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NYS Coronavirus Update

New York will reopen certain low-risk business and recreational activities statewide on May 15th. This includes landscaping and gardening, low-risk outdoor recreational activities (like tennis) and drive-in movie theaters.

The number of total COVID hospitalizations are still dropping. Total hospitalizations fell to 6,706, from 6,946 the day before. The number of new COVID hospitalizations rose slightly to 420, from 416 the day before. Tragically, we lost 157 New Yorkers to this vicious virus yesterday.

Patients in New York hospitals must now test negative for the coronavirus before they can be discharged to nursing homes, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has declared. This partially reverses a policy that that the Cuomo administration instituted that forced sickened senior citizens into facilities housing those most vulnerable. The ruling partially overrides a controversial March 25 order that nursing homes cannot deny admission or readmission on the basis of a positive or suspected COVID-19 case.

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DEC Forest Ranger Rescues Near Lake George

Town of Bolton
Warren County
Wilderness Rescue: On April 29 at 4:30 p.m., Warren County 911 transferred a call to DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch reporting a 75-year-old man from Gansevoort who became disoriented while hiking on Thomas and Cat mountains and was unsure about which path to take to get back. After obtaining the disoriented hiker’s cell phone number, Forest Ranger Evan Donegan contacted him and gave instructions on how to return to the trailhead on the north side of the mountain. Meanwhile, Ranger Donegan made his way into the woods to intercept the man and assist him the rest of the way out. At 6:28 p.m., Ranger Donegan reached the mountain’s summit, but had not found the hiker. Forest Ranger Joe Hess also responded to start in from the southern trailhead at Edgecomb Pond. At 7:09 p.m., the hiker’s daughter called Dispatch reporting her father was back on the trail with her husband. Ranger Donegan was notified and reached the two men by 7:19 p.m. He escorted the pair back to the trailhead and all Rangers were cleared from the scene.

Town of Bolton
Warren County
Wilderness Rescue: On May 2 at 9:29 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a concerned family member of two hikers on Cat Mountain. The hikers were not prepared for darkness and were lost on the trail. The caller was instructed to have the hikers call 911 to obtain their coordinates. Dispatch determined that the hikers were just off the east trail. Forest Ranger Evan Donegan responded to the trailhead south of Edgecomb Pond at 10:45 p.m. and started hiking in to locate the hikers. At 11:53 p.m., Ranger Donegan requested a second Ranger to respond to the north trailhead to assist with transportation needs once the hikers were located. At 12:15 a.m., Ranger Donegan advised that the two hikers were found off the trail, tired and slightly hypothermic. Ranger Donegan assisted the pair north up the trail where they were met by Ranger Logan Quinn with an ATV. The 66-year old woman and 67-year-old man from Saratoga Springs were given a ride out to the parking lot. The couple declined medical treatment and departed. All Rangers were cleared from the scene at 2:35 a.m.

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Boat Inspection Program to Start May 21st

The Lake George Park Commission has amended its decision on the opening date of the Mandatory Boat Inspection Program on Lake George.

The inspection program will now begin on Thursday, May 21, ahead of the busy Memorial Day weekend. However, there are already boat launches open on Lake George.

People can launch their boats before the Mandatory Boat Inspection Program starts and many public launches are now open. Remember, it is always the boater’s responsibility to arrive “Clean, Drained, Dry” – but that is even more critical until the inspection program is started for the season.

Up until this year, the Park Commission has started this program on May 1st.

Congratulations on one small bit of normalcy that accompanies this welcome decision.

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NYS Coronavirus Update

New York will allow golfers to hit the course and boaters to hit the water during the coronavirus pandemic after all. Empire State Development, the state authority in charge of determining essential and nonessential businesses, updated its guidance for golf courses, allowing them to open. This past weekend, New York joined the states of Connecticut and New Jersey in opening up marinas, boatyards and boat launches for recreational use.

