 View PDF
2008 … 110 Years After Col. Hopkins
It is worth remembering the words spoken in 1898 by Col. W.S.B. Hopkins, the father of LSPA. The lake is the one jewel that calls in all here. The man who builds his house on a hill and does not reach the shore at all, were it not for the lake, would not have built it there. Carelessness, even the slightest introduction of impurity, will destroy the healthfulness of the region, repel the newcomer who should be invited, and destroy the value of what we have already established.
The changes since then are enormous, yet the words still ring true. This Annual Report celebrates the efforts of hundreds of people who work together in many different ways to respond to Col. Hopkins’ warning. Our Executive Director and staff have once again demonstrated a level of commitment and professionalism that should be the envy of any organization. The volunteers on the water, taking samples or surveying the shores for invasive weeds, have been helping LSPA for decades. The Scientific Advisory Committee (researchers from colleges and universities) continues to learn more about water bodies and watersheds, so that we can educate an increasingly broad constituency as well as better manage the issues that we face right here. Many people stepped up to the plate to help with our move into The Knowlton House: area businesses who donated materials at cost, individuals who donated furniture, volunteers
who organized tag sales … the list is huge. Col. Hopkins would be proud of you, the members of LSPA. Your support makes all of this possible!
Each year has brought something new to LSPA. This past year gave us the bathymetric mapping of the lake, and charts showing this new information are expected to be available soon. An NSF grant and a course being offered at SUNY Binghamton are focused on our GLEON buoy to make all the information gathered by the buoy available on the web, in real time. For example, by this summer you will be able to get online and find out the wind speed and direction on the lake. At the same time, we have not lost sight of the basics. In 2008 we expanded the coverage and hours of the Lake Hosts and increased our educational programs. We had a successful speakers’ series and 2009 will be even more robust.
Outsiders have looked at LSPA and how we collaborate with schools, colleges, universities and local communities. A common observation is that LSPA is a model for how educational associations should operate. This Annual Report has words, numbers and pictures, but there is something that it cannot capture, something that
Col. Hopkins could not have anticipated. Imagine that it’s early on a summer evening. The LSPA parking lot is full. There are a couple of dozen people milling around, some on the porch, some cooking spaghetti in the kitchen and others sitting out on the terrace. They are staff, scientists, students and volunteers gathering after a day on, in and around the lake. They are from all over the country, sometimes from other
countries. They are sharing their observations and discoveries of that day, and planning the next day and the next grants. There is always a quiet excitement. The teamwork is fantastic. If you cannot actually be there, you should be very proud that you made it possible.
Thank you for a great year.
Deb Benjamin, President
Date published on web site:
04-27-2009
|
