IRLC Reps Discuss Ecological Issues at RNA Meeting

Representatives from the Indian River Lakes Conservancy (IRLC) highlighted local ecological issues and encouraged community participation at Tuesday’s RedwoodNeighborhood Association meeting.

At the Jan. 13 event, held in the St. Francis Xavier Parish in Redwood, full-time IRLC staffer April Frederick and board member Dani Baker went over the mission of the IRLC, outreach efforts to preserve wild places in the Redwood area, and plans for a future education center on Stine Road.

The education center is intended to serve as a model of ways to reduce a building’s impact on the environment, and most notably on nearby water systems. It will utilize compost toilets, greywater filtration methods, and alternative energy wherever possible. That building will be on the same site as the current IRLC meeting space on Stine Road in Redwood.

The IRLC is also involved in a golden-winged warbler habitat partnership at the Grand Lake Reserve with several state and local organizations.

Of most concern to all at the meeting was the issue of local water quality. Algal blooms, invasive weeds such as milfoil, and the pressure of population growth on the fragile ecosystems in North Country lakes and rivers have put pressure on local residents to find solutions to these problems in order to maintain and improve water quality. The IRLC, along with other local groups, are pursuing education initiatives, funding, and community involvement as methods for fixing water-issue problems. For more information about this initiative or to get involved, contact the IRLC at (315) 482-4757 or visit indianriverlakes.org.

Following the presentation, the Redwood Neighborhood Association held its monthly meeting as scheduled. The group has two upcoming events of note: an April 25 Earth Day cleanup; and its Second Annual Dragonfly Festival May 30. For further information, look up the group at www.facebook.com/RedwoodNeighborhoodAssociation.

The Redwood Neighborhood Association meets at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at St. Francis Xavier Parish on Route 37 in Redwood.