The Lake George Park Commission will hold their next meeting via teleconference. Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 10:00 am. Boats have already been seen in Lake George.

Assemblyman Dan Stec (R,C,I-Queensbury) today applauded the announcement by Governor Cuomo that New York State will use a regional approach to reopening New York State’s economy. This move comes on the heels of the bipartisan advocacy of Assemblyman Stec, local and regional leaders and area small business owners to abandon a one-size-fits-all approach for one that more accurately reflects the situation on the ground in different parts of the state.

“I welcome the Governor’s announcement that our state will reopen region-by-region,” Stec said. “As I’ve personally said to the Governor’s office during daily updates and heard from local business owners and elected officials, we need to acknowledge that the needs of the North Country and other parts of the state at this time are simply not the same as the needs of New York City and downstate suburbs. Today’s announcement is a sign that the Governor has listened and is responding to what I and so many upstate leaders have said and encouraged.”

DEC personnel from across agency divisions and regions statewide continue to support the State’s response to the COVID-19 public health crisis. Personnel from more than 20 New York State agencies are working on response efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. DEC Forest Rangers’ expertise in the Incident Command System (ICS) and experience in applying ICS to wide area searches and large wildland fire have made them a key part of this statewide effort.

A statewide antibody testing survey has now begun. This survey will randomly sample 3,000 New Yorkers to estimate the percentage of the population that has already had COVID-19 and may now be immune. This will be the first true snapshot of what NY is dealing with.

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NYS Coronavirus Update

We have now lost 10,056 New Yorkers to this vicious virus. We lost 671 people on Easter Sunday — an unfathomable loss. Behind each of these numbers is a face, a family and untold suffering. We are #NewYorkTough for them.

The Lake George Park Commission has announced that it is delaying the start of the Mandatory Boat Inspection Program for a month until June 1. Read the announcement here.

“The Commission must balance the risk of new introductions of aquatic invasive species versus the health and safety of the public and our staff,” notes Chairman Bruce Young. “An analysis of launch data from the past six years of the mandatory inspection program shows a lower risk for invasives introductions in the month of May compared with the summer months. Only 4% of annual decontaminations occur in May, and most boats are being launched for the first time of the season.”

Boaters are still required to have a Lake George boat registration sticker for 2020, and all boats still must arrive at Lake George “clean, drained and dry” notes Dave Wick, the LGPC Executive Director.

The New York State DEC has issued new guidelines on social distancing while out on the Lake. With anglers and early boaters getting out on the Lake, this is important reading.

Reminder: To ensure boater safety during “cold water” weather — from Nov. 1 to May 1 — state navigation law states that everyone on a boat that’s 21 feet long or shorter must wear a personal flotation device.

Elsewhere:

Celebrated Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli gave an Easter performance from the Cathedral of Milan that was seen by over 26 million people around the world — although no one was in attendance in person.

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Huletts From Across the Lake


A view of Huletts Landing from the opposite side of Lake George taken on Thursday morning, March 26, 2020. Photo Credit: The Lake George Association (Click image to see larger view.)

Today, Pat Dowd, the Director of Communications for the Lake George Association, emailed some pictures from some of the surrounding communities around the Lake. All is very quiet. The above picture caught my attention so I asked Mr. Dowd if I could share it here. It was taken this morning from the scenic overlook from the west shore of Lake George. As you can see, there is still snow on the ground from this week’s snowfall. Many thanks to Mr. Dowd and the Lake George Association for obliging. For all of us riding out the COVID-19 pandemic, all pictures of Lake George are very welcome indeed.

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Lake George Ice Breaking Up


The ice on Lake George is breaking up. (Click image to see full scale.)

Today, there are large areas of open water on Lake George as the ice begins to break up. Much of the lake north of Huletts is already open. While there is still ice near the center of Huletts and to the south, it should be gone shortly.

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DEC Statewide Forest Ranger Rescue Near Lake George

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents statewide. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations, and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured, or distressed people from the backcountry.

