Wetlands Permit Approved & Treatment Scheduled

We’re happy to share some great news – our wetlands permit was officially approved at the end of last week!

With the permit in hand, Little Bear Environmental has scheduled the first round of treatment for June 30th. In addition, the harvester will be out on Little York Lake starting this Thursday, so you can expect to see increased activity on the water over the next few weeks.

We’re excited to kick off this important work, and appreciate your continued support in preserving and protecting our lake.

Get Ready for the Boat Parade

Hello all, it’s time to start thinking about the boat parade. This year the boat parade will be on Saturday, July 5th at 6pm. No theme just be your own creative self. Cash Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place. Meet  in front of the Pavilion around 5:45pm.

Please contact Laura Fregosi at 585-752-2586 if you would like to be a judge. Judges should not be involved in the parade and be unbiased. Looking forward to another great year for the boat parade.

Annual Meeting 6/7/25

The LYLPS Annual meeting will be held on Saturday, June 7th at 10 a.m. in the main pavilion in the park (CRT). This year we will be holding elections for Vice President and Treasurer. We will also discuss our 2025 work plan including the new harvester.

Please join us to discuss issues of lake management and continuing to improve our lake. We also need everyone to discuss how best to use the weed harvester that the Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) has acquired. 

If you have not done so already, please complete our survey.

 

Fall ’24 Meeting and Picnic

Join us on Saturday, September 21st for our annual fall meeting and picnic beginning at 11 a.m. at the main pavilion in Dwyer Park. As usual, we will provide hot dogs and soft drinks. Please bring a dish to pass.

Everyone on the lake is invited to get an update on our work progress from this past season as well as our plans for the coming year. We’ll review the Lake District operations and how we see it evolving.

To help plan for food on hand, please take a moment and fill out the following questionnaire prior to September 14th: https://forms.gle/ddZuL5QuFGXxKyq46

Septic Workshop July 23rd

Helping to keep our lake clean begins with you! Your septic system, if not maintained, can provide runoff into the lake. This provides nutrients for the plants (weeds) to grow and increases our costs to manage them. 

Cortland County Soil and Water is running a series of septic system workshops this month. If you sign up and attend, you will receive a $100 coupon to use for cleaning/maintaining your septic system. 

One session will be conveniently held at the Preble Fire Hall on Tuesday, 7/23 at 7pm. Call SWCD at 607-756-5991 to register!

Annual Boat Parade 7/6 at 6pm

Our Annual Boat Parade will assemble at 6pm at the north end of the lake (near the boat launch) on Saturday, July 6. Boats will be assigned a number and then parade around the lake.

There is no pre-registration and no special theme, but creative designs are encouraged. We’ll award gift cards to the top 3 finishers as judged by our two judging stations.

Thanks to Laura Fregosi who is organizing the event. LYLPS is providing the gift cards.

So come out and celebrate Independence Day with our community.

Fall Drawdown

The annual drawdown of Little York Lake is scheduled to begin on October 1st and be completed within a week. The maximum drawdown is 2 feet and is supposed to be down gradually during that time. The drawdown is managed by the Cortland County Highway Department.

The drawdown is intended to limit weed growth near the shoreline as well as allow owners to maintain their property. The timing and maximum drawdown are designed to limit the impact on inhabitants in the benthic layer, an important part of the fish food chain.

In the past, we’ve experienced some issues with excessive initial drawdowns. Now is the time to make appropriate plans for this annual process.

Fall Meeting and Picnic

Join us on Saturday, September 30th for our annual fall meeting and picnic beginning at 11 a.m. in Preble Park. As usual we will provide hot dogs and soft drinks. Please bring a dish to pass.

Everyone on the lake is invited to get an update on our work progress from this past season as well as our plans for the coming year. We’ll discuss the first year under the Lake District and how we see it evolving.

We’re also going to hold a live drawing for the 30th day of our 30-day raffle: a $100 cash prize!

To help plan for food on hand, please take a moment and fill out the following questionnaire prior to September 23rd: https://forms.gle/KvXXB665L82qbZqv5

Its Prize Time!

We start our 30-day raffle tomorrow, September 1st. Each day at 5 p.m. we’ll post the winning number from our amazing sponsors. You can see the winning number either on our website or our Facebook page.

And remember, even if you win, you’re still eligible to WIN AGAIN! That’s right, winners are included in every drawing. 

So be sure to check back on this site at 5 p.m. every day to see if you’ve won. Thanks again to Hage Real Estate for sponsoring this event, all of our sponsors who donated prizes, and to each and every one of you who bought a ticket. 

Good luck!

30-Day Raffle Launched

Today we are announcing the launch of the Raffle for Restoring the Splendor of Little York Lake presented by Hage Real Estate. The month-long daily raffle will offer prizes from local merchants ranging from $20-$82, and a grand prize of $100 cash will be given on the final day of the raffle for a total of more than $1,100 in prizes. This is the first step in a multi-pronged campaign to raise significant capital for the restoration and preservation of the lake.

“We are thrilled to launch this fundraiser to support the ongoing maintenance of Upper Little York Lake,” said LYLPS President, Gary Lawrence. “We believe that the raffle will not only help us raise the funds we need but also bring attention to the critical importance of preserving our natural resources for future generations.”

Ticket sales are being launched on Saturday, June 24th and will be available through July and August. A total of 500 tickets will be sold for $10. Each ticket is valid for each of the 30 days of prizes. Participants can purchase tickets for the raffle through a member of the association, by emailing contact@littleyorklake.com or by calling 607-358-0339.

The daily raffle will begin on September 1st and run through September 30th. All proceeds will go toward the long-term maintenance of Upper Little York Lake, including the preservation of its wildlife, water quality, and natural beauty.

“We are grateful to our local merchants who have generously donated prizes for the raffle,” said Lawrence. “Their support is critical to the success of this campaign, and we encourage everyone to visit their businesses and show their appreciation.”

Full details of the raffle are on this page.

LYLPS Work Plan Review and 2023 Plan

The LYLPS Board has reviewed the work plan for 2022 and developed a plan for 2023. We believe our efforts to control milfoil have been successful, though we observed some new growth in several portions of the lake. 

With the control of milfoil, native species have returned in full force. In 2023 we intend to spend significant efforts to manage these in areas where they impact recreational use. 

Here is the summary of our 2023 work plan:

  • Monitoring
    • Monitor the lake through CSLAP
    • Expand the monitoring by developing a macrophyte monitoring program with Soil and Water (SWCD)
    • Develop a HABs monitoring program
    • Support C-OFOKLA flood rapid-response program
  • Prevention
    • Continuing support, through C-OFOKLA, of the boat steward program, CCStoptheInvasion.org and including support of the boat decontamination station.
    • Provide content for public outreach, both directly and through C-OFOKLA.
  • Treatments
    • Treat recurring VLM with ProcellaCOR
    • Treat starry stonewort, pondweed, and nuisance natives through weed harvesting
  • Management
    • Support SWCD shorescaping program
    • Continue support of septic education program
    • Participate in the Tioughnioga River LWRP Update project
  • Organizational
    • Continue to build community
    • Maintain the lake management plan
    • Explore establishing a “dredging” fund

You can read the full plan (as a PDF) here. The 2022 review is here.