― NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS ―
CCE Yates County Climate Stewards Program
Boating Safety Classes at Saunders!
Exciting News! Saunders Finger Lakes Museum in Branchport announced they will be hosting in-person Boater Safety Classes on Sundays from March through September. Sign up here!
Lake Temperature
The water temperature shown on the KLA Water Temperature Webpage chart is in error, possibly showing values up to 9 degrees lower than reality. The current water temperature below the ice in Penn Yan, about 20 ft. down near the bottom (where our sensor reads water from), should be about 39 degrees F. It is possible that this error has existed since July of last year. The sensor belongs to the Penn Yan Village, who have been alerted with the request to re-calibrate. We hope this to happen in the near future. Until this happens, please ignore the indicated values. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Waterfowl & Bird Flu
Recently, there have been reports of dead waterfowl found in the Finger Lakes that have been confirmed to have the H5N1 virus or Bird Flu. You may also see these cases referenced with the term Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). While reports indicate that the risk to the public is low, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has established a reporting mechanism and some guidance that describes what to do when dead waterfowl are found. For further information, see the link below.
https://dec.ny.gov/news/press-releases/2025/1/dec-launches-new-web-based-form-to-report-suspected-cases-of-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-in-wild-birds
After checking with the DEC and the Department of Health in Yates County, we can state that as of February 2, 2025 there have been no reported cases of H5N1 in waterfowl on Keuka Lake.
