TO LEASE OR NOT TO LEASE

Watershed Journal Phone: (315) 677-4630 or 1-800-732-1448 Fax: (315) 677-4628 Email: slwap@ocswcd.org Summer 2006 Vol. 12, No. 2 A Publication of the Skaneateles Lake Watershed Agricultural Program www.ocswcd.org TO LEASE OR NOT TO LEASE By Lee Macbeth, Watershed Control Coordinator, City of Syracuse Is a Gas Lease Right for Your Land? Many property owners in the Skaneateles Lake Watershed and surrounding areas have recently been approached to sell new, or renew old, gas leases on their land. Gas leases are binding contracts and may have a primary term of, for example, 5 years. Gas leases may contain clauses that allow the energy company to extend that period indefinitely by continuing to pay rental payments. Other clauses may affect your rental payment after some of the leasehold acreage is placed in a production unit, or your royalty payments if gas from a well is not currently being produced. You may be better able to determine whether a gas lease is right for you and your land by taking some extra time learn about gas leases and obtaining advice from a knowledgeable attorney. You can obtain a free copy of “Gas Exploration and Leasing on Private Land: Tips and Guidance for Landowners,” prepared by Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County by calling SLWAP at 315-677-4630 or Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County at 315-424-9485. The booklet is also available on-line at http://scnyat.cce.cornell.edu/gas. Some points to be aware of are: ◊ An old, new or renewed gas lease may prevent or significantly delay you or your heirs from enrolling your land in a local, state, or federal land conservation easement program. ◊ It is recommended that you have an attorney who is very familiar with gas leases review a copy of the proposed lease and explain the clauses in detail. ◊ ◊ ◊ The energy company will often start by giving you a draft “boilerplate” lease to review. You can often negotiate to add an addendum to the contract (before signing) containing clauses that protect your interests as a landowner. You can ask your attorney to provide this service. In the Skaneateles Lake Watershed, any disturbance or clearing of land 5,000 S.F. or greater will require the energy company to submit an Erosion and Sediment Control Plan to the City of Syracuse to be approved before disturbance. Notifying the city at the Skaneateles office at 315-685-6486 and SLWAP at 315-677-4630 before operations commence will allow us to help you monitor and protect your land during the drilling and construction process. Landowners have the unconditional right to withdraw from a gas lease contract for three business days following signing. This law has been in effect since 2005. This article is for informational purposes only. The City of Syracuse is not making recommendations for or against the leasing of private lands for purposes of gas exploration. References: Ochterski, Jim. April 2005. “Gas Exploration and Leasing on Private Land: Tips and Guidance for Landowners, ” Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County. Pataki, George E., Governor, State of New York. August 4, 2005. Press Release: “Governor Signs Oil and Gas Bill to Help Protect Land Owners. SLWAP COOPERATORS WIN BIG AT NEW YORK STATE FAIR Congratulations to Trudy Lombard and Gary Lockwood for winning ribbons at the NYS Fair. Trudy Lombard’s Heavenly Hoofs Farm won the following ribbons (in the Alpine Breed). ◊ Grand Champion, Junior Doe ◊ Reserve Grand Champion, Senior Doe ◊ Premier Breeder ◊ Premier Exhibitor Gary Lockwood won the following ribbon. nd ◊ 2 Premium Small Grains, Oats. WATERSHED FARMERS PUT IPM INTO PRACTICE By Chuck Kyle, CCE Onondaga County Last spring, the Skaneateles Lake Watershed Agriculture Program invited cooperators with field crops to participate in the Tactical Agricultural Program (TAg). Onondaga County Extension Educator Chuck Kyle, SLWAP Planner Rick Newman and Western New York IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Area Educator Julie Stavisky organized the program for Erin Hull scouts soybeans the 2006 growing season. Six watershed farms are participating in the program. CCE Onondaga County has contracted Working together: Chuck Kyle at one of the test plots. Erin Hull to provide scouting services to participating farms. and Erin Hull Erin scouts selected alfalfa, corn, soybean and wheat fields one per week for pests, diseases, and weeds. Each participating farm is given a brief report on the status of their crops. This report is used to help farmers decide if there is an economic benefit to pesticide application. The overall goal of the program is to limit pesticide applications to situations that provide an economic return from those applications. Several meetings are held throughout the summer at participating farms to discuss current pest concerns, learn about their affect on yield and the most cost effective and environmentally sound control method. Each participating farm also receives two Julie Stavisky and Erin. DEC pesticide applicator credits per meeting. “This is a great program” Says Mark Burger, Program Manager for SLWAP. The Tactical Agriculture Program is open to all farms with field crops cooperating in the Skaneateles Lake Watershed Agricultural Program. For more information contact Chuck Kyle at 315-424-9485 ext 229 or cwk23@cornell.edu. IMPROVING SHOTWELL BROOK By Tracey O’Malley, Summer Aide HARTFORD REPAIR By Henry Kelsey Resource Conservation Specialist The Skaneateles Lake Watershed Agricultural Program has been concentrating its efforts to improve the sedimentation and erosion problems resulting from the Shotwell Brook watershed, a 3.5 square mile sub-watershed located on the northeast side of Skaneateles Lake. Past studies have shown that extensive stream bank erosion, as well as runoff from agricultural fields, is contributing a significant amount of sediment to the lake. In 1995, it was estimated that 296 gross tons of soil per year erode from Shotwell Brook stream banks, a major tributary to Skaneateles Lake. To address this erosion, a stabilization project is underway for a 1000 linear foot section. Streamco Willow (Salix purpurea), a shrub species commonly used for stabilization, have been planted to strengthen the banks against high flows. A combination of willow stakes and fascines were planted in areas upstream and downstream of the site. Properly preparing and stabilizing the upstream and downstream sections safeguard these areas against changes that may