Category: Lake George

It was windy and cold out on the lake today.(Click image for larger view.)

Yes, I know. It’s been quiet here on the Huletts Current for about a week. It’s been busy in Huletts and I will be getting caught up with some posts but there’s nothing I can do when the Internet goes down. You see we arrived last week but our phone and Internet have been “iffy.” Lots of work has been going on so don’t give up stopping by. I’ll be getting caught up in the next few days. See you soon!!

An aerial view over the wetlands of Amy’s Park, which is a major part of the Indian Brook watershed. The peak in the middle is Pole Hill; on the right is High Nopit, and on the far left is Walnut Ridge. Walnut Ridge is part of the New York state Pole Hill Pond Forest Preserve, and the future Isabel La Roche Godwin Preserve lies adjacent, to the east. (View southeast toward Bolton, (near side of lake) and Diamond point, (opposite side of lake).(Click image to see full-scale.)

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has acquired one parcel and expects to close on another within the Indian Brook watershed in Bolton. The lands, totaling 245 acres, include wetlands, a large section of stream corridor, and scenic and recreational value.

The acquisitions are part of a larger effort to protect Indian Brook, which is a major tributary of Lake George. The protection of this important tributary provides a safeguard against excess storm water and stream bank erosion, further protecting the lake’s water quality.

In January, the LGLC purchased 130 acres on North Bolton Rd from the University at Albany Foundation. Once used as an observatory for the school, the property contains important wetlands and hundreds of feet of stream corridor, representing the confluence of the two main branches of Indian Brook. The proceeds of the sale will be dedicated by the University at Albany for scholarships for its Biodiversity, Conservation and Policy, M.S. program.

The LGLC expects to close shortly on a 115-acre property on Padanarum Rd. The land will become a public preserve, with a 0.6-mile trail that could connect the neighboring NYS Pole Hill Pond Preserve and the LGLC’s Amy’s Park. Named the Isabel La Roche Godwin Preserve by the sellers, the preserve includes views of High Nopit and Pole Hill. The trail system is anticipated to be in place mid-summer.

The LGLC is in the process of engaging residents of the Indian Brook Conservation Area in discussions about the lands surrounding the brook and their impact on the lake’s water quality. A recent round-table meeting included Bolton Town Supervisor Ron Conover and several others who voiced concern about stream corridor protection as a priority. The LGLC created this focus group in order to better understand and appreciate the needs of the community, and to focus its efforts to efficiently address storm water and erosion issues within the Indian Brook watershed based on recommendations from the group.

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) is hosting a three-day effort to eradicate invasive shrubby honeysuckle from the Cook Mountain Preserve in Ticonderoga, June 7-9, 10 am to 6 pm.

The forest of the Cook Mountain Preserve has become overtaken by invasive shrubby honeysuckle, a non-native aggressive plant that overtakes forest understories, pushing out native plants that are needed to provide shelter and nutritious food for wildlife. Their growth is often so dense that no other plants grow beneath its branches, leaving the ground bare.

Volunteers are invited to help cut and pull these aggressive shrubs so that native plants can move back in and restore the forest to a healthier place for wildlife. No RSVP required – volunteers may stop by the preserve any day, any time between 10 am and 6 pm and stay as little or as long as they can. Volunteers are also encouraged to bring work gloves and branch clippers, and wear sturdy shoes, long sleeves and pants, and insect repellent to protect against scratches and ticks.

The Cook Mountain Preserve is located on Baldwin Road in Ticonderoga, 1.4 miles from Alexandria Ave. For more information and specific directions, go to lglc.org, call 518-644-9673, or email shoffman@lglc.org.

Lake George Association Executive Director, Walt Lender (right), handing Lake George Park Commission Executive Director, Dave Wick (left), a $30,000 check.

In the first year of a new era in Lake George water protection, the Lake George Association has followed through on its commitment to provide necessary financial support for the Lake George Park Commission’s Mandatory Boat Inspection Program.

Following the Park Commission’s recent adoption of permanent regulations for the Mandatory Boat Inspection Program, Lake George Association Executive Director Walt Lender presented Park Commission Executive Director David Wick with a check for $30,000 – the first installment of the LGA’s three-year commitment.

“Aquatic invasive species pose a serious threat to the waters of Lake George and can cause significant detrimental impacts to the ecology and economy of the Lake George Park,” Lender said. “Having worked with the Park Commission for decades, we know this investment made by the LGA on behalf of its members and donors is going to be put to good use to protect Lake George’s water quality.”

The LGA is one of a number of organizations – nonprofits and municipalities – to share the costs of the program so that trailered vessels arriving at Lake George can be inspected to ensure they meet the “Clean, Drained and Dry” standard and be decontaminated if necessary at no charge to them.

The Park Commission’s two-year pilot boat inspection program that concluded in 2015 successfully processed 48,081 boats through the seven inspection stations and decontaminated 2,895 vessels.

As far as the LGA is concerned, that’s 2,895 very good reasons to support the Mandatory Boat Inspection Program.

The LGA’s investment of $30,000 in the Lake George Park Commission’s Mandatory Boat Inspection Program follows on the announcement earlier in the spring that the Lake George Association is doubling its investment in milfoil removal in 2016 – to $100,000 from $50,000.

The milfoil removal project is coming into the third year of a three-year intensive effort to remove as much milfoil as possible in Lake George. That project also includes nonprofits and the Lake George Park Commission.

The Lake George Association is the guardian of Lake George water quality, and has been for more than 130 years. Founded in 1885, our membership is composed of thousands of residents, visitors and business owners who help the LGA with our mission to protect Lake George from the perils that face modern lakes.

The Lake George Park Commission voted today to make its boat inspection program permanent. The vote came after a two-year trial period and after accepting public comments on making the program permanent. Read more in the Post Star.