Category: Local Wildlife

Photo of the “Reed Property” on the east shore and north toward Ticonderoga, taken from the west shore’s Roger’s Little Slide. (Click image to see full-scale.)

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has purchased 140 acres that are part of the South Mountain range in Putnam, for the price of $210,000. The closing took place on December 15, 2015.

Contrary to its name, South Mountain is in the northeastern corner of Lake George, stretching between Mount Defiance in Ticonderoga and the Anthony’s Nose property in Putnam.

The acquisition of this 140-acre piece, the “Reed property,” is the first major accomplishment in LGLC’s South Mountain Initiative, a project that aims to protect the entire South Mountain ridge line with the goals of ridge line protection, wildlife habitat protection, and recreational connectivity.

The entire South Mountain ridge line, which is mostly undeveloped, is highly visible from Roger’s Rock and LGLC’s Cook Mountain Preserve in Ticonderoga, and is also a dominant part of the visible landscape from Fort Ticonderoga.

Full panorama of South Mountain range, from Mt Defiance to Flat Rock, taken from the west shore. Huletts Landing is visible on the opposite side of the lake – far right hand corner. (Click image to see full-scale.)

In addition to providing a continuous stretch of forest for wildlife habitat, the mountain range has been identified as a “core forest block,” in a 2013 study conducted by the Vermont Chapter of The Nature Conservancy in partnership with the Staying Connected Initiative. These forest blocks are key to providing habitat linkage from Vermont’s Green Mountains to the Adirondack Park for wide-ranging mammals such as the bobcat, fisher and moose.

The Reed property contains a large vernal pool, possibly one of the largest vernal pools in the Lake George watershed. Vernal pools are critical breeding habitats for amphibians, including frogs and salamanders. In addition, birds such as egrets, ducks, and hawks use vernal pools as a seasonal source of food and water.

A major focus for the South Mountain Initiative has also been to increase recreational opportunities, especially to connect existing trails in Ticonderoga to those managed by LGLC in Putnam. The acquisition of the Reed property was a necessary step towards this goal. The LGLC has been in ongoing conversations with neighboring landowners since the summer of 2015 to implement trail easements that would allow the creation of a public trail corridor nearly 7 miles long, stretching from Mount Defiance to LGLC’s Anthony’s Nose Preserve trailhead. Further efforts are also underway to connect Anthony’s Nose to LGLC’s Last Great Shoreline and Gull Bay Preserves. Once completed, the trail would have multiple trailheads and include several scenic viewpoints that would look out over Lake George and the greater Adirondacks, as well as Lake Champlain and Vermont.

Funding for the Reed property acquisition was secured through grants from the Helen V. Froehlich Foundation ($135,000) and the Wildlife Forever Fund ($10,000), and through individual donors, most of whom gave during LGLC’s annual celebration on July 31, 2015.

Looking out to Lake George from the Norowal Cabin Owners’ Association property in Bolton.

The Lake George Association has partnered with the Norowal Cabin Owners’ Association to install a native plant buffer along a section of the association’s shoreline along the Lake. In addition to wanting to buffer the shoreline to help protect the Lake from any potential stormwater runoff in the area, the association is also hoping that the buffer will help keep Canada geese off their property.

“We were very excited to partner with the homeowner’s association on this project. Complaints about Canada geese are nothing new around the Lake. In fact, earlier this summer we partnered with USDA/APHIS Wildlife Services to begin a Canada goose survey of the Lake as a first step in developing a management plan,” said Emily DeBolt, LGA’s Outreach Coordinator. “However, there are steps that property owners can take on their own as well,” said DeBolt.

A view in from the lake.

One such step is maintaining – or re-creating – a more natural shoreline. When geese have a direct line from the Lake to tasty, green grass, it is like an open invitation for them. “We can’t really blame the geese,” said DeBolt. “I know it isn’t what people want to hear, but we have created an ideal scenario for them and they are just obliging.”

Luckily, the homeowners at the Norowal Cabin Owners’ Association listened to what DeBolt had to say. The shoreline buffer installed at the Norowal Homeowner’s Association property will hopefully help with the goose problem come spring. By then, the native perennials installed this fall will be getting established, and will be tall enough to deter the geese, but not so tall as to impede the view of the Lake for the homeowners that use the property. “We were thrilled to work with the LGA staff to make this project happen,’ said Cheryl Lamb, Association member. “We have wanted to address our shoreline area for a while now, but we just weren’t sure where to begin. The LGA’s expertise made it possible. We can’t thank them enough for all their help.”

Native blue flag iris is planted on the left. Invasive yellow iris appears on the right.

Another important part of this project was first removing a large section of yellow iris that had taken hold along the shoreline. Yellow iris is an extremely invasive plant that is found along the shorelines of the Lake. The seeds float, so the water carries them, allowing the plant to pop up anywhere the wind takes it. “What was interesting about this yellow iris was that on the same section of shoreline there was also the native blue flag iris as well just a few feet away. You could really tell the difference between the two in terms of size when they were next to each other like that. We were sure to remove the invasive yellow iris but keep the native blue flag iris as part of the new buffer,” said DeBolt. “We will be sure to monitor the planting next year to see if any bits of yellow iris pop back up as well. We did our best to remove it all, but it is always a good idea to monitor an area for a few years just to make sure you got it all.”

“This buffer had many different components to it that will benefit the Lake. We were able to not only remove invasive species, but also then plant native species to both better stabilize the shoreline to prevent erosion and provide a buffer before stormwater runoff reaches the lake. And as if all that wasn’t enough, it will also discourage geese from using the area,” said DeBolt. “We really wish everyone would consider buffering their shoreline with native plants. It’s not only an investment in your property, but it’s also an investment in the Lake. We can’t think of a better win-win than that.”