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DEC Advises Public to Be Alert for Moose in the Adirondacks

Motorists should be alert for moose on roadways in the Adirondacks and surrounding areas at this time of year during peak moose activity, advises the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

Early fall is the breeding season for moose in northern New York. During this time moose are wandering looking for mates, leading them to areas where they are not typically seen. While this improves the opportunities for people to enjoy sighting of a moose, it also increases the danger of colliding with one on the roadway.

Moose are much larger and taller than deer. Their large body causes greater damage, and, when struck, their height often causes them to impact the windshield of a car or pickup truck, not just the front of the vehicle. New York has no recorded human fatalities resulting from a crash with a moose.

Moose are most active at dawn and dusk, which are times of poor visibility. Moose are especially difficult to see at night because of their dark brown to black coloring and their height – which puts their head and much of their body above vehicle headlights.

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DEC Announces Sentencing of Saranac Man for Illegal Taking of Moose

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced the sentencing of a Saranac man for illegally poaching a moose in October 2019. On Sept. 3, 2020, DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement investigation into the moose poaching concluded when Zachary Vaughan, 26, of Saranac, New York, was sentenced in the Town of Franklin Criminal Court to 60 days in county jail and $5,525 in fines and surcharges. DEC also revoked Vaughan’s hunting privileges for five years.

DEC’s investigation began on Oct. 31, 2019, when ECO Favreau received a call from a camp member in the Chateaugay Highlands Easement reporting a dead cow moose on the property. The moose was transported to DEC’s Delmar Wildlife Resource Lab for a necropsy. The crime scene investigation continued with the aid of DEC K9 Diesel. Following a series of anonymous calls and an anonymous tip reported to the DEC Environmental Crime Tip-Line, Zachary Vaughan was identified as the shooter.

While Vaughan initially denied the claims, ECOs obtained a supporting deposition. A search warrant was executed on Nov. 26, 2019, by DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement at the home of Vaughan and his parents, during which officers obtained a voluntary statement from Vaughan regarding the poaching incident. On Dec. 4, 2019, Vaughan was charged with four misdemeanors: taking of a moose; possessing a loaded firearm in a vehicle; use of an artificial light in a vehicle while in possession of firearm; and hunting deer with the aid of an artificial light. He also was charged with three additional Environmental Conservation Law violations.

The moose, a protected mammal in New York State, is the largest member of the deer family and the largest land mammal in New York. Hunting moose in New York State is illegal.

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Fox Seen on Mountain


Recently a fox has been seen along the road as you come down the mountain into Huletts.

Drive slowly because it has been seen crossing County Route 6.

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Their Smiles Say it All

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.

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Float Like a Butterfly

Nature sometimes provides the most interesting of all dramas.

After today’s storm, I noticed a butterfly floating and moving about. As it moved, a small bird appeared and tried to eat it. But the butterfly fluttered and floated away every time the bird snapped at it. The bird ultimately gave up and the butterfly continued on its quite jerky path.

We see new things everyday!

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Lake George Fishing


A northern pike caught off of Huletts recently.

I really enjoy passing along pictures of large fish caught in Lake George. This picture was sent to me by some fishermen who caught this northern pike off of Huletts recently. I was told it was a “fight” to reel it in.

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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.

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Culverts: Not Just for Human Use

As everyone knows, Washington county is a large county with much of its total acreage dedicated to farming and dairy production. I like to occasionally spotlight things going on in the county that might be of interest. Today, I wanted to explain what the Washington County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) does.

The Washington County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) is a unique unit of local government that was founded in 1945. Their mission is to assist agricultural producers, rural landowners and municipalities with the management, conservation and best use of our natural resources. In plain terminology – they protect the County’s soil and water resources while maintaining the viability of agriculture as a preferred land use.

Culverts: Not Just for Human Use
by Laura Generous, District Technician

While many of us pay little attention to the culverts or bridges we pass on our daily commutes, or maybe just look at the picturesque water that flows through, aquatic critters must face the challenges they pose to get from one section of stream to the next. The North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaboration (NAACC) has set up a protocol to inventory culverts and bridges across the northeast.

Trained individuals use a variety of tools to record field observations of culverts and bridges along transportation routes such as roads, railways, and trails. These observations are then entered into a database, scored, and mapped. While the primary objective is to determine if the culvert is passable to aquatic organisms such as fish, frogs, and turtles, it also considers passage for our four-legged friends such as chipmunks, fox, and deer.

It is also a great way to determine the condition of the culvert, which can help highway workers add another — just cause for replacing something that may fail soon. These inventories help conservation efforts of several agencies and non-profits by ranking culverts as to the ability for an aquatic critter to get from one side of the culvert to the other.

This ranking can show funding sources and be used in grant applications to help replace these culverts, so they are safer for use to drive over as well as easy to pass through for our aquatic friends. Look at the pictures and think about which you would rather “swim” through, and which are a little unwelcoming.

Administrators Note: Many thanks to the Washington County Soil & Water Conservation District and Laura Generous for their permission to reprint their article and pictures here.

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Fifth Annual King George Fishing Derby


Love to fish? Lake George is ready for the fifth annual King George Fishing Derby on September 13th -15th. Are you ready? Prizes awarded for the heaviest fish in the following four categories: Lake Trout, Landlocked Salmon, Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass

Join hundreds of other anglers and get your entries in during September 13th -15th.

You can find the entry form – electronic or in PDF form – on the event’s website at http://www.KingGeorgeFishingDerby.com

Adults and children are invited to compete, as there are separate divisions for each. Cash prizes for the adult division are $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second, $500 for third, and $250 for fourth.

Adults can register for $50 and juniors can register for $30. FREE event T-shirt with early registration by August 31, 2019

For more information, please visit the event’s website at KingGeorgeFishingDerby.com or email info@kinggeorgefishingderby.com

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Big Fish That Did Not Get Away

It’s always interesting to see our fisherman friends hold up their “catch of the day.” Lake George has some of the best fishing around so it’s nice to see the folks who can reel them in. Many thanks to Gavin Rodgers and Vinny Benvenuto for sharing these great pictures.

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PBS features LGLC’s HWA Monitoring

In March, Lake George Land Conservancy Conservation Manager Monica and Land Steward Alex guided the Crooked Canes hiking group on a walk through the LGLC’s Cat & Thomas Mountains Preserve to look for the invasive pest Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA), a tiny, destructive bug that has found its way to the Adirondacks. If it spreads, the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) could threaten millions of Hemlock trees throughout the Adirondack Park.

Mountain Lake PBS‘s Thom Hallock joined in on the hike. View the video below!

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Birds Flying North is a Good Thing


Geese seen flying north this past week.

It has been a very slow “news” month but during the last week, the geese have been seen headed north and I have heard birds chirping in the morning, so hopefully warmer weather and some more activity will be here soon.