occur from channel alterations in the Willow fascine and stake installation on project site. Next year, the banks in Shotwell Brook. Two rows of willow fas- the project site will be re-graded to cines will protect this meander bend a gentler slope, and sinuosity will against erosive stream flows. be restored to the channel. Water was eroding nearly two feet of soil under turf reinforcement mat. We removed the mat, reduced the angle of the waterway, installed geotextile fabric and rip rap stone to reduce energy of water traveling in waterway. Before After FILKINS FARM SHOWCASE By Ryan Cunningham, Resource Conservation Specialist With a busy construction season still underway, several conservation practices have already been implemented this summer. The Filkins Farm in the Town of Scott, Cortland County, has been the main focus point for the Skaneateles Lake Watershed Agricultural Program this season. Earlier this summer, a ventilaAfter: a new ventilation system is intion system was installed at the main Before: air quality was poor for this dairy barn, increasing the risk of equally stalled, circulating fresh air inside the dairy barn to enhance the air quality for poor animal health.. barn. the animals. The goal behind this is pathogen management, a top priority for the program. By properly ventilating the barn, the heard health can be greatly increased, thereby reducing the risk of spreading disease. This ultimately reduces the potential for animals to spread pathogens to nearby waterways. The landowner has happy and healthy cows, while at the same time contributing to New cattle laneway provides better conNew access road can accommodate this the cleanliness of a major tributary to trol of animal traffic near or around farm’s heavy equipment between field tributaries to Skaneateles Lake.. Skaneateles Lake. tracts. Also recently implemented at the Filkins Farm were a series of watering systems for his grazing animals, as well as access roads and cattle lanes. Extending from an existing system which was installed last year, water from a pond is piped underground to three additional locations to provide for animals that are in distant pastures. This allows animals to utilize all available pastures, while excluding them from protected water sources. Cattle lanes and roads provide a stable and nonintrusive path for animals to access isolated pastures and water supplies without destroying valuable wetlands and stream banks. COMPOSTING LIVESTOCK MORTALITY WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW By Jennifer Barnes, Summer Aide When large and small animals die on a farm, a farmer is left with a couple of options for handling their remains. A farmer may choose to have a rendering service remove the animal, however this may be unavailable or cost prohibitive. Farmers that handle the remains on-farm have chosen to compost, bury, or leave the remains open to the elements and domestic and wild animals. In some cases buried mortality has lead to the contamination of wells and groundwater, while leaving mortality open to the elements can jeopardize the health of domestic livestock, wildlife and pets. When done properly, composting mortality kills a high percentage of pathogens and is relatively odor free. Animals of all sizes can be composted year round at a low cost to the farmer. The location for compost mortality should be carefully thought out. The site should be well drained, at least 200ft from any water course whether seasonal or non-seasonal. Properly composted carcasses will not have much run-off but any runoff generated should be directed through a grass filter strip. A grass filter strip is simply a well vegetated area that allows the contaminants within the run-off to be filtered out through the vegetation and the soil. Continued. The Skaneateles Lake Watershed Agricultural Program is a cooperative effort between the Soil & Water Conservation Districts and Cornell Cooperative Extension Associations of Onondaga, Cortland and Cayuga Counties, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the City of Syracuse, and Skaneateles Lake watershed farmers. Principal funding provided by the City of Syracuse. Skaneateles Lake Watershed Agricultural Program 2571 US Route 11, Suite 3 LaFayette, NY 13084 Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 985 LaFayette, NY Continued from page 3 To build the compost: First - Make a 2 foot deep layer of bulky absorbent material, such as municipal wood chips, making sure the layer allows for 2 feet of clearance around the carcass. Second - Lay the carcass in the center of the pile, making sure to lance the rumen to avoid bloating and possible explosion. Third - Cover the carcass with 2 feet of dry sawdust, stall bedding, or old silage. If material is too dense the process will shut done. Temperatures should range between 120-150 degrees F within 24 hours. Composting large animals typically Source: Cornell Waste Managetakes from 4 to 6 months. The composting ment Institute process is the opposite of the silage process. In composting the more air you incorporate the faster and more complete the process, with the silage process the less air the better. The compost should be left alone until the carcass is fully decomposed. The composted material can be reused to compost another carcass or land applied after removing the large bones. Remember to keep the composting area clean! This will help keep odors to a minimum and deter scavengers. Information for this article was provided by the Cornell Waste Management Institute. For more information on grass filter strips contact SLWAP at (315) 677-4630. For more information on composting visit http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/Composting.html Reference Bonhotal, Jean. 2002. Natural Rendering: Composting Livestock Mortality and Butcher Waste. Cornell Waste Management Institute. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. STAFF Mark Burger, Project Manager Chad Bennett, OCSWCD Ryan Cunningham, OCSWCD Mike Fournier, NRCS Henry Kelsey, OCSWCD Rick Neuman, OCSWCD WAPRC Steve Nemec, Chair, Cayuga Co. Dale Kehoe, Vice-chair, Cayuga Co. Jim Greenfield, Onondaga Co. Orville Osborne, Onondaga Co. Mark Tucker, Onondaga Co. Vern Filkins, Cortland Co. Mike McMahon, Cortland Co. Lee Macbeth, City of Syracuse All programs and services of the Skaneateles Lake Watershed Agricultural Program are offered on a nondiscrimination basis, without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, or disability. Paper is recyclable