High Winds and Loose Ice


The ice is starting to break up on Lake George.

Extremely high winds caused all types of havoc in Warren county and Washington county yesterday. Trees and power lines were down and ice is being pushed around the lake as it breaks up.


Large chunks of ice in many bays, as it is pushed toward shore by the high winds.

Champlain Power Express Hopes to Lay Power Line Through Dresden

The Champlain Power Express is a project you will hear about over the next few months as the developers hope to run an underground electricity transmission line 333 miles from a substation in Canada to a substation in Queens New York, with the goal of supplying additional power to New York City.

The project has been years in the works, starting in 2009. The proposed route would take the line underground through Dresden along state Route 22. It would only carry electricity that would be generated almost exclusively in hydroelectric plants in Canada. It would not carry gas, fuel oil or other hazardous materials.


The proposed route would take the planned transmission line underground through Dresden to Whitehall near the South Bay bridge.

The project would bring additional tax revenue to the Town of Dresden, Washington county and the Whitehall school district because the transmission line becomes a taxable asset when it is placed in the ground. More details coming soon.

Anne Diggory Show at Blue Mountain Gallery in NYC Includes Painting with Historical Connection to Huletts.

Local artist, Anne Diggory, has a wonderful show at the Blue Mountain gallery in New York City running until February 24th at 4:00 pm entitled: Out of place – shifts in media, location, and content. There will be a closing reception at 4:00 pm on February 24th.

If you live or work in New York – you should try to stop by. Below she talks about a painting she created in Huletts Landing, which contains nearly the same view as a work created by David Johnson in 1874.

I started the video below at the 4:20 mark and Ms. Diggory explains this painting until the 5:13 mark.

LGLC on the Frontline Facing HWA Threat


A damaged hemlock forest caused by hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). (Jason VanDriesche Bugwood.org)

We sometimes take our trees for granted, but there is one that we need to start paying closer attention to now, before it joins the American chestnut in history books.

The Eastern hemlock is one of the most abundant trees in New York and a major component of the forests here in the Lake George watershed. It is an iconic part of the area, visible in nearly every corner of the watershed. They stabilize streambanks and shorelines, protect water quality of the streams that flow into the lake, and provide major economic value to the local timber industry.

The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is a terrestrial invasive insect native to East Asia that attacks hemlock trees and has been killing large swaths of hemlock forest from the Great Smokey Mountains to the Catskills since first discovered in the 1980’s. The pest spreads primarily by “hitch-hiking” on birds and other animals, and has been making its way north to the Adirondacks; just last summer a very small population was found on Prospect Mountain in Lake George. Extreme cold has been found to help slow its spread and reduce populations, but is still unable to completely do away with the threat of HWA.

Once HWA is discovered, insecticides can be used to treat infected trees, but this can be a costly and labor-intensive process, and its success depends on early detection. Alternatively, biological controls are being developed, including beetles and flies that are natural predators of the HWA, though creating populations large enough to make a difference will take time.

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) is on the frontline facing the HWA threat here in the Lake George watershed. When the HWA was discovered on Prospect Mountain in 2017, LGLC staff worked side by side with the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to survey the area around the infected trees for signs of additional HWA infestation, and also assisted with the treatment work on the infected trees.

In October, the LGLC was part of a community workshop in Hague put together by town officials and discussed the issue along with APIPP, the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK), and Professor Mark Whitmore of Cornell University, a leading authority on HWA. Professor Whitmore is working to develop the bio-control that may help to manage the HWA infestation in the future. The LGLC hopes to work with other local partners, including the Fund for Lake George, Lake George Association, and towns around the lake to host additional workshops for municipal leaders as well as residents and other community members. The LGLC is also working with the S.A.V.E. Lake George partnership to raise awareness and seek funding for efforts to address this major threat to the watershed.

