Chautauqua Lake Macrophyte Management Strategy Development

a unique approach to macrophyte management for 13,000 acre Chautauqua Lake in western NY. The strategy took a unique approach to the management of aquatic plants, applying concepts of land use zoning to Chautauqua Lake to delineate zones within the lake’s littoral zone based on environmental conditions and human uses, enabling managers to identify areas of the lake where conflicts are most severe and assign priorities for management. The plan was developed by identifying and analyzing aquatic plant densities, critical environmental habitat, rare /threatened /endangered species, human use zones and patterns, and ultimately ranking conflicts between human use, environmental features and aquatic plants to create a comprehensive, zone-based management strategy. The project examined all methods of macrophyte management and assigned potential management methods to each of over 200 zones around the lake in order to support lake use while protecting the natural resources. View the plan here.