I took this Tuesday April 5, 2005 It is a view of Cayuga Lake looking south from the Aurelius Springport town line http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~springport/pictures122/12457small.jpg http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~springport/pictures122/12457.jpg Lots of sediment pollution showing Also Tuaghannock Falls Creek http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~springport/pictures122/12285small.jpg http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~springport/pictures122/12285.jpg Will the Cayuga Lake association be willing to use these in their publications?? sincerely bill hecht

Below are some facts on the state of farming and runoff to our Finger Lakes. I have a background in farming and geology and have checked these procedures out recently with the USDA and many others including the Skaneateles Lake agricultural program. Our governmental agencies may be using Best Practices in their approved Farm Plans but the bottom line is that it is still not enough to meet EPA Clean Water standards. And there are solutions as outlined below. It is no longer enough to just get water off the fields. We are dealing with huge farms and more manure then the land can absorb. Couple that to all the drain tiles and diversion ditches installed over the past 50 years and we are seeing a disaster. Below are some facts and figures in a simple format for people to grasp and I hope that your can impliment these simple facts into your web site, literature and public presentations along with the pictures. People need to be told what they are seeing in these pictures and what the full impact is to the natural resouces of the Finger Lakes, to their health, and to thier pocketbooks in tax spending on farm practices that contribute to such pollution. "Best Practices" are not enough. We can and must do better. bill hecht ================================================================== Last Tuesday I flew over a few of the Finger Lakes looking for sedimentation and I fould plenty on Cayuga Lake. A lot of what we see as sedimentation is from hydrolically overloaded streams. "Acceptable" soil loss on farms is 2 tons per acre. That's 200 tons on a 100 acre field or about 10 truck loads. But why are they hydrolically overloaded? Because we have paid farmers to tile and quickly divert water from their field where they then 'point discharge' the tiles to the nearest stream or road ditch. Water that contains sediment plus pesticides, fungicides and antibiotics. The same road ditches that are graded and scoured clean in the fall before a new seeding can take hold. Answer. Restore hedgerows, grass buffers, and wetlands. Also consruct new artificial wetland and retention areas for farm fields and road ditches. Also tax breaks so these areas are not taxed if not raising a crop. Why should only housing developments be required to have retention areas? It is long overdue that farm fields be required to do the same. Remember: this is not 'just' sedement being lost but sediment with attached nutrients, herbicides and antibiotics. How does such sedimentation impact bird life? What about the human and animmal waste along with pesticides, fungicides and antibiotics carried in these plumes.? Is the state of the environment in relation to birds and such pollution addressed at your Monday meetings? Below are two of the pictures taken a view of Cayuga Lake looking south from the Aurelius Springport town line http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~springport/pictures124/12457small.jpg http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~springport/pictures124/12457.jpg Also Tuaghannock Falls Creek http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~springport/pictures122/12285small.jpg http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~springport/pictures122/12285.jpg More can be seen at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~springport/pictures122/flight/ Sincerely Bill Hecht PO Box 86 5525 State Rt 90 North, Fire Lane 20 Union Springs, NY 13160 315-889-7761