News & Opinion About Huletts Landing, N.Y.
On Monday, March 25th, the Dresden Town Board approved borrowing up to $200,000 for the relocation of two sewer lines which presently cross Foster Brook. The proposed relocation would run the lines under Foster Brook.
The town is anticipating a 10-year loan at approximately 5% to pay for the project.
To learn more about the project, the town has posted this report on their website.
Today is Saint Patrick’s day so I wanted to share one of my favorite poems about Ireland. This poem memorializes those who fought for freedom and independence in Ireland and the Easter week rebellion, which started on Easter Monday April 16, 1916. The poet insists their deaths were not in vain, as they are forever a symbol of hope and independence from colonial rule in Ireland. It was not that long ago that Irish language, music, religion, and culture were outlawed by the British, and while Saint Patrick’s day is a great day to celebrate all things green … it’s also a day to remember the strength of the Irish people who fought for the future for their culture and people.
Easter Week
By Joyce Kilmer
(In memory of Joseph Mary Plunkett)
(“Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone,
It’s with O’Leary in the grave.”)
—William Butler Yeats.
“Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone,
It’s with O’Leary in the grave.”
Then, Yeats, what gave that Easter dawn
A hue so radiantly brave?
There was a rain of blood that day,
Red rain in gay blue April weather.
It blessed the earth till it gave birth
To valour thick as blooms of heather.
Romantic Ireland never dies!
O’Leary lies in fertile ground,
And songs and spears throughout the years
Rise up where patriot graves are found.
Immortal patriots newly dead
And ye that bled in bygone years,
What banners rise before your eyes?
What is the tune that greets your ears?
The young Republic’s banners smile
For many a mile where troops convene.
O’Connell street is loudly sweet
With strains of Wearing of the Green.
The soil of Ireland throbs and glows
With life that knows the hour is here
To strike again like Irishmen
For that which Irishmen hold dear.
Lord Edward leaves his resting place
And Sarsfield’s face is glad and fierce.
See Emmet leap from troubled sleep
To grasp the hand of Padraic Pearse!
There is no rope can strangle song
And not for long death takes his toll.
No prison bars can dim the stars
Nor quicklime eat the living soul.
Romantic Ireland is not old.
For years untold her youth shall shine.
Her heart is fed on Heavenly bread,
The blood of martyrs is her wine.
Frederick, Prince of Wales (1707 – 1751) epigram (quoted by William Makepeace Thackeray, “Four Georges”):
“Here lies poor Fred who was alive and is dead,
Had it been his father I had much rather,
Had it been his sister nobody would have missed her,
Had it been his brother, still better than another,
Had it been the whole generation, so much better for the nation,
But since it is Fred who was alive and is dead,
There is no more to be said!”
Because Frederick died before his father, King George II, his son would inherit the throne and become King George III. George III was king of England during the Revolutionary War.
The draft minutes of the February Dresden Sewer Committee have been posted on the Town’s website here.
The draft minutes for the regular February meeting of the Dresden Town Board have been posted on the town’s website.
This pond in the Town of Bolton will soon be permanently protected by the LGLC with support from the recently announced grants from NYS DEC.
The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded grants totaling $4.15 million for land acquisition for source water protection from the Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) grant program administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
The LGLC will use $3.5 million of the grant funds to permanently protect over 700 acres in the Indian Brook sub-watershed region of the Town of Bolton. Maintaining forested buffers around the streams and wetlands of this area will prevent erosion, filter sediment and pollutants from stormwater, and aid with flood resiliency.
The remaining grant funds will be directed toward the purchase of a 73-acre forested property in the Town of Lake George. This property contains 1,545 feet of streams with a healthy vegetated buffer that will further safeguard the water quality of Lake George, a drinking water source, and the surrounding watershed.
LGLC Executive Director Michael Horn said, “We are grateful to New York State and Governor Hochul for supporting our work to protect Lake George by protecting the land around it. By keeping our forests healthy and whole, we’re allowing the land to do what it does best – filter water, reduce pollution, and prevent stormwater issues downstream.
“With these grants we will be able to advance a number of projects over the next few years, but there is still much work to be done, including raising the more than $1 million in required matching funds.”
Land conservation is an efficient, cost-effective tool for protecting water quality. By focusing efforts on the most sensitive wetlands, streams, slopes, and shoreline, it can prevent costly issues that may arise from poorly designed development, non-porous infrastructure, and severe weather events.
These grants are part of a $166 million total announcement by NYS DEC for 187 projects statewide that will help protect drinking water, update aging water infrastructure, combat contributors to harmful algal blooms, and improve aquatic habitat.
Many thanks to Mark Stanton who posted this extremely rare video of Huletts Landing from the 1930’s. Some scenes from the Sagamore hotel, and Bolton Landing at the end.
The Town of Dresden is currently looking to fill positions on the B.O.A.R. (Board of Assessment Review)
Must be at least 18 years of age
Citizen of the United States
Resident of Dresden
Pays $100 for 1 day a year
Please contact Laura Chadwick at dreassessorlc@gmail.com
Knuckles appears in the new Paramount+ Super Bowl commercial. pic.twitter.com/tuD7G4GfXz
— Sonic The Hedgeblog (@Sonic_Hedgeblog) February 1, 2024
An infested hemlock branch showing the woolly masses of hemlock woolly adelgid, found at the LGLC’s protected Clark Hollow Bay Preserve in Putnam.
