On Dec. 11, the Skaneateles Lake Watershed Ag Program (SLWAP) held its 31st annual meeting at Grace Chapel’s Fellowship Room in Skaneateles. Well over 50% of the watershed land was represented. A panel discussion regarding challenges implementing on-farm enterprises opened the meeting. Erica and T im Leubner spoke on the critical need for educating Municipal boards and codes officers on what a farm is allowed to do under NYS Ag Markets laws. John Houser from Marcellus shared about the learning through experiences on how to apply the regulations to proposed on-farm projects. “Reasonableness” was an important key to on-site design and proper installation of projects that do not fit neatly into existing Town zoning or planning codes. Program Manager Mark Burger followed by presenting the SLWAP “Year in Review” detailing the extensive work of the program around the watershed. The farmers recognized Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh for eight years of exemplary service and support to the watershed. Commercial “Solar Installations from a Planning Board Perspective and How it can affect your farm” was presented by Chairman Mike McMahon. As New York is poised to be the largest dairy processor in the country, it is also losing thousands of acres to solar projects annually. Solar companies are targeting sites in towns with no solar project laws in place and building arrays on top five mineral group ag soils, removing them from production. This situation plus other concerns puts NYS production agriculture in direct conflict with poorly planned solar energy goals. Kevin McMahon, Town of Homer codes enforcement officer, shared his experiences on solar array project installations. Noise from the electric inverters and rain runoff into basements were unexpected concerns for neighbors. New York State Fire codes require fencing with gate access for first responders to extinguish fires as needed. Access roads need pull-offs every 500 feet for fire trucks to pass. Soil contamination from heavy metals in the solar arrays is significant concern, especially during removal at the end of the project life. It is important to have your attorney review your contract. Wildlife have also become trapped in the fenced areas. The Ag program’s mission is to deliver a cost-effective, innovative program to the farming community and to maintain the high drinking water quality standards of Skaneateles Lake. The Skaneateles Lake Watershed Agricultural Program is a cooperative effort between the City of Syracuse, the Soil Water Conservation Districts and Cornell Cooperative Extension associations of Onondaga, Cortland and Cayuga counties, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Skaneateles Lake watershed farmers. Principal funding is provided by the City of Syracuse. For more information contact Program Manager, Mark Burger, 315-457-0325 or email [email protected] or visit our office location at 6680 Onondaga Lake Parkway, Liverpool, NY 13088. Visit ocswcd.org. ...read more read less