A large group of lake lovers came out on a slightly rainy Friday to harvest the invasive water chestnuts. We are getting more efficient at removing this invasive plant thanks to the large number of volunteers and the help of the park personnel
Annual Ring of Fire on July 4th
A fabulous showing from the reservoir this year with the annual ring of fire. Perfect evening for fireworks and fun on the reservoir
Weeding the reservoir
This year we noticed a large patch of invasive water chestnuts at the south end of the reservoir. On August 15, a large group of dedicated reservoir enthusiasts came together to pull these weeds out.
Top view of water chestnut 
Underside view 
Three large patches
We spent more than 3 hours pulling weeds and piling them into canoes and then rowing them over to the park. The park provided a large trailer for us to use and also took away all the weeds
Original weed patch 
Working hard 
Piling the weeds into canoes 
Working hard 
Lots of dedicated workers 
Park personnel provided and emptied this trailer 4 times
Thank you to everyone who came out and helped – it was a large team effort and it takes a village to keep our reservoir healthy
Working hard 
Working hard 
Final resting place for the weeds
July 4th and the Ring of Fire 2020
The annual Ring of Fire was a raging success this year. I think many people found their old flares from previous years and lit them as well as this year’s flare.
Recognizing Harmful Algal Blooms
Here are some pictures to help recognize HABs in the reservoir. If you suspect a HAB then please email Mark and he will come and have a look and collect a sample if needed. The samples are then sent to a lab where they will be tested for HABs
More information is on the NYSDEC website
Landscaping for water quality protection
Cornell Cooperative extension has a great resource for what is best to plant near the reservoir to protect the water.
Important for the reservoir as we had seen several harmful algal blooms over the last few years, so protecting the water is a good idea
Science on the reservoir
A new page about the science on the reservoir was added. We’ll be adding some reports on water quality and other issues to this page soon
Sunset on the reservoir
Fun on the water
Welcome to Jamesville Reservoir
Welcome to the Jamesville Reservoir. The reservoir was built to provide water to the Erie Canal, and it still provides water to the “Old Erie Canal”.