News & Opinion About Huletts Landing, N.Y.
Winds blew from the north today as tropical storm Isaias visited Lake George.
As of 7:15 pm on the evening of Tuesday, August 4th, tropical storm Isaias is still buffeting Huletts. We have had lots of rain and some heavy wind but the power is still on.
Flash flood and wind advisories are still in effect until Wednesday morning. Stay inside and stay safe.
In light of the COVID-19 National Emergency, the Huletts Casino will remain closed for the rest of 2020.
Someday we will be through this. Until then, keep living “your best life” with purpose.
Huletts Current reader, Kathy Daughtery, emailed this very colorful picture of a great blue heron eating a fish. The local wildlife is indeed beautiful. (Click image to see slightly larger version.)
As regular readers of the Huletts Current know, I love posting “fish” pictures, even though I am not a fisherman. This picture really made me smile because the children’s joy really shines through.
I know many are experiencing real worry and suffering with the COVID-19 national pandemic, but choose to be optimistic. Live your best life, RIGHT NOW, seize the moment, enjoy the day.
Do not fueled by fear. Be strong right now; be happy right now; go out and enjoy the summer. Be safe but don’t sit in a socially distant box and complain about all things that are not right, or might not be right. Go out and talk to a neighbor, make a visitor feel welcome. Do something positive. Send me a (fish) picture.
I received an email yesterday from a family who spent a week in Huletts, and when they returned home their small son wouldn’t go to sleep because he wanted to go back to his “Lake George bed.”
Be thankful for the blessings of your time on Lake George this summer, carry an optimistic spirit. Be people of hope in these times.
So many thanks to the children in the picture above, with their smiles and their big fish – they have chosen to enjoy the blessings of summer and their time on Lake George. For that we should all be grateful.
Town of Fort Ann
Washington County
Wilderness Rescue: On July 26 at 6:10 p.m., Warren and Washington County 911 transferred a call to DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch reporting a separated and lost hiker on Buck Mountain in the Lake George Wild Forest Area. Forest Rangers Donegan and Poulton responded to the area of the hiker’s last known coordinates and at 8:36 p.m., the 25-year-old woman from Antwerp, New York, was located. At 9:56 p.m., Rangers and the lost hiker were back at the trailhead where she was reunited with the rest of her party.
This year’s “A Day to Remember” will be virtual.
The website with all the information is: www.HulettsADaytoRemember.com
Note the slideshow of those who’ve passed.
Please continue to socially distance and wear a mask.
Senator Betty Little welcomes county and town highway superintendents in her Albany office on their annual “Local Roads Matter!” Advocacy Day. Little, who is retiring from the Senate at the end of the year, was presented a personalized work helmet in recognition of her years of support for increased funding for local roads and bridge projects.
The State Senate today gave final legislative approval of legislation to create a task force and pilot-program study with the goal of reducing the amount of road salt applied to state highways in the Adirondack Park each winter.
Senator Betty Little and Western New York Senator Tim Kennedy, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, sponsored the legislation, which passed the Assembly on Monday.
“When it comes to keeping our lakes, rivers and streams and water wells clean, the old adage of an ‘ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure’ certainly fits,” said Little.
“The good news, as we’ve seen in municipalities such as Lake George where there has been a tremendous focus on this issue, is that newer equipment and utilizing technology is helping our local highway departments do their incredibly important work of keeping our roadways safe while cutting back on road salt usage. My hope is that we can do the same throughout the Park. A comprehensive study, including a pilot program, would give us the data we need to develop best practices.”
Little said the Adirondack Watershed Institute at Paul Smith’s College has studied the issue for numerous years and found hundreds of instances of high sodium contamination in wells downslope of state highways with some exceeding federal standards for safe drinking. High salinity can contribute to high blood pressure and destroy plumbing and household appliances, pollute streams, rivers and lakes and negatively impact wildlife and soil quality.
The “Randy Preston Road Salt Reduction Act,” named in honor of the long-time Wilmington Supervisor and Adirondack champion who passed away last July, would create a 14-member task force of appointed state and local stakeholders. The task force would conduct a thorough review of road salt application within the Adirondack Park and provide a public report to the governor and State Legislature with recommendations of road salt reduction targets and best management practices by September 1, 2021.
