Welcome to the Otsego Lake Association

Our Mission

The mission of the Otsego Lake Association is to educate, advocate, and actively participate in protecting the health, beauty, and well being of Otsego Lake by facilitating the implementation of the Otsego Lake Watershed Management Plan.

Real time data from the Automated Monitoring Buoy located offshore near 5-mile point. OLA helps support the buoy project.

Between around November and April, data below does NOT reflect the current condition of Otsego Lake. Data may be transmitted sporadically for near-shore data collection and/or equipment testing.

Update (24 June 2022): the compass and barometer on the weather station on the data buoy are not working properly despite multiple rounds of troubleshooting. They are reporting incorrect relative barometric pressure (Rel. BP = "0 hPa") and wind direction (WinDir = "3277 degrees") on the applet. Other sensors are working fine. Yokota Lab decided to keep the weather station on the buoy for now, as we will lose all weather data while it is sent away for evaluation, and we do not have funding lined up for repair or replacement, whichever is going to be necessary (a new unit costs > $4K). If you want to know the general local wind direction and barometric pressure, there are two terrestrial weather stations: Cooperstown Elementary School (close to the southern end of Otsego Lake) and New York State Mesonet weather station in Springfield (close to the northern end of Otsego Lake, on the northern side of Hwy 20, 0.5 mile west of the intersection between Hwy 20 and Hwy 80 (where Convenience Corner, formerly Kelly's Deli, is). The repair or replacement of the weather station will be expensive, and we will provide updates as they become available. Thank you for your understanding.

Recent News

posted on

August 31st, 2022.

1958 Map of Otsego Lake

Credit line: Map of Otsego Lake, Village Printer, 1958, map, Courtesy of the Fenimore Art Museum Research Library, Cooperstown, New York. Ephemera OLHC006.

July 28th, 2022.

Harmful Algal Blooms

The NYS Department of Health and the Dept. of Environmental Conservation provide guidance and information to the general public via the Harmful Algal Bloom page. According to the DEC, HABs may be present in all or parts of a waterbody, thus we wanted to share this information with you all. People and animals should avoid discolored water and surface scums. Toxins may or may not be present.

The algae in a bloom look like specks mixed throughout the water; wind can concentrate the algae along the shoreline, especially in protected bays. Bloom conditions in a given location can change rapidly – particularly with changes in wind direction or speed. Some portions of the lake may be impacted while others remain safe for full contact recreation. Check the conditions before allowing children and pets to play. The OLA HABs page can be found here.

Useful links:

New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation Harmful Algal Bloom page:
https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/77118.html

New York State Department of Health's information brochure: https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/6563.pdf

SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station News Updates
https://suny.oneonta.edu/biological-field-station

If you or your business maintains a shoreline area for guests and algal accumulations form, you can print and post the NYS DOH’s HAB Warning Sign (https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/6637.pdf.

July 20th, 2022.

June 27TH, 2022.

OLA donated the following children's books to the Cherry Valley, Springfield & Cooperstown libraries.

Good Night Lake

The Lake is Calling and I Must Go

Water is Water

Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean

Fishing with Daddy

The Little Book of Camping

Let’s Go Fishing

One Frozen Lake

Bear Came Along

Pond Circle

Good Morning Loon

The books can be checked out at the above libraries or requested through the four County library system here. Additionally, the adult book Life and Death of Great Lakes was donated and is available at the Springfield and Cherry Valley libraries.

April 14TH, 2022.

From the New York State Federation of Lake Associations (NYSFOLA) Executive Director, Nancy J. Mueller. "Congratulations! The Otsego Lake Association's "Our Glimmerglass" was the winner in the Medium Lake Association category for the 2022 NYSFOLA Annual Newsletter Contest." Remember you can read all of OLA's past newsletters on the publications page.

May 5th, 2021.

December 17th, 2020.

Become a member or renew your membership today.

Dear friends of Otsego Lake,

What a splendid sheet of water we share! Its surface and nearly half of its shoreline barely changed from Fenimore Cooper’s description. If you fish it, or if you sail it, swim in it, dive under it, ski on it, cruise it, tee off alongside it, soar over it, bike beside it, If you photograph it, paint it, or if you study it, if you skip smooth shale stones across it, If you dwell on its shores, if you dine along its edges, if your business relies on it, If you get your drinking water from the lake.

WHAT IS IT WORTH? If you haven’t before, it is time for you to join your Otsego Lake Association to help us preserve our clean, healthy lake. If you already are on our team, thank you! Be sure to stay with us! We are the only 100% volunteer organization devoted exclusively to the well-being of Otsego Lake! We are on a mission to defend the Lake’s essential values. Together, we pay attention to the lake day by day, always alert to emerging threats. We share information and create educational opportunities. We conduct research. We also “get our feet wet” building shoreline buffer strips, maintaining navigational buoys, inspecting at boat launches and so much more.

Become a Member Today

August 29th, 2020.

Feared Quagga Mussel Invades

BFS Researchers Locate Invasive Worse Than Zebra, Researcher Says

Find out more here.