>> CERTAIN RESILIENCE AND IT'S COMMENDABLE TO THINK THAT WE WANT TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO MAKE SURE WE CAN STAY HERE.

SOMETIMES I WONDER IF IT'S JUST CRAZY.

BUT I DO HAVE ROOTS HERE AND IT WOULD TAKE A LOT TO REALLY GET ME TO PICK UP AND MOVE.

SO, YEAH, WE DO WHAT WE CAN.

>> WE ARE IN AN AGE OF RESILIENCY IN THAT WE NEED TO REBUILD RESILIENCY INTO OUR SYSTEMS THE WAY THAT HUMANS INTERACT WITH THE LAND AND HOW THE LAND IMPACTS THE WATER BASED ON THE WAY THAT HUMANS USE IT.

WE ELIMINATE THE RISK OF HARMFUL ALGAE BLOOMS FOREVER?

I CAN'T GO THAT FAR.

BUT WHAT WE CAN DO IS REDUCE IT AND MITIGATE IT.

THE D.E.C.

HAS MULTIPLE PROGRAMS TO MONITOR WATER QUALITY IN STREAMS AND LAKES THROUGH OUR ROTATING INTEGRATED BASE IN STUDIES PROGRAM.

AS PART OF THAT WE HAVE ROUTINE MONITORING, LONG-TERM MONITORING SITES AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS IN THE STATE AND WE ALSO DO MONITORING IN THE WATERSHED VIA OUR WAVE PROGRAM.

SO THAT MONITORING DATA IN CONJUNCTION WITH THINGS LIKE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, WEATHER FORECASTS INFORM HOW WE CAN MEASURE AND KNOW WHAT IS LEAVING THE LANDSCAPE AND ENTERING OUR WATER BODIES.

AS PART OF THE PROCESS, WE CAN PUT THE TAKE THE INPUT DATA AND GENERATE QEART QUALITY MODELS WHICH ARE CONSTRUCTS OF HOW WATER MATERIALS INTERACT TO MOVE MATERIALS AND WATER FROM THE WATERSHEDS INTO THE RECEIVING LAKES.

>> WE HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF A DITCH REMEDIATION PROJECT.

THERE IS A LOT OF SEDIMENT IN THE MATERIAL IN THE WATER HERE.

SO WHAT OWLA HELPS FUND IN THE COST SHARING EFFORT IS THE MONIES WE RAISE ARE USED TO PAY FOR THE RIP AND THE HYDRO SEEDING THAT WE WILL DO.

HYDRO SEED IS A SLURRY OF MATERIAL WITH ACTUAL SEED THAT IS SPRAYED ON TO THE DITCH AND ALLOWS THE VEGETATION TO GROW, THEN IN THE FUTURE HOADZ THE SOIL WHERE IT BELONGS.

>> WE WILL BE HYDRO SEEDING AT THE END AFTER WE GET THE STONE AND STONE IN THE DITCHES TO STOP THE EROSION.

WITH EVERYTHING THAT GOES ON HERE, IT WILL PROBABLY TAKE US CLOSE TO A MONTH.

>> THE LAST FEW YEARS, OWLA HAS RAISED OVER $50,000 IN THIS MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE WITH THE COUNTY.

AND AS WE LOOK AT THE PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE HELPED FUND, THERE HAS BEEN MORE THAN 14 MILES OF DITCH REMEDIATION WITHIN THE WATERSHED.

HEMLOCKS ARE ALL THROUGHOUT NEW YORK AND PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE SHADING THE WATER AND HOLDING THE SOIL IN PLACE.

IN THE LAST 30 YEARS, AN INVASIVE PEST CALLED THE HEMLOCK WOOLY ADELGID HAS BEEN INVADING ALL OF OUR HEMLOCK TREES WITH A VERY HIGH MORTALITY RATE.

IN A FEW YEARS, THAT WILL CERTAINLY ALMOST ALL BE DEAD TREES.

THERE IS A HEMLOCK INITIATIVE PROGRAM AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY IN ITHACA AND WITH THEIR EXPERTISE WE LEARNED ABOUT THE ININVEST ATION.

THE LONGER TERM IS TO GROW THE BUGS THAT FEED ON THIS.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO SAVE AS MANY OF THESE WATERSHED HEMLOCKS AS WE CAN.

THE FINGER LAKES LAND TRUST IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT WORKS COOPERATIVELY WITH COMMUNITIES TO CONSERVE THE LINE THAT DEFINE THE CHARACTER OF THE REGION AND INCREASINGLY WE ARE INVOLVED IN PROTECTING WATER.

THIS TREATMENT OVER MY SHOULDER HERE WAS SUFFERING EXTREME EROSION BECAUSE HOW THE WATERSHED STREAM HAD BEEN CHANGED OVER TIME AND EACH YEAR TONS AND TONS OF TOP SOIL WERE ERODED INTO THE LAKE CARRYING NUTRIENTS WITH THEM.

SO WE PARTNERED WITH THE USE OF FORCE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE ANDY AND ESSENTIALLY RAISE THE BED OF THE STREAM AND USING NATURAL MATERIALS LOG AND ROCK, CAREFULLY PLACE THEM TO LEAD OFF THE ENERGY THAT WAS ERODING ALL THE SOIL AND, INSTEAD, START TO CHANNEL IT INTO A MORE NATURAL SINUOUS PATTERN BECAUSE NOT ONLY ARE WE DEALING WITH EROSION AND ADDRESSING THAT ISSUE, WE ARE DOING IT IN A WAY WHICH PROVIDES AND RESTORES THE NATURAL HABITAT.

>> WE ARE MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT.

WE NEED TO PROTECT THE QUALITY OF THE LAKE FOR OUR DRINKING WATER SOURCE AND IT IS THE ECONOMIC BASE OF OUR COMMUNITY.

OUR MISSION IS TO RESTORE AND PROTECT.