Wild Turkeys
Seen next to the Huletts Library & Gallery.
(Click image to see full-scale.)
Children’s Event: Friday
I’m pleased to announce that the Pember Museum’s “Bernie” Hoffman will return to the Huletts Landing Library & Gallery (the old firehouse) on Friday, July 27th with a talk for children entitled: Identifying Adirondack animals and crafts.
Time: 10:00 am till noon.
The forecast calls for some rain tomorrow so it sounds like a great morning for the kids.
Sponsored by the Friends of Historic Huletts Landing. (FHHL)
Step Lightly
Neal Vandorsten sent me this picture of a rattlesnake he passed on a hike on Sunday outside of Bolton.
Click on image to see full scale.
Summer Deer
Banded Mystery Snail
While out swimming yesterday, I noticed a few of these little snails sitting on a rock beneath the water line. Having never seen any before, I picked a few up, took a picture, and asked Emily DeBolt of the Lake George Association what they were. Here is part of her response to me:
They look like banded mystery snails. They are actually non-native to the lake – but have been here for at least 100 years – probably longer – so they are pretty well established. Their impacts are not well known – so they aren’t considered ‘invasive’ per se – just ‘ non-native’ at this point. But that point could be debated by experts in the field…. They are usually just in the sand – not on rocks – but they could have been on a rock as you said. These things have ‘boom and bust’ cycles for reasons that we don’t necessarily understand – and I would say that this looks like this year we had a ‘bust’! Snails are associated with swimmer itch – along with ducks and geese. The ‘itch’ is actually traveling between the snails and the waterfowl when the ‘swimmer’ accidentally gets in the way.
So now you know.
LGA Seeks Volunteers for Annual Adirondack Loon Census
On Saturday July 21, the Wildlife Conservation Society will be conducting an annual loon census with the help of local Adirondack residents and visitor volunteers.
The Lake George Association coordinates volunteers on Lake George; multiple volunteers are needed to cover 176 miles of shoreline simultaneously during the hour of the census. To register and sign up for a section of Lake George to monitor, please contact the LGA at 518-668-3558. The LGA will provide information on how to participate, and a data sheet.
Census volunteers will monitor a selected portion of the Lake from 8 – 9 am, and report the number of adult loons, chicks, and immature loons they observe. Similar loon censuses are also conducted in other states throughout the Northeast at the same time on the same day, contributing to a thorough regional overview of the population’s current status.
This data provides a quick glimpse of the status of the breeding loon population in and around the Adirondack Park and across New York State. The results help guide management decisions and policies that affect loons. One of the major findings of the 2010 census: The Adirondack loon population has almost doubled since the last pre-census analysis in the 1980s, and now totals some 1,500–2,000 birds.
The Annual Loon Census is a project of the Wildlife Conservation Society Adirondack Program and is conducted in partnership with Biodiversity Research Institute’s Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation.
For more information, contact the LGA at (518) 668-3558 or visit the LGA website at www.lakegeorgeassociation.org.
One Big Fish
Gavin Rodgers celebrates after catching a 25-inch lake trout with Jim Mintel off of Huletts on Monday.
Bits of Everything
Pictures: New Whitehall Athletic Club
The Post Star carried some great pictures of the new Whitehall Athletic Club, formerly the Whitehall Armory.
Bird with Bracelet Spotted in Huletts
A Canadian goose was spotted wearing a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service band reports the Post Star.
Famous Civil War Photographer Born Nearby
The New York History Blog reports on Matthew Brady’s nearby birthplace. I’ve always heard rumors, although unsubstantiated, that Brady, the famous Civil War photographer, took pictures in and/or visited Huletts during his lifetime.
Partners? Warren County Officials Dismayed over Lake George Park Ownership Dispute
The Adirondack Journal explains the ownership saga of the new Charles Wood park in Lake George.
