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Lake George Towns Get Sophisticated Salt-Spreading Equipment


Lake George Town Highway Supervisor Dan Davis (right) shows LGA Project Manager Randy Rath (left) how a Lake George Town driver would use the Dickey-john equipment that the LGA purchased for the Town.

Just in time for winter, the Lake George Association has purchased a package of sophisticated salt-spreading equipment for the Town of Lake George – the latest step in the LGA’s effort to protect Lake George water. Dresden and other lake-adjoining towns have received temperature sensors to monitor local roads.

The need for the equipment was identified in a 2014 report developed by Beth Gilles, Assistant Director of the Lake Champlain-Lake George Regional Planning Board, and Lake George Association staff.

“The greatest threat to Lake George’s water is storm runoff and pollution from sources other than industrial or agricultural sites,” said C. Walter Lender, Executive Director of the Lake George Association. “One of those sources is salt applied to roads in the winter. We all want clear and safe roads, and we must balance that need with the concern about how winter road maintenance practices are affecting Lake George. This purchase is the next step in addressing those concerns.”


Lake George Town Highway Supervisor Dan Davis (left) shows LGA Project Manager Randy Rath (right) the plow truck’s gate, through which the salt is sent to the spinner plate on the rear of the vehicle.

The Dickey-john Control Point System purchased for the Town of Lake George, at a cost of $6,000, allows the driver to precisely control the rate that material is sent to the truck’s spinner, and controls the speed of the truck’s spinner to maintain even coverage of salt, slowing and stopping when the truck does the same. Following the LGA’s investment, Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District purchased a second Dickey-john package to outfit a second truck for the Town of Lake George, allowing the town’s Highway Department to better control, monitor and track the amount of de-icing material being used on two of its major snow-clearing routes. The LGA also assisted the Regional Planning Board in the purchase of temperature sensors for the Town in 2014, and the Town is pairing the new equipment with the sensors.


The Dickey-john equipment is installed at the right hand of the Town of Lake George plow truck driver.

The sensors display the temperature of the roadway in real time. Because pavement is often warmer than the air – and because the snow or ice crystals will melt more quickly on warmer roads – the sensors allow the truck operator to apply enough material to ensure the snow/ice is melted without applying an overabundance of the material to the road.

In addition to the Town of Lake George, temperature sensors were purchased for and provided to the Town of Queensbury and the Town of Dresden. Dresden has temperature sensors as part of the purchase with the Lake Champlain Lake George Regional Planning Board. The Watershed Coalition subcommittee has discussed with Dresden the town’s needs and is working with them to get more information.

Dresden for years has used mostly sand on its roads – only 20% of what Dresden puts down is salt, according to the town. However, Dresden is working with the LGA and the LCLG Regional Planning Board to see where it can do more.

“We were pleased to accept the equipment for our trucks and have already installed both systems on two trucks,” said Dan Davis, Highway Superintendent for the Town of Lake George. “We are looking forward to seeing how well the equipment works to better control how much salt we are using.”

In addition to our own work, the Lake George Association is partnering with a subcommittee of the Lake George Watershed Coalition on a project to discover ways for regional DPWs to reduce their salt use if possible. The subcommittee includes Gilles, LGA Project Manager Randy Rath and LGA Education Director Kristen Rohne, and Dave Wick, Lake George Park Commission Executive Director.

The subcommittee has been surveying regional DPWs to better understand their winter road maintenance practices as well as develop a list of future equipment needs so the departments can better track and manage salt application.

(Photos Courtesy of the Lake George Association.)

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Gate to Washington County Beach to be Opened During Offseason


The entrance of the Washington County Beach.

Supervisor Gang informs me that Washington County has agreed to leave the gate opened at the Washington County Public Beach over the winter. This is the same policy that has been in effect as before.

The gate will be open on November 1st until sometime in the Spring.

The three fire departments, Dresden, Huletts and Whitehall, also will have keys to the gate so that they can get into the parking area at anytime for practice or water refilling.

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Dier Elected To Lead LGA Board of Directors

Lake George native Mike Dier has been elected president of the Lake George Association’s Board of Directors.

“I am honored to become President of the Lake George Association’s Board of Directors, and look forward to working with our talented and effective staff and our engaged board members to continue the LGA’s important work,” Dier said.

