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Wildlife and People Are Returning to Onondaga Lake Wildlife and People Are Returning to Onondaga Lake

Experts say Onondaga Lake has made vast improvements

By Sam Oppenheim

Onondaga Lake covers more than 4.5 miles in Central New York. In 1994, the Lake was declared for a Superfund site after years of pollution and toxins were dumped into the water. In 2012, Honeywell International was forced to clean up the lake by a New York state court order. They completed their cleanup project in November 2017. Since then, many groups are doing their part to further rehabilitate the lake.
© 2019 Sam Oppenheim

Sam Gelfand: People working to revitalize Onondaga Lake say wildlife and the public are coming back to the area. N-C-C News’ Sam Oppenheim investigates the return of Bald Eagles and the expansion of a trail around the lake.

Sam Oppenheim: Chris Lajewski says over 230 wildlife species have return to Onondaga Lake. He credits their reappearance to the restoration of animal habitats by conservation groups

Chris Lajewski: “90 acres of which actually have been restored along the wetlands and shoreline of Onondaga Lake. We’re now seeing over 100 bird species coming back to these areas. And many of these are on the New York threatened species list, like the bald eagle.”

Oppenheim: Lajewski is the Program Director of the Onondaga Lake Conservation Corps, who falls under a larger environmental group. The Montezuma Audubon Center in Savannah, New York functions with the state government to preserve nature. The center educates people on the importance of animal habitats and restoration through camps for children, volunteering opportunities and nature guides. He sees bald eagles as something Central New Yorker’s might not expect to be nearby.

Lajewski: “You don’t have to go to Alaska or Washington State to see dozens of bald eagles. Folks can come right outside their backyard and see our national bird thriving.”

Oppenheim: Lajewski wants to maintain the work they’ve done in the past.

Lajewski: “We will continue to engage the Central New York committee in ongoing monitoring of these habitats, continued restoration through invasive species, management activities. We’ll be planting a native vegetation in these areas as well. And continue to conduct the bird and other wildlife surveys we’ve been a part of so far.

Oppenheim: Director of the Onondaga County Office of the Environment Travis Glazier says their most immediate project is expanding the trails.

Travis Glazier: “The Loop the Lake trail is by far and away the biggest initiative. So, continuing the trail all the way around the lake. It will double the current size of the trail. The trail is roughly a little over seven miles now. When it is all complete, it will be 14 miles.”

Oppenheim: Glazier says the trail will be complete near the end of the fall. Although, some people who would rather cool off than sweat. The preliminary results of an online survey released earlier this month shows tens of thousands are willing to swim in Onondaga Lake. Glazier says people are willing to give the lake a chance.

Glazier: “When you look at the survey and the respondents, and you cross-reference that with the number of users for Onondaga Lake Park, the potential universe of users who answered in the affirmative, that they would swim in Onondaga Lake is roughly 31,800.”

Oppenheim: He says the number is a conservative estimate because it assumes people would use the beach only once a year. The full survey will be released in June. For years, the amount of pollutants and toxins gave Onondaga Lake national notoriety for being the most polluted lake in the U-S. In 1994, the lake was declared a Superfund site. Dog owner Penny Campbell likes the improvements to the park, but has her reservations about the water quality.

Penny Campbell: “I’m still concerned about the water. I don’t let my dog drink the water and stuff because of the pollution. I don’t think it’s there yet.”

Oppenheim: However, Director of the Upstate Freshwater Institute Dave Matthews says the water quality of the lake has been at acceptable levels for years.

Dave Matthews: “For many years, the northern two-thirds of the lake meet the state’s requirements for swimming. The water’s clear enough and bacteria levels are low enough that it’d meet the requirements of any beach in the state.”

Oppenheim: Matthews says younger people will have a different opinion of the lake than older people.

Matthews: “I just think that’s a generational thing. I believe that will change if they build the beach, people will use it. And over time, the stigma that it’s the most polluted lake in the country will fade away.”

Oppenheim: For Syracuse resident Albnia Giglio, all of the improvements around Onondaga Lake have created a family-friendly atmosphere.

Albnia Giglio: “The kids are able to run around in a safe environment ‘cause it wasn’t like that a decade ago when we first moved here. You just see more people and there is more activities for the families.”

Oppenheim: Step-by-step, Onondaga Lake is becoming a place for all Central New Yorkers to go. In Syracuse, Sam Oppenheim, N-C-C News

By Sam Oppenheim SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) —The history of Onondaga Lake is intertwined with the history of Central New York,  for better or worse. Now, Onondaga Lake is seeing a return of people and wildlife to the area. 

