native plants, enabling it to take over large areas. Its thick rhizomes can extend horizontally through soils for 60 ft. or more. Plants can emerge through concrete and asphalt, with potential impacts on infrastructure.
MANAGEMENT:
Knotweed can be very difficult to control, depending on the extent (size) and location of the infestation. A stem injection or foliar treatment with systemic herbicide is the most effective management. Individual plants can be dug, if all pieces of the root are removed. However, keep in mind that knotweed roots extend up to 6 ft. down and very small pieces of roots are able to re-sprout. For the same reason, be mindful when mowing or otherwise cutting knotweeds, as plant fragments transported on mowers, etc., will spread the species. Whether using chemical or manual means of removal, 3-5 years of treatment should be expected.
MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT:
Japanese Knotweed – Profile and Resources | Invasive Species Centre
HIRED! WATERCRAFT INSPECTION STEWARD AT THE LAUNCH
Welcome to SUNY ESF graduate Cameron Fiorino who will be at Silver Lake Boat Launch starting May 22n
Schedule: Friday–Monday, 8:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m
CAMERON will be supporting the CLEAN/DRAIN AND DRY campaign to stop invasive species from entering our lake. Please help us welcome Cameron and support his efforts to:
- Conduct voluntary watercraft inspections
- Identify, remove, and properly dispose of aquatic plants
- Educate boaters and visitors about invasive species prevention
- Distribute educational materials
- Collect and record environmental data
- Support additional stewardship tasks as needed
DEC ANNOUNCES HAB ROADMAP
LINK: https://dec.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2026-03/HABroadmap.pdf
Although significant progress has been made in understanding and managing HABs and their causes and impacts, a deliberate plan is needed to guide DEC in its mission to reduce HAB occurrences. This roadmap provides that guide.
Roadmap Goal Statement: Design and implement monitoring approaches to identify the presence and abundance of cyanobacteria and other HABs or their indicators and support the evaluation of new HAB in-waterbody mitigation and reduction strategies. Develop monitoring approaches to improve data usage for various objectives (e.g., HAB screening,assessment, or modeling) and fill knowledge gaps.
Learn how to identify problematic algal blooms and, if warranted, to report them online through the DEC New York Harmful Algal Bloom System (NYHABS).
https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/water/water-quality/harmful-algal-blooms/notifications
CLEAN@SILVER Lake has been investigating the use of an MPC Buoy which does monitor the lake for HABS. This buoy is a solar powered, nonchemical solution with built in water testing capabilities that is used to combat HAB's and provide real time water quality data. UPDATE: We applied for a grant request for the purchase of one of these buoys and received feedback to reapply with addtioinal information if there is another grant opportunity. To be effective on the entire lake, it would require 10-15 of these buoys which cost approximately $70,000 each with annual fees of $12,000 quoted for one buoy. We are still working on ways to test this type of system at the lake. Researching data and results from other lakes at this time.
More information can be found at: MPC-Buoy | Monitor and Control Harmful Algal Blooms - LG Sonic
Other options to prevent blooms are being vetted as well. Go to: 4. Introduction to treatment strategies – HCB-2 for more information.
We look forward to the any progress and strategies DEC's Roadmap can offer to help clean up Silver Lake.
LOCAL WATERFRONT REVITALIZATION PROGRAM (LWRP)
THE LWRP WILL BE THE GATEWAY FOR FUNDING CRITICAL LAKE/WATERHSED INIATIVES. DREDGING, WEED MITIGATION AND IMPROVEMENTS AT THE STATE LAUNCH ARE CLEAN PRIORITIES!
Th LWRP is a partnership with waterfront communities across NYS to address local waterway issues, improve water quality and natural areas, guide development to areas with adequate infrastructure and services away from sensitive resources, promote public waterfront access, and provide for redevelopment of underutilized waterfronts. The LWRP uses substantial public input and then serve as keys to unlock doors to resources to implement (for CLEAN@SILVER LAKE – dredging and weed mitigation and improvements at the State Launch are the focus). More information on the LWRP can be found at: https://dos.ny.gov/local-waterfront-revitalization-program
The draft for the Phase 1 of the LWRP has been distributed to the WAC committee for review/editin. . Five CLEAN members are on this board and have submitted updates to make sure our priorities are included.
Proposed Weed Removal Program-DEC Permit and Funding Needed
CLEAN/Bob Michalski applied for a permit for weed removal/treatment (submitted 9/2025) and the permit was rejected with information needed for resubmission.
The removal process and location of cut weeds will need to be specified to move forward.
A pilot program with a smaller area may be an option for re- submittal. Sources in Perry believe there is a weed cutter in a barn in the area that was used years ago.
Temperature Array
The temperature array is designed to accurately record depth- and time-dependent data from the lake at 15-minute time intervals throughout the year. These data are used to observe in-lake mixing events / ‘turn over’ in real time. In the warmer summer season, lake-wide mixing events are often precursors to algae blooms (nutrients from sediment in the lake sediment + delivery to the lake surface + sun light = algae growth). August 30, 2025 showed this missing event and the September HAB event was a direct result.