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Public weighs in on plans for Onondaga Lake restoration

There’s only a little more than a week left for the public to weigh in on plans to restore wildlife and recreation on Onondaga Lake. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will then put together a final plan for the lake.

The idea behind this series of initiatives is payback for the years of industrial pollution that made the lake inaccessible to the community and wildlife. The 20 proposals include the extension of the Erie Canalway Trail; a deepwater fishing pier on Onondaga Lake; enhancement of jetties to improve access; removal of invasive species; and various ways to restore natural habitats, including grasslands.

There have been a handful of pubic meetings regarding the plan. At a recent FOCUS forum in Syracuse, residents seemed to like a lot of the proposals.

"I liked connecting the canal trail to the lake trail, I think providing that kind of access for that distance to walk, or bike or whatever,” said Betsy Burton, at the forum.

But Carol Biesenmeyer of Camillus said there’s one thing missing, in her opinion.

"We’re not seeing how the Haudensaunee Nation is going to be accommodated in this. Maybe there’s something coming, but this lake was sacred to them, and there’s nothing in here about them. Setting aside an area or something,” Biesenmeyer said.

Nation representatives have, in fact, complained about the limited comment period regarding this process. The DEC’s Ken Lynch says he has had talks with nation officials and says even though the comment period ends June 2, this is not the beginning or the end of this process.

"Long before getting to this point, we had a lot of public meetings, and actually solicited ideas for projects to be implemented as part of this process. And going forward, we’re going to hear comments through this public comment period, and have an opportunity later through either a resolution in a settlement or through additional funding to solicit even more projects,” Lynch said.

These projects will be paid for by Honeywell as part of the agreement through the federal Superfund law, which requires companies to pay damages stemming from pollution.

Ellen produces news reports and features related to events that occur in the greater Syracuse area and throughout Onondaga County. Her reports are heard regularly in regional updates in Morning Edition and All Things Considered.