Chris Lajewski is the Program Director of the Onondaga Lake Conservation Corps. He says over 230 wildlife species have return to Onondaga Lake. He credits their reappearance to 90 acres of restored habitats along the wetlands and shoreline of the lake. 

“We’re now seeing over 100 bird species coming back to these areas,” said Lajewski. “And many of these are on the New York threatened species list, like the bald eagle.”

The Onondaga Lake Conservation Corps is an initiative of a larger environmental group in New York, the Montezuma Audubon Center. The center is located in Savannah, New York and works with the state to preserve nature. The center educates people on the importance of animal habitats and restoration through camps for children, volunteering opportunities and nature guides. Lajewski believes Central New Yorker’s might not expect bald eagles to be nearby.

“You don’t have to go to Alaska or Washington State to see dozens of bald eagles,” said Lajewski. “Folks can come right outside their backyard and see our national bird thriving.”

Going forward, Lajewski wants to maintain the work they have previously done.

“We will continue to engage the Central New York committee in ongoing monitoring of these habitats, continued restoration through invasive species, management activities,” said Lajewski. “We’ll be planting a native vegetation in these areas as well and continue to conduct the bird and other wildlife surveys we’ve been a part of so far.”

For years, the amount of pollutants and toxins gave Onondaga Lake national notoriety for being the most polluted lake in the United States. In 1994, the lake was declared a Superfund site. Director of the Upstate Freshwater Institute Dave Matthews says there were two contributing factors to the pollution.

“Pollution from industry and just waste water from the community,” said Matthews. “Both of those things had a negative impact.”

For dog owner Penny Campbell, the lake’s history of pollution makes her cautious close to the lake.

“I don’t let my dog drink the water and stuff because of the pollution,” said Campbell. “I don’t think it’s there yet.”

Penny Campbell's dog Munch resting in Onondaga Lake Park on Wednesday, April 24. Campbell walked Munch on the trail around Onondaga Lake, which Travis Glazier, the Director of the Onondaga County Office of the Environment, says will double in length by the end of the year.
Penny Campbell’s dog Munch resting in Onondaga Lake Park on Wednesday, April 24. Campbell walked Munch on the trail around Onondaga Lake, which Travis Glazier, the Director of the Onondaga County Office of the Environment, says will double in length by the end of the year.
© 2019 Sam Oppenheim

However, Matthews says the water quality has been at acceptable levels for years.

“For many years, the northern two-thirds of the lake meet the state’s requirements for swimming,” said Matthews. “The water’s clear enough and bacteria levels are low enough that it’d meet the requirements of any beach in the state.”

Matthews says younger people will have a different opinion of the lake than older people, and believes the stigma around the lake is generational.

“I believe that will change if they build the beach, people will use it,” said Matthews. “And over time, the stigma that it’s the most polluted lake in the country will fade away.”

Earlier this month, the preliminary results of an online survey by Onondaga County showed tens of thousands would swim in Onondaga Lake. Director of the Onondaga County Office of the Environment Travis Glazier says people are willing to give the lake a chance.

A bumper stick reading, "I want to swim in Onondaga Lake clean it up!" on a cabinet in the office of Travis Glazier, who is the Director of the Onondaga County Office of the Environment. Preliminary results of an online survey show almost 32,000 people are willing to swim in the lake.
A bumper sticker reading, “I want to swim in Onondaga Lake clean it up!” on a cabinet in the office of Travis Glazier. Preliminary results of an online survey show almost 32,000 people are willing to swim in the lake.
© 2019 Sam Oppenheim

“The potential universe of users who answered in the affirmative, that they would swim in Onondaga Lake is roughly 31,800,” said Glazier.

He says the number is a conservative estimate because it assumes people would use the beach only once a year. The full results of the survey, which was conducted by a third-party consultant of the county, will be released in June. Glazier says their most immediate project is the Loop The Lake trail. The plan is to stretch the trail all the way around the lake.

“The trail is roughly a little over seven miles now,” said Glazier. “When it is all complete, it will be 14 miles.”

Glazier says the trail is expected to be done by the end of fall. For Syracuse resident Albnia Giglio, all of the improvements around Onondaga Lake have created a family-friendly atmosphere.

“The kids are able to run around in a safe environment because it wasn’t like that a decade ago when we first moved here,” said Giglio. “You just see more people and there is more activities for the families.”

From the return of wildlife, to infrastructure upgrades and clean water, Onondaga Lake is putting the past in the rearview mirror and looking forward to bright days ahead.

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