“Mike has been involved in the Lake George Association for many years, most recently as our Executive Vice President.” said C. Walter Lender, Executive Director of the Lake George Association. “His love for the Lake is clear to anyone who has worked with him, and his energy and drive will help to continue our work protecting Lake George water and educating for the future.”

Dier, who now lives in Queensbury, said it is crucial for the LGA to focus on new and future partnerships whenever possible. “In recent years we’ve seen a strong sense of cooperation develop between the Lake George Association and municipalities, Warren County Soil and Water, the other nonprofits, and the regulatory agencies like the Lake George Park Commission that work in the Lake George watershed,” Dier said. “That regular cooperation is beneficial for the health of the Lake. In many cases, we can do so much more together than we could separately.”

“We are looking forward to continuing that cooperation so that critical Lake-Saving Projects – on our own and with our partners – will proceed in sustaining Lake George’s water quality,” he added.

Along with Dier, the LGA Board of Directors elected Cheryl Lamb as Executive Vice President and Daniel Behan, Jr., as Treasurer.

Lamb was re-elected to the LGA Board of Directors in August at its Annual Meeting. She and her husband, Buzz, are the former owners of Norowal Marina in Bolton Landing.

Behan is a project manager for Saratoga Prime Properties and has 25 years of experience in marina management and development, including the Harris Bay Yacht Club in Cleverdale and the Bolton Landing Marina.

Cathy LaBombard was re-elected as Secretary, and Dan Davies and Bill Dutcher were re-elected as Vice Presidents. Former Board President Victor Hershaft will remain involved with the LGA as the past president. “I am honored to continue working for the Lake George Association in a formal capacity,” Hershaft said, “and I am pleased to see that the Board has chosen Mike as our President. He is eminently qualified to keep the protection of Lake George moving forward.”

Dier grew up in (and on) Lake George with swimming, boating and camping as some of his earliest memories. “I know now that the accomplishments of the Lake George Association and its partners are why we were able to enjoy the lake then, and why we are able to enjoy it now.” “I got involved in the LGA because I saw that it was an organization of action – real, in the-ground action that makes significant differences in the protection of water quality in Lake George,” Dier said. “What’s also important is that the Lake George Association accomplishes that delicate balance of respecting the Lake’s needs and respecting the needs of the various users. It’s not easy to do, but it is important. We are all fortunate to be able to have and use Lake George – a resource that the LGA’s been preserving for more than a century,” he said

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Dresden Finishes Water Chestnut Removal in Lake Champlain for 2015


Water chestnuts growing along the side of Lake Champlain near the South Bay boat launch.(Click picture to see full-scale.)

With September drawing to a close, Dresden has completed another year of removing the invasive water chestnut plant from the South Bay of Lake Champlain.

Dresden is reimbursed up to a total of $80,000 by the Department of Environmental Conservation for removing the pesky weed from the shoreline of Lake Champlain. The big red floating harvesters can be seen throughout the summer removing the weeds from the lake.

The water chestnut creates tangled dense webs of almost impenetrable floating leaves that can snarl boat propellers.

After cutting and harvesting, the weeds are brought ashore and removed by the dump truck.


The area in front of the South Bay boat launch is now clear after the 2015 harvesting.(Click picture to see full-scale.)

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LGPC Votes to Make Boat Inspections Permanent


A boat being inspected as it enters Lake George at Mossy Point Boat Launch.

The Lake George Park Commission at its monthly meeting this week voted to move ahead with the process to create a permanent Boat Inspection Program on Lake George, calling the two-year pilot — which expires at the end of this year — very successful.

The vote represents a major milestone in protecting Lake George from invasive species arriving by trailered boats.

As you likely know, the Park Commission’s Boat Inspection Program is the regulatory outgrowth of the Lake George Association’s successful Lake Steward Program.

At the LGPC meeting in Ticonderoga this week, Park Commission Chairman Bruce Young said that among the reasons why the program should become permanent are:

• It is effective in managing the risk of invasive species entering Lake George,
• It is widely accepted by boaters and by residents, and
• The data shows that the program is not hurting tourism or cutting back on boating traffic to Lake George. In fact, more boats were inspected in 2015 than in 2014.

LGA Executive Director C. Walter Lender said the LGA is pleased to support the effort to make the inspection program permanent.

“We know that the Lake George Park Commission’s Boat Inspection Program is critical to protecting Lake George. That is why the Lake George Association has pledged $30,000 a year for the next three years as part of the local match for the program.”