That report would inform the road salt reduction pilot plan and test program to be led by the Department of Transportation in cooperation with the Department of Environmental Conservation. Between October 15 and June 30, beginning 2021 through 2024, the pilot plan would test best management practices on all state-owned roadways within the boundary of the Adirondack Park. A variety of application techniques and road management strategies would be tested while monitoring surface and ground water.
Following the completion of the pilot plan and test, the DOT and DEC would submit a report to the governor and State Legislature by August 30, 2024, detailing the impact on road safety and water quality in the Adirondack Park.
The bill will return to the Assembly before being delivered to Governor Andrew Cuomo for consideration.
Cars parked in front of the Huletts Casino on a Sunday morning, at 6:30 am. Because of COVID-19, the Casino is not open at this time.
OK – so here is a multiple-choice question. I’ll call it the “Huletts Parking Quiz.”
You have some renters coming to your house in Huletts. After they arrive, you hear from them that they have brought too many cars and that not all the cars can fit on the property. What do you do? Here are some possible answers:
A.) This does not happen to us because we inquire from the renters before they arrive how many cars they will be bringing. We only allow the number of cars that can fit on our property.
B.) We tell the renters to go park their extra cars on someone else’s property. They can slide over onto the neighbor’s property because the neighbors are away and they won’t know about it. What are a few days parking on someone else’s property? The neighbors won’t know and probably don’t care. Perhaps they can even “slide out” into the road a bit.
C.) We tell them there are some areas in Huletts where an extra car or two will not be noticed. Have them park in front of the Casino one night, then have them park by the Post Office another night and then maybe even the Washington County Beach’s parking lot could be used for a few nights.
D.) This was an honest mistake so we send them to the Marina and have them pay the overnight charge that island campers would pay to park or we contact some neighbors and offer to pay them something for the courtesy of allowing the renters to park on their property.
If you chose A or D, you are thinking about parking and trying to be a good neighbor. Congratulations, while you may not realize it, you are contributing to the peace and harmony of the community.
If you chose B or C, you are not thinking about parking the way you should. I will try to explain below.
The problem with answer B is that the neighbors usually always find out someone is parking on their property and they usually do care. By not being upfront about not having enough parking on your own property – guess who looks bad? Sliding extra cars into the road is even worse because they become a hazard to everyone on the road and could prevent adequate access to emergency vehicles.
The problem with answer C is that the owners of the areas with adequate parking have invested in those areas and are paying taxes on those spots. It is disrespectful to them and the people who they have provisioned that parking for, to usurp those areas. Others in the community do notice and guess what? They do talk about the people parking on other’s property.
I had a conversation with a realtor from West Hollywood, CA a few years ago on a plane which I never forgot, and which may be instructive. This realtor told me that in any area where the real estate becomes valuable and people start tearing down and building new houses, or start investing in new construction, parking invariably becomes an issue. Once everyone realizes that it is their responsibility to care about parking on their own property or make provision for it by paying for it somewhere else, property values go through the roof even more. This realtor went on to analogize – that good neighbors, who are respectful, care about doing the right thing, park on their property or make suitable arrangements elsewhere.
On the other-hand, it is poor planning on someone’s part that overflow parking from one house ends up on someone else’s land. These people, while unintentionally or not, are taking advantage of another’s good planning to park their overflow. Thus, parking such as this can be a symptom of a bigger issue with the type of people living in the neighborhood.
So in the future, let us all consider parking as one important element to the smooth functioning and harmony of the community. Property values and a great way of life are all improved when we all do our part.
Native plant species in Lake George benefit the lake, performing such functions as stabilizing sediments and providing habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms.
The view of Lake George looking north from Bradley’s Lookout in the town of Bolton. Photo Credit: Lake George Land Conservancy (Click photo to see larger version.)
The Town of Bolton and the Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) have announced their intention to purchase a 62 acre parcel of land in the town known as Bradley’s Lookout. The Town will purchase the property from the LGLC upon completion of their acquisition expected to occur late this summer. The property will be encumbered by a conservation easement held by the LGLC.
