Susquehanna River Clean-Up started in 2018 by John Rowley of the Cooperstown Lions Club, and has grown to include community members and other organizations like the Cooperstown Rotary Club, SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station, OCCA, and Trout Unlimited. Over the years, we have removed thousands of pounds of trash from the river. This annual event happens every summer.

This year’s clean-up will happen on June 27th, click the link below to learn more and sign up.

This program is for those who live on or frequent Otsego Lake and Canadarago Lake. Shoreline Monitors survey for Harmful Algal Blooms on a weekly basis and report their findings on an easy-to-use survey. Can be done on a phone, and takes as little as 20 minutes, but it makes a big difference in the health and safety of our community resources.

Click Here to join as a shoreline monitor for Otsego Lake (Mid-July through October)

Click Here to join as a shoreline monitor for Canadrago Lake (June through October)

OCCA’s Invasive Species Team is a year-round volunteer program designed to be flexible and accessible. As a volunteer, you choose your level of involvement—whether that’s reporting an invasive species you notice in day-to-day life, removing invasives from places you care about, or opting into our seasonal challenges, or just joining us on occasion for a public pull

A new program that started in 2025, community scientists are assessing the aquatic organism passability of stream-road crossings in the Otsego Lake, Canadarago Lake, and Butternut Creek watersheds.

Community Scientists adopt a stream site in Otsego County to monitor water quality each month. Samples are collected at the site, and the labs are done indoors. This program is year-round.

OCCA is always seeking help with various events throughout the year, including our annual recycling event Drive-Through Drop-Off and Earth Festival

Recycling Committee: an ad hoc committee of the OCCA board. Meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 12pm via zoom, to plan and discuss countywide recycling projects, including the popular drive-through drop-off recycling event. Apply Here

Fundraising Committee: a new ad hoc committee of the OCCA board that will help plan and discuss new ways OCCA can fundraise to support our diverse (and free to the community) programming. Meeting time is still to be determined. Apply Here

Volunteers adopt a stretch of trail at either Arnold Lake State Forest, Basswood Pond State Forest, or Milford State Forest and help maintain it throughout the year.