The Lake George Land Conservancy Purchases 500 Acres in Bolton
The Lake George Land Conservancy closed on the purchase of nearly 500 acres of ponds, marshes and forests in the uplands of Bolton Landing. The property, located between Padanarum and Trout Falls Roads, as well as a portion lying to the west of Trout Falls Road, will be opened to the public with hiking trails and pond access this summer. (Photo at right: a section of the beaver pond within the Padanarum property.)
The LGLC purchased the property for $500,000 from a conservation buyer, who held the land until LGLC was able to finalize the purchase. Funding for the deal will be provided through two grants: a State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) grant from the New York Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, which was awarded to LGLC in 2007 for this acquisition, and a Federal North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant.
The Bolton property includes the headwaters for Indian Brook and contains important wildlife habitat within its large, unfragmented forest and wetland complexes. Protecting this fragile property prevents excess nutrients and sediments from flowing into Indian Brook and Northwest Bay.
The LGLC is thrilled that this acquisition has finally come to fruition. Protection of this property will assure that the headwaters of Indian Brook will remain clean and wild, which will protect the drinking water quality of Lake George. This is a wilderness treasure and a gift to the future of incalculable value, and the LGLC thanks the many people who worked to make the acquisition possible.
LGLC staff and volunteers will create hiking trails this summer for passive recreation, exploration and education, as well as place a kiosk on the land that will help visitors learn of the many types of wildlife that use the land for mating, nesting and habitation. The northern pond will remain as a wilderness area, accessible primarily by canoe or a wood’s trail where visitors can enjoy the rare experience of wilderness in Bolton Landing.
Bits of Everything
Lake George Road Getting Porous Pavement
For a long time I’ve been a proponent of having technical advances play a part in environmental protection. The Adirondack Almanack has an interesting piece on porous pavement.
Lake George Park Commission Committee Wants All Boats Washed
The Lake George Park Commission is toying with the idea of washing boats before they go in the lake, so says the Post Star.
Whitehall Man Charged in Burglaries
The Post Star reports on a Whitehall man serving time in Vermont being charged with break ins from Washington County.
Winter Raptor Fest Celebrates Endangered Birds of Prey
An interesting symposium on at-risk winter birds.
Rabid Goat Confirmed in Essex County
A rabid goat has been confirmed north of Huletts Landing in Essex County.
In addition to this, there have been 4 rabies positive raccoon’s, multiple skunks, and 1 fox in Washington County within the past year.
Rabies is spread through the saliva or brain tissue of an infected animal. In many instances, it comes through a bite. If treatment is initiated promptly following a rabies exposure, rabies can be prevented. If a rabies exposure is not treated and a person develops clinical signs of rabies, the disease almost always results in death.
In animals, many times the animal gets aggressive. In other instances the animal grows lethargic. Seeing a nocturnal animal in the daytime can be a sign that that animal has rabies.
Exposure to rabies may be minimized by:
* having all pets vaccinated and keeping them up-to-date on their vaccinations
* avoiding contact with all wild animals, especially those acting abnormally (such as being out during the day when they are typically nighttime animals)
To control the spread of rabies in wild animals, such as raccoons, the New York State Department of Health oversees projects to distribute a special bait containing rabies vaccine. Baits are placed in areas frequented by raccoons in order to immunize them against rabies.
Please be careful, rabies has been found in numerous animals nearby.
Bits of Everything
Flooding Spawns Aggressive Mosquitoes
The Burlington Free Press has an article on a new round of late mosquitoes.
Town of Whitehall Considering a 10% Tax Increase
The Post Star reports that the town of Whitehall already wants to override the new tax cap.
Milfoil Found in Lake Champlain South Bay
The Adirondack Almanack has a good overview of the problem with Milfoil in South Bay.
Mountain Lion Passed This Way
The Albany Times Union tells us that the DEC was aware of a mountain lion passing through Lake George Village last December.
Two Loons
Two loons photographed off of Huletts.
Picture submitted by Kathy Francis.