Though monitoring for harmful algal blooms on Cayuga Lake doesn’t begin until July, Grace Haynes with the Community Science Institute says they’re actively recruiting for volunteers from Cayuga, Seneca, and Tompkins Counties.
Volunteers are assigned a section of shoreline along the lake to monitor and report on whether or not a HAB is spotted. If a HAB is present, they’re then asked to collect a water sample. Data is collected from the samples and posted to the group’s website allowing for further research and a near real-time map of HABs on the lake.
If you don’t live on or have access to the lake, you can also help out by delivering samples to the institute’s facilities in Ithaca.
Monitoring the health of the tri-county lake is done as a partnership between the Community Science Institute, Cayuga Lake Watershed Network, and Discover Cayuga Lake.
If you’re interested in volunteering for HAB monitoring or any other lake program, you can contact the institute at [email protected] or [email protected].
