By Stefan Yablonski
According to the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, New York is home to 250 state parks and historic sites encompassing 350,000 acres and providing hiking trails, boat launches and campgrounds as well as beaches, pools and golf courses.
Many of them are located right here in southern Oswego County.
Tourism around Oneida Lake significantly contributes to the local economy, attracting visitors for various recreational activities and supporting businesses and jobs in the region.
“Our best natural resource is Oneida Lake,” said Sharon Bauer-Aldrich, president Greater Oneida Lake Chamber of Commerce. “There are plenty of small businesses around the lake and surrounding areas.”
Oneida Lake has long been known as the premier walleye and yellow perch fishery in New York state.
Fishing generates close to $50 million in economic impact, according to the Oneida Lake Association. The OLA was founded in 1946 to protect, restore and preserve the natural resources of Oneida Lake and its surrounding ecosystem.
Oneida Lake is the third-most fished lake in New York state, making anglers an important part of the ecosystem both biologically (through harvest) and economically (through expenditures associated with fishing).
Centrally located, Oneida Lake is the largest inland water body in New York state and ranks fourth in angling effort for all water bodies adjacent to or within the state’s borders.
Zebra mussels invaded Oneida Lake around 1991. While water clarity has dramatically improved, the resulting decrease in plankton has brought about a decline in catchable fish species like walleye and yellow perch.
In recent years, black bass (smallmouth bass and largemouth bass) have attracted increasing interest, particularly from tournament anglers. This positive press has drawn anglers from throughout the nation, including bass fishing “hotspots” such as Florida and Alabama.
Estimated, angler expenditures on Oneida Lake were in excess of $10 million, indicating that the fishery plays a large role in the local economy, according to The Oneida Lake Creel Survey, 2002-2007, prepared by Cornell University Biological Field Station (900 Shackelton Point Road, Bridgeport).
Additionally, Oneida Lake has received national attention as the site of B.A.S.S. Elite series tournaments, which bring additional economic benefit.
“Oneida Lake fishing is great right now! Business here is good. It does slow a little when hunting season is here, but picks up as soon as ice gets on the lake,” said Mike Hodges, owner of Mikes Oneida Lake Bait and Tackle in Brewerton. “I have been in business for six years now. I think we are in a good location. Oneida Lake is full of walleye, bass, perch, sunfish and crappie.”
Boating, hiking, camping and ice fishing are also popular activities, with public access points like Oneida Shores Park and Verona Beach State Park providing facilities and amenities.
Small businesses abound in the area too, from North Shore Coffee and Tea Company and area shops, local libraries, restaurants, Buckingham Market and their home store to air BNBs, the chamber president said.
Business isn’t as good as it used to be, said Jason Bronner, owner of Rosie’s Corner Take-out Restaurant in Brewerton.
“It’s tough nowadays. But we still get a good crowd in here. We do a good business,” he added. “More and more people are coming back. I think over the next couple of years there’s going to be a major turnaround in the economy. People will start having money again. All the small businesses will start getting busier again.”
“We tend to work with businesses within the tourism and hospitality industry, businesses in that area due to the ‘lake effect,’” said Austin Wheelock, executive director of Operation Oswego County. “Businesses like 43 North Marina, Winter Harbor, Spruce Grove, all of the waterfront restaurants along the river and lake including Wild Horse, Waterfront Tavern, 916 Riverside, Barado’s, Bayside Bar & Grill, etc.
“To be able to really calculate the tourism economic impact, you would need to know the amount of sales tax and occupancy tax that’s generated in that geographic area which may be difficult to determine as I don’t believe it’s reported in that way.
“We have also worked with a thriving cluster of small to medium sized manufacturing businesses along the North Shore, including McIntosh Box & Pallets, United Wire Technologies, Design Concepts and Nasiff Associates,” he said. “These companies have all carved out a niche and all are currently or have recently experienced growth.”
There will be new opportunities for small business growth due to the impending Micron project as well as the Brewerton (Hastings/Cicero) New York Forward grant that will bring new investment, people and growth to that area, Wheelock added.
“We anticipate that will lead to more housing, more retail and service small businesses that develop when you see residential growth, more tourism and hospitality business which could include hotels, marinas, campgrounds, RV parks, restaurants, boat sales, etc. as well as opportunities for manufacturing, warehousing and related business growth.”
Oneida Lake: Did You Know?
• The Iroquois called Oneida Lake Tsioqui — their word for “White Water.”
• More than 886,000 people live within the lake’s watershed.
• More than 75 species of fish call Oneida Lake home.
• More than 1,400 local jobs connect to sport angling.
• Anglers spend 200,000 to 300,000 hours/year on Oneida Lake fishing, mostly for walleye and bass.
• More than 50 documented wrecks lie beneath the surface, including the only Durham boat ever found.
• Oneida Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake (79.8 square miles) in the United States that lies entirely within a single state.
