A number of concepts that could ease congestion and improve access along the Exit 20 corridor, also known as the Factory Outlets on Route 9, were proposed recently. The most popular seems to be a number of round-abouts or traffic circles along the stretch to keep traffic moving.
Marine Group Ranks Top Boating Sites: NY # 4, Lake George Tops in State
The National Marine Manufacturers Association has ranked the top states for boating in 2009. NY ranks # 4 with Lake George being the hottest spot in the state.
Sat. July 25th, 10:00 a.m. – Black Mountain Point*
Serving Eggs, Bacon, Pancakes, Sausage, French Toast, Bagels, Fruit Salad, Coffee, Orange Juice, Bloody Mary Mix and more…
(Please bring your own Booze )
Cost: $15 per person ($10 kids 7 and under)
[*] Proceeds will be donated to the Huletts Golf Course
What the Lake George Park Commission is proposing is completely in the extreme. They want no cutting or land disturbance within 100 feet of a stream.
So here are some of the things that I can think of that couldn’t be done under the new regulations. A person couldn’t cut brush to improve their view if the brush was along a stream. This would affect many in Huletts including the line of houses across from the tennis courts. The new green sign that says “Village Green” wouldn’t have been put in this past winter because it would have been disallowed. People living within a 100 feet of a stream will not be able to expand their houses by more than 20%. Work on the golf course would be impacted along Fairy Creek. A walkpath along a stream would need a permit.
The end result is that people who own land with streams will abandon their land because they will not be able to do anything with the property. A lot of taxable property will come off the tax rolls. Taxes WILL increase if these regulations go through.
The sad part is, is that no alternatives are being considered. New and immerging technologies that could help the environment and protect property rights aren’t even being considered.
Boos to the Lake George Park Commission for turning down an extreme path, Bravos to the Warren County Supervisors for thinking this one through.
We are happy to report that the Washington County Beach is now sellling t-shirts to raise money. They really look great! They are asking for a $10 donation for each shirt. They have youth sizes S-XL and adult sizes S-2XL. Get one quick, they’ll go fast.
The Lake George Park Commission has regularly informed the public that they have hired the Center for Watershed Protection, based in Maryland, to help them draft the proposed stream corridor rules now being considered for the Lake George basin. The centerpiece of these proposed rules is a buffer area around any streams where virtually no development or land disturbance could take place by private individuals. (State, county and town highway crews will still be allowed to cut drainage ditches for road and salt runoff to enter streams.)
In an effort to learn more about the Center for Watershed Protection, I contacted the Lake George Park Commission and asked if they would provide a person at the Center for Watershed Protection whom I could interview. I never received any reply.
So when I was in Maryland, I visited their office myself. I was quite surprised to learn that their building has a stream flowing directly behind it through a giant culvert under their parking lot. The back of the building which houses their offices as well as part of the building’s parking lot, is clearly within 100 feet of the adjacent stream. There is also a deck which employees can sit on approximately 5 feet above the stream. The stream actually flows under the parking lot in a huge culvert. The parking lot was evidently constructed over the stream by placing the huge culvert under the length of the parking lot.
Here are pictures of the building they occupy, the parking lot and the stream. (Click on images for larger view.)
Back Corner of Building
Culvert Runs Under Parking Lot
Stream
Impervious Parking Area Runs Length of Building
Side of Building from Nearby Park for Perspective
Deck Adjacent to Stream
The irony of this should not be lost on anyone. While Maryland is a different state than New York, and while nothing about the building is improper, the Center for Watershed Protection, which is working to create some very restrictive and severe regulations for private property in the Lake George basin, occupies a building which wouldn’t be in existence if the same regulations they are helping the LGPC write in New York were in effect in Maryland when it was constructed.
There was no evidence of any stormwater or sediment controls that I could see, and it appeared that every bit of stormwater and parking runoff simply entered the stream unabated. It is ironic that a group that advocates clean water management seems to turn a blind eye when it comes to the backyard of their own building.
The office was closed when I visited it and please remember that I gave them an opportunity to present someone to be interviewed and never received a response.
Some would call this rank hypocrisy. This is type of thing that makes people really mad about some elements of the environmental movement. They propose rules that they do not want to live under themselves and they are not accountable when questioned.
One of the things that the Center for Watershed Protection argues for is that trees should not be cut over streams because the shade is important to protect natural habitats. However, as you can see from the attached pictures, their own building is what provides the shade behind their building for the staff sitting on the deck and the stream alike.
If the Lake George Park Commission is going to tout the Center for Watershed Protection’s involvement in this process, it has to provide someone who can be interviewed and answer questions about and for this organization. It can’t be a shadowy group, immune to research or questions about their involvement and philosophy.
Remember the old saying; “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”
Except that seems, if you’re the Center for Watershed Protection. You saw it here yourself.
I have heard periodically that British soldiers are buried on the Harbor Islands owned by the Paulist Fathers.