As one of the largest landowners within the watershed, the LGLC is being pro-active in its efforts to meet the challenge of the HWA on its own land. This winter, their land steward has begun surveying its preserves and checking hemlocks for the invasive pest. Focus is put on critical stands along stream corridors and wetlands.


HWA infestations can be most noticeably detected by the small, white, woolly masses produced by the insects that are attached to the underside of the twig, near the base of the needles.

Volunteers are also being trained in what to look for and how to report their surveys of trails and other lands. All of these surveys and any possible findings are then uploaded to iMapInvasives, a collaborative, state-wide online invasive species database and mapping system that is accessible to the public.

The scope of this early detection work is enormous, and volunteer help is crucial. The LGLC plans on continuing its partnerships with ADK and APIPP to host and support additional training workshops, to increase the number of volunteer “citizen” monitors. With this additional help, once the LGLC monitors the 4,200 acres that it owns and holds conservation easements on, it will be able to expand efforts to monitor the 3,200 acres that the LGLC manages for the DEC, and possibly other DEC land as well (with permission).

In the event that HWA is discovered on its own land, the LGLC is prepared. By the end of this winter, its staff will have the necessary credentials to apply the treatments to infected trees and the surrounding area. The LGLC cannot treat private lands or DEC land, but will alert its partners if any HWA outbreaks are found there. It is also looking into ways to provide habitat for the biocontrol predators, as well as cones and stock for hemlocks so that if an outbreak occurs on protected land, new hemlocks can be grown to replace those that die.

The HWA is a challenging threat to Lake George’s hemlock forests, as evidenced by its impact on the Smokey Mountains and Catskills, but the LGLC is a formidable force in Lake George’s defense. To date, the organization has spent approximately 1,500 hours of staff time on outreach, research, training, and on the ground monitoring to battle this invasive, at a cost of $75,000. We won’t be able to check every hemlock, or entirely stop it from coming, but by preparing now, we can lessen its impact and help our native hemlocks continue to be an icon for generations to come.

LGPC 2017 Boat Inspection Report Released


The Lake George Park Commission has released the 2017 Boat Inspection report for Lake George. It’s a very interesting read with numbers of boats inspected as well as types of invasive species caught before they could enter the lake. (Click the image above to read the entire report.)

LGLC Conserves Land on East Brook, Protecting Water Quality


East Brook, one of Lake George’s ten largest tributaries, flows through a property recently protected by the LGLC in the Town of Lake George. Photo Credit: LGLC (Click to see full-scale.)

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has protected sensitive property in the Town of Lake George along the main branch of East Brook, one of the top ten tributaries of Lake George. The 12-acre property contains over 500 feet of stream corridor and riparian area as well as several acres of wetlands that help to naturally protect water quality.

Located on the west side of Bloody Pond Rd, the heavily wooded property abuts Lake George Elementary School land. Some of the land was zoned as High Density Residential and the topography would have allowed up to five homes right on East Brook. Although the LGLC is not anti-development, the protection of this sensitive land for the benefit of water quality made it a high conservation priority.

There is clear evidence of soil erosion from storm water coming off of I-87 and neighboring roadways. The LGLC is partnering with Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) to assess the property and define steps that can be taken to improve the condition of the stream and reduce further erosion.

“The 12 acre property the that the Lake George Land Conservancy recently purchased is an interesting piece,” explained Jim Lieberum, district manager of the Warren County SWCD, “as it has both the main stem and a tributary located on it. The property is heavily forested and has some impressive hemlock, white pine, ash and sugar maples scattered throughout. Walking the site reveals that there have been impacts to the streams and their channels as eroding banks and collapsed trees are found in various sections of the streams. I believe that some maintenance of the site is plausible to stabilize the affected sections, but a review upstream of the areas is warranted to ensure what is done will be lasting and compliments the conservation efforts on this parcel.”

The property was owned by the McPhillips family, who desired to see the land protected. They generously agreed to sell the land to the LGLC below the property’s appraised value through what’s called a bargain sale.

