oak orchard creek

An overload of phosphorous — a nonmetallic chemical element that becomes a waxy solid material that glows in the dark at room temperature — has gained the attention of the Genesee County Soil & Water Conservation District, Senior Field Manager Jared Elliott says.

Elliott reviewed a five-year study at Oak Orchard Creek with county legislators earlier this month, and the county Legislature, in turn, approved  $173,851 in funding toward the project and an additional staff intern position.

Legislators approved funding of $151,891 and $21,960 to support the staff position during their meeting Wednesday, for the total to be paid in regular installments through Dec. 31.

“We're working with Orleans County and SUNY Brockport. The goal is to collect data, analyze the creek some more, and potentially get a watershed management plan in place for that area. Oak Orchard is extremely impaired with phosphorus, and we need to find out where that's coming from so we can do a plan,” Elliott said during his annual report review earlier this month. “Some of it's probably from point sources. There's a lot of wastewater treatment facilities. There's municipal plants, and then the Nortera facility and the U.S. chips and facilities in Oakfield. Some of it's agriculture. Some of it's natural. The watershed could just be high and phosphorus coming out of the bedrock.

“We can narrow it down between a study and some modeling. The plan that we're going to work on is going to be probably a nine-element plan, which really focuses on, it ends up focusing on agriculture and supports grants to help with the agricultural sources, because the point source is something that's already regulated, so there's already a mechanism to reduce that. And agriculture is kind of low-hanging fruit in those areas, as far as something we can actually have an impact on,” Elliott said. “The other component there is with the solar farms that are going to be in that area, we're going to be kind of finding out how that's going to impact the hydrology and different things in that watershed, too.”

Other areas of focus for the agency have been to introduce its hydroseeding program into more municipalities, he said. According to his annual report, the District provides technical assistance to municipalities and landowners with financial support from the Finger Lakes-Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance.

Hydroseeding is a method of planting grass and other crops using water, seed, fertilizer, and mulch sprayed onto the soil surface using specialized equipment, often for erosion control and quick vegetation establishment. 

This Alliance funding is available to the District annually, is split between technical and financial assistance, and is a consistent funding source to support staff time, supplies, and training. In 2024, the District hydroseeded projects for the towns of Alabama, Batavia, Byron, Darien, LeRoy, Pavilion, Pembroke, and Genesee County. Approximately 13 acres of disturbed soil were stabilized with the hydroseeder.

“It grows a little bit every year. We work with new towns. We do more acreage. That's really been a point of emphasis, and that's opened the door to grant projects with a lot of these towns,” he said. “So we have a culvert replacement project scheduled for this year with Le Roy; we're talking to the town of Alabama about helping them replace their salt storage. So this hydro seeding program with the machine that the county helped us buy is kind of opening those things up for other non-ag work in the county. We do a lot of work for the county too.”

The District’s workload is increasing significantly in 2025 with several new grant projects and an added Japanese knotweed treatment program, he said in his report. Revenue sources have been steadily increasing recently, and the agency currently has no annual costs for the facilities that are used, because the U.S. Department of Agriculture currently pays rent on the office space occupied by the District.

However, this agreement could change with the cuts to the federal government, which would have budget implications for the District, he said.

“So I wouldn't expect our budget from the state to go down necessarily. We've seen fairly steady increases of the last four or five years, and I would expect that to continue for expenses. We're not really planning any major changes trying to maintain that five full-time staff right now, so we would see expenses climbing slightly just to accommodate gaining staff experience and insurance costs,” he said. “And then the only real concern that I have moving forward is we are co-located with the federal government. There's a lot of uncertainty about our office space. There's talks of reorganization and a lot of things potentially happening. So there could be a scenario where we would have to be looking for office space to lease something, but that's really our only concern, budget-wise.”

When Becky Almeter isn’t at the helm of her Batavia family business as new owner of Hodgins Engraving, she’s at the helm of the family’s sailboat.

An East Bethany resident and daughter of Bob and Mary Lu Hodgins of Alexander, Almeter has also stepped up to lead the youth sailing class this summer, sponsored by the Oak Orchard Yacht Club, where her father is beginning his third year as commodore.

Sailing has been in Almeter’s blood since she was a child, when her parents took the family on trips all over the world.

“I grew up on the docks of Oak Orchard Yacht Club,” Almeter said. “When my parents first got our family sailboat and brought it to Oak Orchard, we were there all the time living aboard during the summer. It was our home base, and from there our family sailed all over Lake Ontario and beyond, including a trip to the Bahamas during which my two brothers and I were homeschooled on the boat.” 

Sailing is not only fun, relaxing and a great way to spend a sunny day, but there are other important reasons Oak Orchard Yacht Club at Point Breeze has sponsored a long-standing youth sailing program, Almeter said.

Children ages 9 to 18 are taught the basics of sailing and water safety, have fun and create lasting memories in a day camp setting, she said. 

A member of the very first youth sailing class in 1992, Almeter. took the youth sailing program for several years as a student, and then earned her U.S. Sailing Certificate to teach, returning as instructor for several years.

After leaving the area for college, she completed her U.S. Coast Guard Captain’s 6-pack commercial license and worked on the water in various capacities. She has sailed on Lake Ontario, in Florida and the Caribbean, cruising and racing, she said.

