GLIN==> Press release: New blog posts observations, photos from Eastern Lake Ontario dunes, Salmon River

Press Release: June 24, 2009
Contact: Mary Penney, New York Sea Grant, 315-312-3042, mp357 at cornell.edu
 
New Blog Posts Observations, Photos from Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes & Salmon
River 
 
Oswego, NY -- Blogging has come to the Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes & Wetlands
Area and the Salmon River corridor. Through summer and fall, the student
stewards who educate the public about the value of these vital environmental
resources will post their experiences and information at
http://elodsrstewardprogram.blogspot.com.
 
Blog content will focus on special educational opportunities, such as
steward activities at Dune Fest for area 7th and 8th graders, Harborfest,
and the Oswego County Fair and will include observations and photos posted
each week by the Eastern Lake Ontario Dune and Salmon River Stewards working
in the natural resource areas at Sandy Pond Bach Natural Area, Lakeview
Wildlife Management Area, Little America and Redfield Island.
 
The stewards are sharing info on the wildlife species they see; report of
interactions with kayakers, beachwalkers, and anglers fishing for such
species as freshly-stocked landlocked Atlantic salmon and steelhead; and
information on why the eastern shore of Lake Ontario is critical habitat for
migrating and resident birds and what makes the Salmon River Falls Unique
Area unique. 
 
 ³The stewards promote environmentally-sound recreational use of these vital
natural resources and encourage willing compliance with guidelines designed
to protect the resources. They
participate in research and monitoring surveys, and host field walks and
programs on a variety of topics of interest to those who enjoy the
outdoors,² says Steward Coordinator Mary Penney of New York Sea Grant,
Oswego, NY. ³We are excited about sharing their observations and reports
through the new Eastern Lake Ontario Dune and Salmon River Stewardship
Blog.²          
 
Recent posts highlight the use of plantings to help stabilize the dunes and
streambanks, photos of Redfield Reservoir, a swallowtail butterfly, the root
of a Phragmites plant, and Salmon River Falls.
 
This will be the second blog to highlight a New York Sea Grant-managed
program. In July 2008 Website Content Manager Paul Focazio created New York
Sea Grant¹s first blog as he posted daily reports from aboard the federal
Research Vessel Peter Wise Lake Guardian as NYSG hosted a week-long,
hands-on learning cruise for teachers and environmental educators. The
well-received ³Shipboard & Shoreline Science on Lake Ontario² blog that
combined the science and social aspects of the teaching cruise plus photos
spawned the new stewardship blog.
 
Focazio says, "It's a perfect fit to have the dune and river stewards
document their experiences with the public throughout the summer and fall.
We're offering Web surfers, especially those away from these resources, a
first-hand account of, among other things, touring the beaches that provide
public access along eastern Lake Ontario and the Salmon River Falls Unique
Area."
 
Penney adds, ³Since the stewards are writing the blog, this technology is a
great opportunity for them to learn and it provides blog readers with new
places to visit along the eastern shoreline of Lake Ontario such as Black
Pond Wildlife Management Area and within the Salmon River corridor and
Chateaugay State Forest.²
 
The Eastern Lake Ontario Dune Steward and Salmon River Steward Program is
coordinated by New York Sea Grant in cooperation with the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation, The Nature Conservancy and New
York State Parks.
 
The Eastern Lake Ontario Dune Stewards work at public access points along
the 17-mile stretch of barrier beach complex that includes beaches, fragile
sand dunes, and wetlands areas in Oswego and Jefferson counties (El Dorado
Nature Preserve, Black Pond Wildlife Management Area [WMA], Southwick Beach
State Park, Lakeview WMA in Jefferson County, and Sandy Pond Beach Natural
Area and Deer Creek Marsh WMA in Oswego County).
 
The Salmon River Stewards monitor New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation properties in the Oswego County towns of Richland, Orwell,
Albion and Redfield from the upper Redfield Reservoir to Port Ontario on
Lake Ontario. 
 
To learn more about the Eastern Lake Ontario Dune Steward and Salmon River
Program, visit the blog at http://elodsrstewardprogram.blogspot.com or
contact Mary Penney, New York Sea Grant, Oswego, NY, 315-312-3042. # # #
 
The stewards contributing to the blog are:
·     Chief Steward Greg Chapman
·     Paul Dawson
·     Emily Freeman
·     Stacy Furgal
·     Jim Katz
·     Liz Wolff


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