“We are so grateful to the McPhillips family,” said LGLC Executive Director Jamie Brown, “both for their generosity in selling the land to us through a bargain sale as well as their conservation ethic and wonderful stewardship of this land over the years. This is a model conservation project—we had a generous and willing landowner, an important conservation property, enthusiastic and excited supporters, and a really exciting game plan as to what we will be doing with the property in the future, which is bringing people onto the land to understand why it was important to protect, the role that it plays in protecting the lake, and just to get them out and see a beautiful spot.”

Bits of Everything

WCAX TV – Lake George Patrol Officers to be Armed Next Year
That’s right. They’ll be carrying guns now.

The Adirondack Explorer: Grant to Help Salt Runoff and Invasives in Lake George Basin
With the cold, comes salt and it’s harmful effect on the environment. Now a grant seeks to combat this.

NY Post: Snowy Owls being Tracked as they Head South
They have been seen in Huletts. Learn more here.

North Country Public Radio: 50-55 Below Zero Possible on Some Adirondack Summits this Week
No fooling around with cold this cold.

LGLC Receives $50k for Pilot Knob Restoration and Enhancement


Visitors relax at the gazebo on the Lake George Land Conservancy’s Schumann Preserve for Pilot Knob in Fort Ann. View of Lake George is west toward Bolton and north up Lake George.

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has been awarded a $40,000 from the New York State Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) and a $10,000 grant from the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust for a comprehensive Trail Reconstruction and Enhancement Project at the Schumann Preserve at Pilot Knob in Fort Ann.

In total, more than $123,000 has been raised through grants and individual donors to complete the massive project, which includes an expanded parking area (completed this summer), the re-routing of the preserve’s trails and the installation of features that will result in less erosion from storm water, and a safer pathway for users. The LGLC has contracted with Tahawus Trails to design and complete the trail work. The Pilot Knob Project also includes the creation and installation of a new kiosk and trail-side educational signage to better promote the land’s ecological and conservation values.

The LGLC’s Pilot Knob Project is one of more than 1,000 projects across the state to receive $755 million in awards through the seventh round of the REDC competition, which was announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo on December 13.

The Capital Region Economic Development Council, whose coverage area includes Lake George, received $85 million supporting 110 projects that support economic growth. The LGLC grant comes through the Recreational Trails Program, administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

“Outdoor experiential recreation and education is proven to increase local economies,” said LGLC Executive Director Jamie Brown, “boost health and provide a positive impact for all involved, including the hiker, tourist, local business and local community. The work to be done at Pilot Knob will boost and improve the user experience by providing additional trail amenities, which in turn, will provide economic benefits to the surrounding towns.”

The grant from the Solomon Charitable Trust will fund the purchase of six educational signage panels and stands, as well as a sustainable kiosk at the head of the trail. This signage will present informative, relevant and useful information to visitors of all ages in regards to the Preserve, the plants and animals present, as well as the role of land conservation in protecting the water quality of Lake George.

All of these improvements will reflect positively on the Preserve and in turn will raise visibility of the LGLC and the importance of land protection and proper stewardship throughout the area and the Adirondack Park.


Preserve improvements like this newly expanded and improved parking area are part of an overall reconstruction project for the LGLC’s Schumann Preserve for Pilot Knob in Fort Ann.

In addition to these latest grants, the LGLC also received $40,000 for the Pilot Knob Project from the New York State Smart Growth grants awarded in August, and $33,600 from private donors.

“We are very excited to see so much support for this iconic Preserve,” said Brown. “The Preserve’s location and relatively short hike with a beautiful view of the lake makes it very popular, and these grants will allow us to make sure the trails stay safe and environmentally sustainable for many years to come.”

Named in honor of LGLC’s past executive director, Lynn LaMontagne Schumann, who was instrumental in its preservation, the Schumann Preserve at Pilot Knob is a 223-acre preserve on Pilot Knob Road. Protected by the LGLC in 2000, the popular Preserve now hosts over 4,000 visitors each year, which is not sustainable with the existing trails.