“That $30,000 comes from our members, who have told us that the inspection program is quite important to them. It’s a smart investment,” Lender said.

In the last two years, the Park Commission’s personnel at boat launches have had contact with nearly 42,000 boaters. In each instance, the boat has been inspected and decontaminated, if necessary (16% have needed to be cleaned in 2015). Nearly 250 confirmed aquatic invasive samples have been removed from boats in the last two years – and 40 samples are still being analyzed.

Before a permanent program can be put in place, there must be public hearings – two are being tentatively planned for December. The Park Commission will also accept written public comment on the proposed regulations that make the program permanent.

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Tom Hall Joins LGLC Board


Diamond Point resident Tom Hall is the newest member of the Lake George Land Conservancy’s Board of Directors.

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has announced that Diamond Point resident Tom Hall is the newest member of its Board of Directors. Mr. Hall joins the Board with extensive environmental and management experience, as well as a deep local connection to the lake.

LGLC Executive Director Jamie Brown said, “We are thrilled that Tom has agreed to join our Board. His passion for Lake George, the outdoors, and the environment are a perfect fit for LGLC. Tom’s experience working at the DEC will provide a helpful perspective on our efforts to protect the special places around the lake.”

Mr. Hall said, “I am excited by the good work the Lake George Land Conservancy does, and am looking forward to the opportunity to put my skills and experience to work to advance the mission and objectives of the organization.”

Mr. Hall retired from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) nearly 5 years ago after a 33 year career in public service that focused on environmental protection. At retirement, he held the position of Special Assistant/Assistant Regional Director for NYS DEC Region 5 – an eight-county upstate area approximately the size of the State of Vermont that includes most of the Adirondack Park and all of the Lake George watershed.

During his tenure with DEC, Mr. Hall was involved with implementing NYS’s Freshwater Wetlands Law, an important but controversial regulatory program that set the stage for protecting NYS wetland resources; managed environmental permitting as an Environmental Analyst and Permit Administrator; was responsible for the oversight and management of NYS DEC’s environmental permitting program within NYS DEC Region 5 as Regional Permit Administrator; and, as Assistant Regional Director, served as a NYS representative to the Lake Champlain Basin Program, administratively managed the Warrensburg DEC office and oversaw the Regional Legal Affairs Office. He also served as a Lake George Park Commissioner for a number of years.

Since retiring from public service, Mr. Hall has worked part-time as a Regulatory Specialist for AECOM and currently holds the same title with VHB Engineering & Planning. Both are private sector engineering and environmental planning firms with local offices in the Albany area.

Mr. Hall is President of the Board of Trustees of the Hillview Free Library in Diamond Point, Treasurer of the Town of Bolton Local Development Corporation, on the Board of Directors of Norowal Marina, Inc. and on the Board of Directors of the Lake George Music Festival.

Mr. Hall and his wife, Lydia, live in Diamond Piont, and their two adult children also live locally.

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LGA Assists Park Commission On Lakewide Asian Clam Survey

Three staff members from the Lake George Association – and two summer outreach interns – participated in four of the six days of the most recent Lakewide Survey for Asian Clams.

The program, in which participants sampled sandy sediment at about 200 sites on shoreline areas of Lake George looking for the invasive species, is directed by the Lake George Park Commission.

Education Director Kristen Rohne participated on three separate days, LGA Educator Jill Trunko participated on two separate days, and Communications Director Patrick Dowd participated on two separate days.

The Lake George Association commits significant resources each year on its own and in partnerships with other organizations to control and prevent the spread of aquatic and terrestrial invasive species in Lake George’s watershed. Because invasive species have no natural predators or external control, they out-compete native species for resources, growing and spreading until they completely take over an area. Those actions present a serious threat to the water quality of Lake George – and protecting Lake George’s water is the primary mission of the Lake George Association.

Education and spread prevention are the most cost-effective ways to control invasive species on Lake George, and the LGA has significant investment in both. The LGA’s broad focus on both aquatic and terrestrial invasive species aims to keep the Lake and its watershed healthy into the next century.

For results of this year’s Lakewide Survey for Asian Clams, please visit the Lake George Park Commission’s website here.

(Update: I mistakenly linked to the 2014 report originally. The link has now been updated to link to the correct 2015 report.)

The Post Star has a video of the search process on YouTube.