The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant of $86,215 to support the LGLC’s rapid response and management efforts to control the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) on its Clark Hollow Bay Preserve in the Town of Putnam. The LGLC’s Land Steward discovered an infestation of HWA at its recently acquired 60-acre Clark Hollow Bay property in the spring of 2023. This was the first time HWA had been found on LGLC protected property, and is at the northern frontier of the HWA infestation at Lake George and in the Adirondack Park.
Hemlock trees play an important role in the forests where they grow, preventing soil erosion and providing habitat for both terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. Left alone, HWA will kill hemlocks within five to ten years, making early detection critical to effective management.
Hemlocks are a dominant tree species in much of the forest surrounding Lake George, making HWA especially dangerous for the preservation of water quality and health of the whole lake ecosystem.
This summer, LGLC staff identified 108 trees with known HWA infestations on the Clark Hollow Bay Preserve; the actual number of infested trees is estimated to be at least doubled, when taking into account those trees that were inaccessible for evaluation.
Dr. Mark Whitmore of the New York State Hemlock Initiative joined LGLC staff in 2023 to confirm the presence of hemlock woolly adelgid at the Clark Hollow Bay Preserve.
The LGLC’s HWA management plan for the Clark Hollow Bay Preserve includes the use of both biological controls for long-term management, and chemical controls in the short-term. In partnership with the New York State Hemlock Initiative (NYSHI), the LGLC released Laricobius nigrinus beetles on the property in fall of 2023. The beetle is native to the Pacific Northwest and preys exclusively upon HWA. Highly controlled chemical application was also conducted on the property with help from the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP).
The grant will fund three years of additional monitoring and management activity at the Clark Hollow Bay Preserve.
LGLC Executive Director Mike Horn said, “With this funding we are able to combat hemlock woolly adelgid on this important protected property. We are grateful to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, as well as the resources and expertise provided by NYSHI and APIPP, for making this work possible.”
This grant is part of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Invasive Species Grant Program, which provides funding for aquatic and terrestrial invasive species spread prevention, early detection and rapid response, lake management planning, research, and education and outreach.
The Invasive Species Grant Program is supported by the State’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and administered by the Bureau of Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health in DEC’s Division of Lands and Forests. For more information, please visit DEC’s website.
The draft minutes for the regular January meeting of the Dresden Town Board have been posted on the town’s website.
“In the days ahead, I look forward to reading the particulars of Governor Hochul’s budget proposal. But after watching her presentation and an initial reading of the plan, here’s what stands out.
“I was glad to hear the governor acknowledge that our state has a looming budget deficit and that New York has a robust reserve fund, but ultimately this budget plan does nothing to address that impending problem. Proposed spending is $233 billion, a 4.5-percent increase over last year’s record-setting budget. Combined with an acknowledged $6 billion in lost tax receipts due to our state’s ongoing outmigration woes and despite some fuzzy math that shows a budget surplus instead of an anticipated deficit, this is ultimately a costly proposal that does nothing to alleviate New York’s long-term financial difficulties and right the ship going forward.
“The most glaring item in this budget presentation is the $2.4 billion in funding for the migrant crisis. This issue has been handled poorly by the governor, New York City Eric Adams and the current presidential administration and our taxpayers continue to bear the brunt of this. I’m particularly concerned by the fact that $500 million of this is coming from the state’s reserve fund. This is aid that should be going to legal residents and taxpayers, whether that means tax relief to combat rising costs, assist our struggling nursing homes or economic development initiatives.
“New York State needs to address Medicaid spending. During this presentation, the governor acknowledged that the state went more than $1 billion over budget with Medicaid spending in the last fiscal year. While it was good to hear the governor acknowledge the enormous costs associated with our Medicaid system, I did not hear anything in her plan that would substantively address it and lower costs for both state and local governments.
“On a more positive side, I was pleased to see the governor allocate funding for ORDA in Lake Placid, ensuring the facilities there remain world-class. I am also encouraged by the proposal to use state-owned lands and facilities, such as closed correctional facilities, as part of an affordable housing strategy. That development, however, is offset by the fact that her proposal contains language authorizing further correctional facility closures. If this comes to fruition, it could potentially have a detrimental impact on our region.
“Obviously, this presentation is only the beginning of the budget process. In the weeks ahead, I plan on working with my legislative colleagues and the governor to ensure a final budget meets the needs of our taxpayers and charts a responsible fiscal future for New York.”
One of the best things about the spring and summer is to awake to the sounds of birds singing. There are lots of swallows around Huletts in the summer and they should always be left alone because all swallows are state and federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
I’ve always wondered exactly where our swallows “winter homes” are? One great thing about the new artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, is that you can get answers to questions you want to learn more about extremely quickly without doing any searching. So here is what ChatGPT gave me when I asked the question.
Question: Where do barn swallows from upstate New York go in the winter?
ChatGPT answer: “Barn swallows from upstate New York migrate to warmer regions for the winter. These migratory birds typically travel to Central and South America. Specifically, barn swallows are known to winter in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, and other parts of South America.
Migration is a common behavior among barn swallows and many other bird species to avoid harsh winter conditions and ensure a steady supply of food. They return to their breeding grounds in North America, including upstate New York, during the spring and summer months for nesting and raising their young.
The long-distance migration of barn swallows is an impressive feat, and these birds cover thousands of miles during their annual journeys.”
It seems our small swallows travel the farthest in winter!