The Hawkins family has owned the 62+/- acre property known as “Bradley’s Lookout” in Bolton since the 1970’s. The property contains 7 acres of wetlands, including half of the pond that is located on the Town of Bolton’s Community Center property. The remainder of the land is wooded, including many stands of healthy hemlocks. The land includes a 1000-foot summit that offers views of Lake George including Dome Island as well as Black Mountain, Shelving Rock, and the Sagamore. The name comes from the historical use of the property, as the Bradley family who ran a horse-riding business in town, brought their horses up the summit to allow visitors to enjoy the views.
“First, I would like to thank the Lake George Land Conservancy Board of Directors and staff for their vision, leadership and support of this acquisition and for shepherding this purchase to a successful conclusion” said Ron Conover, Supervisor of the Town of Bolton. “This is a tremendous accomplishment and addition to Bolton’s Hub Program. It connects the Community Center and the Pinnacle as well as Cat and Thomas Mountains and upon completion will offer another spectacular hiking experience and Panoramic Views of Lake George to our visitors. In addition, it affords us sufficient land to provide additional much needed on-site parking” Conover said.
“The Lake George Land Conservancy has been a critical partner in the development of Bolton’s Hub Plan,” said Susan Wilson, Deputy Supervisor of the Town of Bolton who served on the original planning committee for the trail Hub. “The Pinnacle has already become one of the southern Adirondacks most popular hiking attractions and the Lookout builds upon this success. People come from all over the state and country to hike our trails. Bolton is quickly becoming a major four-season hiking destination attracting thousands of visitors annually to our region.”
“The protection of Bradley’s Lookout will benefit both the community and the lake for generations to come,” said LGLC Executive Director Jamie Brown. “Thanks to our continuing partnership with the Town of Bolton, the generosity and cooperation of the Hawkins family, and the help of our community, this amazing land will be protected forever. With its easily-accessible iconic view, thriving wetlands, gently sloping hardwood-hemlock forest, and essential role within the larger Bolton Hub Initiative, the protection of this property exemplifies how the LGLC protects the land that protects the lake for everyone.”
“The Lake George Land Conservancy is honored to be able to permanently protect this wonderful iconic property,” said LGLC President Michael O’Reilly. “Partnering with the Town of Bolton will ensure that everyone will forever enjoy the beauty of this land while the Lake’s water quality is enhanced.”
“Our mother loved The Lookout,” said Lee Harrison. “I think mostly because of her memories of riding along the back roads of Bolton with Mr. Bradley. Mother knew the back roads of Bolton like the back of her hand, having spent every summer of her girlhood there, and she led us on many expeditions to fields and streams to play in, pick blueberries in, or just to admire the view. When The Lookout came up for sale, she just had to save it, so she did.”
This project follows another similar land acquisition in December of 2019 that added 212 acres to the Bolton Hub region. The protection of that property, part of the Twin Pines Resort owned by the McGurl family, was also made possible thanks to the LGLC’s good working partnership with the Town of Bolton.
The Bolton Recreational Hub (the Hub) is a collaborative effort between the LGLC, Town of Bolton, and Bolton Landing Chamber of Commerce, that combines the goals and outcomes of land conservation for water quality protection with the access to quality recreational opportunities and commerce within the Town of Bolton. A comprehensive Bolton Recreational Hub Strategy was published in 2019, and provides guidance for conservation and recreational projects going forward.
The minutes for June meeting of the Dresden Town Board, were recently approved and have been posted on the town’s website.
The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has protected 25 acres on County Rt 6 in the Town of Dresden. The property, which was purchased by the LGLC on July 8, 2020, includes 1,300 feet of Fairy Brook, a tributary of Lake George.
This project fits within the LGLC’s Huletts Landing Conservation Initiative, which focuses on protecting the wetlands and stream corridors in this steep region of the watershed. These efforts are crucial to managing stormwater flow and reducing the amount of sediment and contaminants entering Lake George.
Last summer the LGLC protected a total of 137 acres in the Initiative area, protecting significant lengths of tributaries that flow into Lake George, including some of Fairy Brook.
This property had been approved for the construction of a small house and leach field near the steep slopes leading to the stream. Its protection has effectively prevented a potentially significant negative impact on the property’s sensitive and erodible slopes.
The property is currently not open to the public except by special request, due to limited accessibility.