This small historical reference about the Islands gives some context on how this may have occurred.
“This group of 5 privately-owned islands in Lake George is located a little over 2 miles south of Sabbath Day Point. A significant and bloody battle occurred on the islands during the French and Indian War. On July 5, 1757 Col. John Parker, on a scouting mission from Fort William Henry, was camped here with some 350 British troops. An engagement took place between the British force and some Indians allied with the French. The British force was slaughtered- of the 350+ troops, only 12 escaped. Reportedly, 131 British soldiers were killed, with the remainder taken captive. In those days, it should be noted, it was often preferable to die in battle than to be taken prisoner by Indians.”
I’ll be doing some research on this in the weeks ahead to see what else I can learn.
I was not aware of this, but at one time it was necessary to obtain a license from NY State to pilot a steam boat. Recently, Gordon B. Foster provided me with a copy of his grandfather’s license which enabled his grandfather to be a pilot and an engineer on a “steam motor vessel”.
This is one of the more interesting pieces of memorabilia that I have seen. It was issued August 13, 1924 in the name of Fred L. Foster and designated that Lake George was the body of water where the vessel could be operated.
I never knew there was an office of Inspectors of Steam and Motor Vessels.
At the regular board meeting of the Town of Dresden this month, the repaving of part of Pike Brook Road was discussed. Preliminary work has already been completed and repaving should begin shortly.
Approximately one mile of the road, starting at County Route 6 and continuing past the trail head for Black Mountain, will be repaved.
“This is work that will benefit everyone traveling the road,” said Supervisor Bob Banks. “Local residents, visitors, and tourists will find a much improved road. Access to Black Mountain is important to everyone and we’re committed to this important project.”
Town Highway Superintendent, Richard Hobus, gave a status report. “We’ve been delayed slightly because of the wet weather, but we’ll start repaving soon. Everyone’s been delayed, including the county work crews, but things are drying out now, so we’ll be starting shortly.”
Bravos to all Town officials and staff involved with this important work.
The Saratogian reports on a study that shows the Adirondack Park region needs economic revitalization. I’ve noticed recently that many local volunteer fire companies are starving for volunteers. This is a bad sign. This is all related to out of control taxes and extreme environmental regulations that are stemming growth of any kind. We live in an area where there is no cell phone or high-speed Internet available for the majority of the population. This is a perfect recipe for oblivion.
Post Star Advocates Taxation without Representation
The Post Star ran an editorial where they opine that Washington and Essex Countes should help pay for Warren County Boat patrols, even though the minute you step into the lake from the east shore you’re no longer in Washington County. The basic problem with this is that Washington and Essex Counties aren’t in Warren County. Why is it that everyone always wants our money and never wants to give us representation? An arrangement like this would quickly lead to political patronage jobs for Warren County which other counties would have to pay for and have no control to stop. Boos to the editors of the Post Star for encouraging tyranny. Here’s a response that will work better for Washington and Essex counties. Warren County should give us their sales tax revenue and any revenue they derive from the private islands in Lake George and we’ll decide if we want to pay for our own boat patrols!
“Defeat of the Iroquois at Lake Champlain,” July 30, 1609 (which happened near Ticonderoga) is the only known likeness of Samuel de Champlain to survive from his own time. (Library of Congress)
2009 is the 400th anniversary of the discovery of Lake Champlain by the man whom it is named after. There are many local celebrations taking place this summer in recognition of this event.
Champlain is best remembered for his role as an explorer, map maker, and as a prolific writer but many facts about him have been lost to history.
However, we can gleam some historical clues into the life of Champlain from the small image above.
Champlain stands in the center wearing armor and firing an arquebuse a rouet, which was a very advanced model of a very sophisticated weapon for that day. Two french soldiers appear at the top of the engraving. On the left we see a small number of Algonquin warriors attacking a larger band of Iroquois of the Mohawk nation.
The plumage he wears is the sign of an officer of high standing. Some historians even speculate that he may have been the illegitimate son of Henri IV of France. The helmet he wears is usually seen in equestrian drawings, so some historians surmise that he was familiar with horses.
The alliances depicted in the engraving would stand for approximately the next 150 years. The Algonquin would side with the French and the Iroquois would team with the British in the battle for North America which would continue over the next two centuries.
Champlain is regarded as one of the few explorers of North America who believed in treating the Indians humanely and with respect. He was also a naturalist. He loved the plants and animals he encountered in the new world and wrote extensively on what he encountered.
To learn more about Samuel de Champlain I would highly recommend the book; Champlain’s Dream by David Hacket Fischer, which I am working my way through slowly. It is an exquisite history of the man and the founding of New France.
So now the next time you cross Lake Champlain on your way to Huletts, you’ll be able to say that you’ve seen the only likeness of Champlain which is judged by historians to be authentic and which survives from his time.
