News & Opinion About Huletts Landing, N.Y.
I put this 7 minute video together of what it was like at the taping of the Today Show this morning in Bolton Landing. I got some really nice shots behind the scenes, and I also have an interesting interview segment that I’ll post later.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veoyKc6UJOE
I just returned from Bolton Landing where the Today Show was filming today. I will be posting 2 videos later today about what happened behind the scenes and an interview with Meredith Viera. It’ll be worth stopping back for.
I just got a phone call from the Lake George Association and the DEC has issued the final permit to remove the delta from the mouth of Foster Brook. Congratulations to all involved!!
Additionally, the LGA has also gotten a large donation to put them almost over the top in their fundraising campaign for this project. They are now only $10,000 short of meeting their goal. However, they are sending the project out to bid and are hoping to get contractors for less than they had budgeted.
Please remember that the Lake George Association is the premier lake saving organization. There are other environmental groups out there who may have “catchy” names but who work for either an extreme anti-people agenda or who simply object to every project proposed. I have personally spent almost 2 years working with the LGA on this project and I can tell you this is the organization that is actually doing something.
Thank you Lake George Association for making the Foster Brook dredging happen!
Star Trek Episode Shot at Fort Ticonderoga
The Times of Ti reports that the Klingons have invaded Fort Ticonderoga.
NBC’s Today Show coming to the Sagamore
The Times of Ti reports that on Monday the Today Show will be live from the Sagamore.
Washington County Fair to Host Rodeo
The Post Star reports that the Washington County Fair will host a rodeo this year.
NFL Giants Release Training Camp Schedule
The Giants released their training camp schedule in Albany. Read about autograph day also.
The Wyatt’s cove culvert has shown remarkable improvement in water quality over the last 20 years.
I was sitting on the porch today thinking of things to write about and saw the boat from the Darrin Freshwater Institute pull up and take a water sample from what they call the Wyatt’s cove culvert. So I called the Institute and spoke with Larry Eichler and learned a few things.
1.) The Darrin Freshwater Institute regularly samples locations throughout the lake and monitors conditions. The Wyatt’s cove culvert in the center of the Landing has shown dramatic improvements over the last 20 years. Mr. Eichler attributed this to the town sewer system that was installed in the 1980’s. There is lessened algae growth on the bottom of Wyatt’s cove and fecal coliform levels are in accepted ranges. The Institute checks this site numerous times over the course of the summer but it has reached a point, where Mr. Eichler said; “We don’t really see problems with that site anymore. We monitor but that site has shown remarkable improvement.”
2.) When asked if he could give any conclusions about the Lake George basin as a whole, he responded; “We have seen salt levels rise dramatically over the past few decades”. In 1980 (the first year salt was regularly tested for) salt levels averaged 6 parts per million, by 2008 this level had risen to 16 parts per million, almost tripling. When asked what this could be attributed to, Mr. Eichler explained that while waste water does contain salt which usually goes untreated through the sewage treatment cycle, most salt enters the lake through the application of road salt on surrounding area roads in the winter.
3.) Zebra mussels have not been found to date in the Huletts area. They have been found at 8 locations throughout the lake, 6 in the south and 2 in the north, but the lake’s low levels of calcium make it hard for the mussels to survive. Zebra mussel’s need roughly 20 parts of calcium per million in order for the shells to harden, whereas Lake George averages 12 parts of calcium per million in most locations. Where they have been found, calcium levels have been heightened. In these locations, the problem is being dealt with by hand harvesting by underwater divers which seems to be working. In the areas they have been found, calcium levels have been high. Cement seawall’s have known calcification effects and the Darrin Fresh Water Institute is studying these effects.
Concepts Proposed for Exit 20
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.
You can read about the proposals here.
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.
The Post Star reports on what happened at the Warren County Board of Supervisors meeting on Friday.
I was there for the beginning of the meeting and presented my pictures of the Center for Watershed Protection’s own backyard.
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.
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.)
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.
Adirondacks Need Help
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!
Spotted on Glen Island today.
Capri Village Fire on Lake George Caught on Video
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeLLsUN-IsI
Sewer Break in Lake George Village Closes Beach
The Times Union reports on a sewage break in Lake George Village that closed Shepard Park and the state-run Million Dollar Beach.
Sleeping Whale Island, sometimes also called Whale Rock, is a familiar sight for boaters.
Indian folklore, handed down for many generations, told of a species of fresh water whale that once inhabited numerous lakes in the north country.
Sleeping Whale Island gets its destinctive name from this legend. The story that I’ve always heard and which is corraborated in the book, Stories of Lake George, Fact and Fancy, by Thomas Reeves Lord is that the Indians told that the only proof left that these whales existed was through enormous casts where one could see their shape.
Thus the name Sleeping Whale Island. Can you see it?