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Oneida Lake: ever-changing ecosystem
Managing water resources in Oneida Lake, WM Kappel
Oneida Lake watershed: A valuable diverse ecosystem, SM Harrington
Water level management, HM Goebel
Oneida Lake: undergoing ecological change, EL Mills, KT Holeck
Evolution of the Oneida Lake fishery, T VanDeValk, L Rudstam
Regional partnerships for Oneida Lake watershed, AB Saltman
Helping to protect Oneida Lake, J Henke
Trends: technology and management of municipal wastewater, D Interdonato, E McCarthy
President's message, D. Ellis
Executive director's message, P Cerro-Reehil
Winter 2001 — Vol. 31, No. 4 |
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President's message
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| Dave Ellis |
As my year as the Association's President draws rapidly to a close, this is my last opportunity to address you. At our 74th Annual Meeting in New York City, my term comes to a close and I turn over the gavel to our New President, John D. Cameron.
It has been an interesting and rewarding year, and I'm pleased to have had the opportunity to serve our Association. Our accomplishments this year are clearly a tribute to our volunteers and staff.
At the beginning of my term, I stated that we are going through a time of great change that would both challenge us and provide opportunities. Certainly we will need to continue our current programs in the future while we expand our focus to meet the new challenges to come. Nothing provides a more graphic example of unexpected challenges than the tragic events of September 11th. As we strive to return to a more normal life, volunteering certainly provides a positive outlet and a way to focus our energies that will help promote public good and quality of life.
As an organization of people, we must work together to meet the challenges of the future. I urge all of you to participate in the Association, to encourage others to join, and to give freely of your time, energies and resources for the betterment of our profession and the environment. Remember also, this is our world—it's up to us to protect it.
Accomplishments of NYWEA
As I look back, let me reflect on some of our accomplishments this past year and offer some suggestions for new initiatives as we move into the future.
- Our scholarship fund continues to grow. We awarded six scholarships this year and we received a record number of applications, over 120.
- Our institutional membership continues to grow and hopefully will become a major source for new members.
- We have introduced new Task Forces including Sustainability, Water Reuse, and Young Professionals.
- We are developing a business plan to help direct the focus of our organization over the next several years.
- We have initiated a student paper competition this year which we hope will evolve into student design competition.
- We have an active ongoing collaborative program with the NYSAWWA.
This year we have had a number of very successful conferences including the Waterborne Pathogens Specialty Conference, Third Annual Watershed Protection Conference, Greater Buffalo Environmental Conference, Annual Legislative/Regulatory Forum, CSO/SSO Specialty Conference, and 2nd Annual Biosolids and Residuals Management Specialty Conference.
What these conferences demonstrate is that there is a clear need for educational events that focus on timely issues. We learned this year that collaborating with other organizations will enhance both the quality of a conference and attendance. I would encourage future specialty conferences to reach out to other organizations with similar interests.
This year we have focused more on our younger membership as well as reaching out beyond our organization to get more name recognition of the NYWEA. I believe both of these issues are vital to NYWEA and its long-term success. We must continue these efforts with renewed vigor. As the new war on terror focuses on safety and security we may find that this causes the environment to take a back seat. It is up to our organization and others like us to make sure that there is a continuing effort on protect the water environment.
The Annual Meeting is our premier event and it continues to be the focus of both our mission and our activities. It is our largest educational event and provides the best opportunity for our membership to get together and share our experiences. This year, the 74th Annual Meeting will be held at the New York City Marriott Marquis, February 4-6, 2002, carrying the theme “Sustainable Management of Water.”
In the midst of an information revolution, we are experiencing new information delivery systems, such as web sites and e-mails, that bypass traditional routes and bring the information directly to us. But how do we make sense of the overwhelming, enormous wealth of available information? Our Annual Meeting is one way to cut through this information maze. You will see the latest and greatest technologies, learn about new techniques and regulations, and explore each others' experiences.
A special addition this year will be a student paper competition complete with prizes, a workshop on disaster preparedness exploring both terrorist attacks and natural disasters, and a number of papers covering the topic of sustainability. Also, we continue to invite other environmental groups to present their perspective on the future of environmental protection.
Finally, I would particularly like to commend and thank Patricia Cerro-Reehil, Maggie Hoose, and Maureen Kozol for their patience, support, and guidance throughout the year. The Association is extremely fortunate to have the services of such an outstanding team.
-- Dave Ellis