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Steven Engelhart, Executive Director of Adirondack Architectural Heritage, to Speak Thursday August 20th in Huletts

Steven Engelhart, the Executive Director of Adirondack Architectural Heritage, will continue the Friends of Historic Huletts Landing (FHHL) Summer Lecture Series on Thursday, August 20th at 7:30 pm at the Mountain Grove Memorial Church.

During the late 19th century, the Adirondack Park became a mecca for sportsmen and other people seeking recreation. Native builders and architects developed a rustic style of architecture that is now known as Adirondack Architecture.

How did this style begin? What are its essential elements? Why is it so unique? All of these questions and more will be covered on Thursday evening.

Mr. Engelhart has fascinating stories on Adirondack structures – bridges, fire towers, great camps, prisons and boat houses.

Please join the Friends of Historic Huletts Landing on Thursday, August 20th at 7:30 pm at the Mountain Grove Memorial Church for this interesting and engaging talk!

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An Interesting Sight

I was out for a boat ride last night, and came upon this tree which had its bark eaten away at its base.

(Click to view larger scale.)

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Video: LGA’s Walt Lender Speaks to FHHL on July 30th

Walt Lender, the Executive Director of the Lake George Association, began the Friends of Historic Huletts Landing (FHHL) Summer Lecture Series on Thursday, July 30th at the Mountain Grove Memorial Church.

For those unable to make it, the video has been posted online. Remember this was the day that the power was out in Huletts Landing for nine hours, so parts of the video are a bit dark.

Many thanks again to Mr. Lender for coming out and speaking in Huletts.

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Froehlich Foundation Grants LGA $378,700 Toward Lake Preservation

The Helen V. Froehlich Foundation has granted the Lake George Association $378,700, offering significant resources toward continuing the LGA’s work to preserve and protect Lake George water and educate for the future.

“For the twenty-second year, the Froehlich Foundation’s support will allow the Lake George Association to perform those critical in-the-ground projects that protect Lake George water, and to educate students and visitors about how they can protect Lake George,” said C. Walter Lender, executive director of the Lake George Association. “In some cases, the money that the LGA invests in projects is used to fulfill matching grant requirements for municipalities – grants that ensure projects to protect Lake George water are able to be completed.”

This grant award will provide $157,700 toward Lake-Saving Projects, $51,000 toward education and outreach programs, and $170,000 toward lake quality programs, including invasive species management, land use management and outreach into local communities and geographic information systems (GIS).

Two of those Lake-Saving Projects are:

• Rainbow Beach Stormwater Redirection: A small watershed in the Town of Bolton drains about 1,000 feet of roadway in a developed area adjacent to the Lake. Partnering with Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District as well as the Town of Bolton, the project will include the installation of a bio-retention swale large enough to capture all of the stormwater runoff and the re-grading and repaving of the road to direct stormwater into the swale. The goal is to redirect the stormwater away from the Lake, allow the stormwater to filter into the ground, and stop further erosion.

• Foster Brook Stabilization: A comprehensive engineering study on Foster Brook in Huletts Landing, severely damaged by Tropical Storm Irene, shows several bank locations that are in critical need of stabilizing. Once final designs are complete, the project should stabilize up to 150 feet of streambank.

The LGA’s popular Floating Classroom program was awarded $25,000 to continue its program of broadening people’s understanding of the Lake, its watershed and related environmental issues. While the Floating Classroom is a popular educational trip for schools in the watershed, the public Floating Classroom program during the summer helps any attendee understand that their decisions can negatively affect the Lake’s water quality and encourages them to protect the water and the watershed.

Other Education and Lake Quality programs being funded by the Froehlich Foundation grant include:

• Revising, expanding and updating our popular “Lake-Friendly Living” guide, which offers simple strategies for property owners so they can create sustainable lakeshores and landscapes that protect Lake George. The current guide is available for download at www.LakeGeorgeAssociation.org under “Lake-Friendly Living.”

• Beginning an “Adopt a Storm Drain Program,” starting with the Town and Village of Lake George. Working with Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District – which is geo-locating all of the storm drains in the town and village – the LGA will seek “parents” of those drains to keep them clean of garbage and debris throughout the year. Water from those storm drains flows directly into the Lake, along with whatever debris might have made it through the storm grates.

• Investing in training and updated equipment for Towns around the Lake to cut back on salt application now and work to develop future strategies to cut back on the amount being placed on our roads throughout the watershed. “With these resources, we can continue our mission as guardian of Lake George water, and continue our 130 years of service to the Lake,” said Lender.