YOUR WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
www.StarNewsDaily.com
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Week of September 27, 2012
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Vol. 5, No. 39 – FREE
Genealogy 101
Workshop at Cherry Creek Inn on Finding ‘Lost’ Ancestors Now Accepting Registration By Daniel Meyer Star Contributing Writer
As the growing popularity in genealogy increases due to the website www.ancestory.com and television programs that focus on the skyrocketing interest in finding “lost” ancestors to help build family trees, a local event scheduled to take place next month will give participants an opportunity to “think” like a genealogist. “How To Think Like A Genealogist (And Get The Same Results)” will be offered on Thursday, Oct. 11 from 9 a.m. to noon at Cherry Creek Inn as the class will be offered for beginning to moderate levels of family historians who have an interest in using simple tools and techniques to identify family members from the past and help construct their family trees. According to Joanne Mansfield, a self-described “addicted family historian” who will serve as the instructor for the course, participants will likely be surprised at the results they find using simple “at home” skills, materials and a computer. “People laugh when I talk to them about my hobbies and what I like to do with my spare time because I tell them my husband spends money on golf, while I spend money on ancestry records,” said Mansfield. “I really enjoy it. I figured if I get this much pleasure out of it, why can’t others? I think it’s quite fun and extremely interesting.” There are an estimated 14 million users who access www.ancestry.
With Henry Louis Gates Jr.” ‘With those TV shows more and more people are taking notice and want to become family historians, and I think that is great,” said Mansfield. The introductory course will be take place in a facility with Internet access. A laptop computer or iPod will be helpful, but Mansfield says they are not necessary. Refreshments will be provided, along with time for sharing of genealogy tips and research assistance. “I’m going to show people little tricks and methods they might not have otherwise tried or even thought of,” The Cherry Creek Inn will host an event called “How to Think Like A said Mansfield. “We will all work Genealogist (And Get The Same Results)” on Oct. 11 at 9 a.m. together and learn about how to problem solve and find the informapaperwork so I want them to bring com and the television show “Who Do You Think You Are? on NBC has that to class and we will fully evaluate tion we are seeking.” been drawing incredibly high ratings, each item and see how we can use For more information, including showing that people are catching on it to find more information on their instructions on how to register, visit family,” said Mansfield. “This way to the family history wave and bewww.cherrycreekinn.net or call coming hits not only in our country we can organize their data and start Mansfield at 672-4445. building a plan on finding new inforbut around the globe. mation online.” According to Mansfield, workshop Mansfield believes the course will be participants will locate and identify informative and entertaining and is computer resources to utilize for hopeful that participants will come research purposes from their home computers and learn how to properly prepared to ask questions. organize and coordinate search strat- “It will be a very interactive class,” egies to successfully navigate online said Mansfield. “I am looking records. Participants will be asked to forward to having discussions and bring their individual family history answering questions and having a questions and any research materials dialogue with all of the participants.” they already possess. Mansfield is not surprised that “People may have the beginning genealogy is growing in popularity, stages of their family tree or maybe especially because of the success of some old records like birth certifi“Who Do You Think You Are?” and cates or marriage licenses or other the PBS program “Finding Your Root
Summer of Discontent
Fall officially started last Saturday, but residents and visitors around Chautauqua Lake will remember a summer filled with warnings of nuisance weeds, the search for invasive water chestnut, and algal blooms attributed to beach closings. Nuisance weeds and algae have been an on-going problem in Chautauqua Lake but the mild winter and the warm, dry summer months seemed to have created a perfect storm in 2012, making conditions increasingly troublesome to recreationists. The potential impact, however, goes beyond recreation and if left unchecked will lead to lower property values, reduced tourism, and an overall poorer quality of life.
“It is really going to take a change in behavior and how we go about living within the watershed, if we want to see improvements in water quality for Chautauqua Lake.” – Jeff Diers, Chautauqua County Watershed Coordinator.
Moreover, the familiar mechanical weed harvesters seen trolling areas of the Lake are considered by experts as more of a management rather
than control technique, providing only seasonal relief for a “sick” lake. The County and the Chautauqua Lake Management Commission (CLMC) are in the process of developing an in-lake management plan that will provide recommendations on how best address the nuisance weeds. Chautauqua County Watershed Coordinator Jeff Diers stated that Cedar Eden Environmental LLC., is contracted to develop a submerged aquatic vegetation management plan (SAVMP) for Chautauqua Lake, which will be completed in April 2013. Chautauqua Lake was plagued this summer by weeds, invasive species and algal blooms. According to Diers, excessive sedimentation and nutrient loading are specific projects that are ongoing Plan. to blame for the loss of navigable waare a Dredging Feasibility Study in ter, as well as weed and algal growth Diers said that several grants have the Lake, as well as an engineering been awarded to the County Departin the Lake. When managing a lake project in Goose and Dutch Hollow as large as Chautauqua it is important ment of Planning & Economic Development, as well as the Chautauqua Creeks to identify the most impacted to address the sources of sediment County Soil and Water Conservation areas and provided recommendaand nutrients if we are to begin to tions on how to stabilize the stream have a positive impact on managing District (CCSWCD), to implement banks. recommendations from the plan to weeds and algae.” According to Diers, “it is more cost reduce sediment and nutrient loadIn 2010 the CLMC developed a ing. The CCSWCD have recently re- effective to prevent and remove Chautauqua Lake Watershed Manceived several grants that will address sediments before they enter the lake.” agement Plan, specifically to address nutrient loading from large agriculDiers was reluctant to provide hard sediment and nutrient sources in numbers because the consultants tural farms within the watershed. the watershed. According to Diers, Diers stated that there are sevthe CLMC and various watershed Continued on page 6 organizations are implementing rec- eral projects being conducted in the Chautauqua Lake watershed. Two ommendations from the Watershed
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Weed Management Plan Addresses Sediment and Nutrient Loading Managing Editor
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Chautauqua Lake Classified as “Impaired Water Body” By Patricia Pihl
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