Historical Ecology of a Major Superfund Site: Onondaga Lake, NY

The goal of this project is to elucidate the historical ecology of Onondaga Lake, one of the most severely degraded lakes in the country and site of the founding of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The project has three components: to characterize plant communities around Onondaga Lake before major industrialization (1825); to examine cultural practices that shaped those communities during this time; and, finally, to draw on this ecocultural history to inform and guide current restoration actions. We researched old maps, texts, herbarium records, newspapers, florae, ethnographic literature and other materials to reconstruct species lists and a historical narrative of human-plant relationships. Using these and other historical materials, we developed a series of 14 plant community templates for use in restoring sites around Onondaga Lake. We have also prepared outreach materials (historical ecology website, classroom lesson plans) to begin to shift community perception of the lake from industrial to ecocultural landscape.