An Aerial View on ‘Black Friday’

An aerial view of Huletts, taken on Thanksgiving day, November 23, 2017. (Click to see full-scale.)

While you are hopefully enjoying “Black Friday”, preferably from in front of a computer screen, here is an aerial view of the Landing, taken from above Burgess Island. (Many thanks to Liam Ballantyne for the photo.)

LGLC Receives Grant from TNC, Dome Island Committee


Dome Island as seen from Bolton Landing.

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has received a grant of $10,000 from The Nature Conservancy via its Dome Island Endowment, in support of the stewardship of Dome Island and other lands in the Lake George watershed.

The Nature Conservancy’s Dome Island Committee meets several times a year to review projects funded by past grants and advise future spending. Funds are sourced from an endowment that was created before John Apperson donated the 16-acre Dome Island in Bolton to The Nature Conservancy in 1956. John Apperson challenged The Nature Conservancy and the Lake George community to raise a $20,000 endowment to support stewardship of the property, which was to be protected in perpetuity.

The people of Lake George responded to this challenge and the endowment has grown over the years to allow for the distribution of generous grants each year for research, stewardship and conservation initiatives on Dome Island and within the watershed. To date, the Committee has granted more than $100,000 to the LGLC, for stewardship of the land that protects the lake, and for specific conservation projects that have significant impact on the water quality.

“We are once again honored to have the support of the Dome Island Committee members and The Nature Conservancy, which oversees the endowment,” said LGLC Executive Director Jamie Brown. “John Apperson would be proud to know his donation of Dome Island has resulted in a huge impact on the health of Lake George, for Dome Island and beyond. We thank the Committee for their continued partnership in our efforts to protect the land that protects the lake.”

Bits of Everything

Whitehall Times: Local Vendor May Quit because of ‘Honor System’ Decline
The Whitehall Times reports on a local produce vendor who is about to throw in the towel because of thievery.

Spectrum News Rochester (Article & Video): Golisano Withholding Tax Payment Because of Geese Problem
What do you do when the you have a really bad geese problem? Here is his response.

The Sun Newspapers: New ‘Text Stop’ on 87
New Northway “Text Stop” profiled in the Sun Newspapers.

LGLC Receives International Paper Foundation Grant, Local Donation

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) received a grant of $2,000 from the International Paper Foundation for the creation of interpretive signage to be installed at its Cook Mountain Preserve in Ticonderoga.

The signage is part of the LGLC’s watershed-wide effort to increase awareness and educational opportunities along its 35-miles of trails. The Cook Mountain signs will include information such as the natural succession of a beaver pond and the cultural history of northern Lake George.

The Cook Mountain Preserve’s trail system includes a scenic viewpoint overlooking northern Lake George, Lake Champlain, and the mountains of Vermont. The ridgeline visible on the lake’s eastern side includes Mount Defiance, a historic site owned by Fort Ticonderoga. The entire area surrounding Mount Defiance has important historic significance that will be described on the new signage.

“We are grateful for the continued support from our friends at International Paper,” said LGLC Executive Director Jamie Brown, “Partnerships like this help the LGLC to increase the positive impact of our land on the community beyond the obvious benefit of protecting water quality. Thanks to IP, visitors to our Cook Mountain Preserve will now learn more about the land, why it’s protected, and be even more motivated to get out and enjoy the outdoors.”

The LGLC also received a donation of paper, valued at $455, from the International Paper’s Ticonderoga Mill, used for the printing of its fall/winter newsletter.

“International Paper, through its corporate Foundation and locally, has been a generous and solid partner over the years,” said LGLC Communications and Outreach Manager Sarah Hoffman. “The local mill has shown great support of our efforts in the Ticonderoga area, for conservation, volunteerism, and educational efforts that enhance the northern Lake George communities. We are grateful for their donations of paper and support of our grant applications for the continuation of these efforts.”