On Feb. 23 at 7:53 p.m., Warren County 911 transferred a call to DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch from two hikers on the Northwest Bay Trail. The hikers started their hike that morning and one of them, a 36-year-old male from Selden, was suffering from exhaustion and dehydration. Coordinates obtained through 911 placed the hikers about four miles from the Clay Meadows Trail. Forest Ranger Evan Donegan responded, along with the Bolton Landing Fire Department and their airboat. At 8:31 p.m., the responders were on Lake George and heading to the hikers’ last known location. They were located at 9:23 p.m., returned to shore, and hiked back out to the trailhead.

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Winter from the Top of Black Mountain


Looking north up Lake George from Black Mountain shows the northern end of the lake is still open water. (Click image to see full-scale.)


Looking northwest from the same spot shows the middle of the lake is mostly frozen. The snow covered mountain in the upper left center of the photo is Mt Marcy. The sharp peak in the far distant close to center of the photo is Whiteface. (Click image to see full-scale.)

“I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world”

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LGLC Protects 212 Acres in Bolton


One of the streams that cross the newly protected property, once part of Bolton’s Twin Pines Resort. (Click image to see larger view.)

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) closed on the purchase of 212 acres in the Town of Bolton on December 20, 2019, ending the year with a significant conservation win for the lake.

The property was part the Twin Pines Resort owned by the McGurl family. The resort will continue to be run unaffected by this sale. The LGLC will hold the property until the Town of Bolton is able to purchase it from LGLC encumbered by a conservation easement. This transfer is expected to take place in early 2020.

The property includes about 20 acres of wetlands and 3,000 feet of stream corridor, and is adjacent to the popular Cat and Thomas Mountains Preserve owned by the New York State Department of Conservation (NYS DEC).

The LGLC will work with the McGurls and the Town of Bolton to make sure that future trails are well thought-out and have minimum impact on the land and landowners around Trout Lake. Similar to its collaboration with the Town in 2015 when the LGLC protected the Pinnacle, the LGLC will help manage the property and its trails, once they are established.

“We thank the McGurl family for their patience throughout this process,” said LGLC Executive Director Jamie Brown, “and for wanting to work with us to protect the land that has been a part of their family since 1986. This great property will simultaneously protect the water quality of Lake George in perpetuity, while also providing recreational access to some of Bolton’s most beautiful forests.”

Tom McGurl, Jr. said, “As we looked to the future, we wanted to be sure that Twin Pines would continue as a destination for our guests who have enjoyed the property for many generations, while ensuring that the land, views, and water would be protected in perpetuity. Working with the LGLC was a natural fit to accomplish this goal. Ultimately, lands that have sat mostly unused will, in time, be added to the recreational hub, linking Trout lake to the recreational opportunities of the Pinnacle, and Cat and Thomas Mountains. This will further enhance of Bolton Landing as an outdoor recreation destination.”

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 addition of these 212 acres in such a key area of Bolton is a huge step forward for the Hub,” continued Brown. “The trails anticipated for the property as well as possible connectors to Cat Mountain and beyond are highly appealing for any outdoor enthusiast. In addition, the LGLC plans to install educational signage along these trails so that hikers leave with knowledge about the significance of land protection and water quality.”

“Twin Pines on Trout Lake has been an institution in Bolton Landing since the early 1920’s,” continued McGurl. “Over the years, the business has adjusted to meet the needs of our customer base. One thing, however, has remind constant. Twin Pines is a labor of love and dedication to the property, the lake we enjoy, and our community. The reputation of the LGLC as stewards of the Lake George Basin has enabled our property to be protected from development while still being enjoyed by the public.”

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Video: 2019 Lake George Association Protection Highlights

The Lake George Association posted a video of their conservation efforts from 2019 which includes a great segment about their work replacing the ‘firehouse’ culvert in Huletts Landing. Many thanks to the Lake George Association and their benefactors for their work in the Lake George basin.