Town to Use 'Citizen Science' to Help Preserve Bedford's Lakes and Ponds

If you own one of the 400 parcels of land in Bedford that includes a lake or a pond, the town of Bedford seeks your help.

"We are working on a survey of our ponds and lakes because if you don't have any information, you're blind," Conservation Board Chair Simon Skolnik told Patch. "We want to identify where they are are—and in what condition—in order to establish a baseline."

The conservation board board received approval at Tuesday night's town board meeting to mail a multiple-choice questionnaire to each property owner. Among other things, the survey asks about the primary uses, maintenance and monitoring, if any, of ponds and lakes.

The answers will be used to establish trends and patterns and provide resources and education to landowners on how to test, care for—and ultimately, preserve Bedford's small bodies of water.

The project has been underway for ten years, Skolnik said, but was recently "jump-started" by Dan Farkas, chairman of the information systems department at Pace University, Pleasantville campus, and new member of the conservation board. 

Farkas' background in GIS (geographic information system) spurred the board's gathering and analysis of publicly available data indicating which parcels in Bedford contained water, leading to the eventual extraction of addresses to develop a mailing list. 

"Where we are at now is being able to send out a letter, encourage community involvement and the use of citizen science," said Farkas, who explained to the board the initial survey had been developed by Westchester County and modified for Bedford's use. "When we understand current conditions, we can develop benchmarks."

A free guide on how to care for ponds and lakes will be included in the mailing to the list of homeowners, which total almost ten percent of the town's tax parcels. The survey will also be available online for residents after they receive an identity code from the town for their lake or pond.

Biodiversity mapping

Residents can also join the conservation board in a biodiversity mapping project, a multi-year effort which shares the education and preservation goals of the ponds and lakes survey. 

"We have areas that need protection, but we need to map the corridors. Our ultimate goal is education and preservation in order to have a healthy environment for plants, animals and humans," Skolnik said. He said the work involves using remote resources and a "cookie-cutter" approach that anyone can learn.

The committee, which is open to the public, meets this Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at 425 Cherry Street, and every second thursday of each month.