Dave Shackleton

Memorial Day is supposed to be the unofficial start of summer fun on the lake. Boats go in, families head to the shoreline, and children and pets drift toward the water. But what happens when ... more

Summer in the Finger Lakes means long days on the water, swimming off the dock, and enjoying the natural beauty of our region. But in recent years, it has also meant bracing for the inevitable ... more

What if the monitoring system being used to protect the Finger Lakes from toxic algae blooms is actually blind to them? What if the most widely used measurement for assessing lake health gets more inaccurate ... more

Across the Finger Lakes, communities rely on annual water quality reports to tell them if their lake is healthy. Often, these reports come back with passing grades - the water looks relatively clear, and the ... more

In our previous articles, we explored how the loss of deep-water oxygen – hypoxia - creates a dead zone at the bottom of our lakes. But hypoxia is only the trigger. The real engine driving ... more

For many Finger Lakes residents, the summer season brings a familiar and frustrating anxiety. You look out at the water, and everything seems fine on the surface. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a toxic algae ... more

Have you ever reviewed a lake management plan that sounded incredibly promising, only to watch your lake continue to deteriorate year after year? You are not alone. Across the Finger Lakes region, communities are spending ... more

For many Finger Lakes communities, summer lake management feels like Groundhog Day. You spray the algae with algaecide. You hit the invasive weeds with herbicide. You might even install aerators. You cross your fingers and ... more

If you live near Seneca, Cayuga, Honeoye, or any of our beautiful Finger Lakes, you already know the story. Every summer, the water warms up, the warnings go out, and the toxic green scum returns ... more