Almeter and her husband anticipate spending much of their summer on the creek with their five children. Oldest son Joe has been in the sailing program for the past three summers, and this year he will be joined by his sister Abby.

“I am excited about directing the program, because it was such an integral part of my childhood, and I hope my children can have a part of that same experience,” Almeter said. “My memories of my childhood at Oak Orchard Yacht Club were fun, carefree summers spent swimming, sailing, going to Brown’s Berry Patch for slushies, candy and ice cream, running around playing games on the club lawn and on the playground. I didn’t know it then, but while I was having all that fun, I was creating deep bonds with my friends, learning confidence and self-sufficiency, learning how to read weather, how to feel comfortable on open water, general ‘rules of the road’ for navigating creek traffic and countless other smaller things that kids absorb through engaged activity. 

“In this busy day and age, when it’s a much more difficult time to be a kid, I feel like this program is able to give kids back a little more time and space — to turn off the screens, and step away from devices — to simply be kids a little bit longer,” she said. “Having fun, learning skills hands-on, being active and engaging in teamwork, all the things that enrich their minds and bodies in a back-to-basics way.”

The youth sailing program is a win-win for both parents and kids, she said. It builds many life skills, including teamwork, weather and wind awareness, knot tying, boat handling and more. Also, it is a healthy activity that gets kids outside, while having tons of fun and making new friends. The program is an opportunity to provide an activity kids can enjoy for a lifetime, she said.

Oak Orchard Yacht Club is at 1103 Archbald Road, Waterport. Dates are July 8 to 12 and 15 to 19 for Session 1 and July 22 to 26 and July 29 to Aug. 2 for Session 2. Camp is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Campers bring their own lunch.

Instructors are U.S. Sailing certified with a low student-to-instructor ratio, and decide where to sail and take a lunch break each day, based on the weather and curriculum. They follow the latest safety guidelines, including a mandatory swim test for all campers.  Parents can often watch their young sailors from the pier at Point Breeze.

Cost is $460 for one session of 10 days or $685 for two sessions. Discounts available include a sibling discount, OOYC member discount and early registration discount by May 1. Families should contact the Yacht Club to discuss pricing.

Registration can be done online at ooyc.org and clicking on Youth Sailing from the top banner. Once registration is completed, an invoice and any necessary paperwork will be sent by OOYC. A current medical form, waiver and safety agreement must be completed for each camper.

“I am truly honored to be leading the sailing program this year, and am looking forward to a safe, fun program for all our sailors,” Almeter said.

More information can also be obtained by contacting her at 585-813-7259 or email beckya@hodginsengraving.com. 

Pussy willow, one of the earliest harbingers of springtime and perhaps the most short-lived. Within a couple days the catkins will turn yellow and flowery in appearance.  

Oxbow marsh on Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area. A stopover for both migrating and nesting waterfowl.

Phragmite reflections on the surface of a vernal pool. How long the water lasts here depends on the seasonal rainfall. But the creatures whose procreation depends on such a pool are great barometers and get things under way accordingly. Wood frogs, spring peepers and salamanders are among the visitors who come here to breed.

A late afternoon sun illuminates the trees along Oak Orchard creek on a calm spring evening. Though placid-looking, the water level is presently well above normal as is the current.

Pussy willow stands out in contrast against background evergreens.

With a backdrop of woodland and blue sky, a patch of red osier stands amid the remnants of last year's cattails. 

Also called dogwood and red willow, osier is attractive to a variety of wildlife including this redwing blackbird, another spring harbinger.

Framed by osier, a swamp maple is reflected on the surface of a placid backwater. While the sight and sound of the redwing blackbird was obvious, unseen were the spring peepers whose mating call permeated the air.

A mother goose stealthfully protects her clutch of eggs....

...while a great blue heron stalks the edge of a shallow marsh.

It's early evening on Oak Orchard Creek and soon the diurnal creatures will begin their retreat. 

As day rapidly fades into night, only the spring peepers will remain vocal, joining the nocturnal chorus of the late night denizens.

Boats are moored to their slips and the first tints of autumn are seen along the banks of Oak Orchard Creek. It was a great day to be outdoors. However, before we motored upstream, we began the morning on Lake Ontario.

John Lawrence, in back, Mike Ficarella in foreground, enjoying a balmy day. We're about two miles west of Point Breeze, off Lakeside Beach State Park.

That's the Somerset smokestack...... its actually located a short distance offshore, located around the point to the right and down the shoreline a few miles. Back in May I posted a photo of the smokestack as seen from Wheeler's horse farm on top of Molasses Hill in Wyoming County.

A gobi decided to make a meal of Mike's wobbling spoon.

A non-native species, this is a closeup of the gobi.

Out on the lake the wind began to pick up so John opted to motor up the creek.

John removing the weeds from his flatfish.

Heron scanning the creek while perched high in a tree.

Mute swan preening.

Turkey vulture swoops in for a closer look.

A bend in the river.

Another heron, this one doing its hunting closer to the water.

Soon it was time to head back downstream and lunch at the Black North Inn. Thanks John, for a great day!