Town of Fort Ann
Washington County
Wilderness Rescue: On June 4 at 2:05 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a subject with an unstable ankle injury in the Shelving Rock area. Forest Rangers Donegan, Geyer, and Hess, along with Fort Ann EMS, reached the 23-year-old from Saratoga Springs and splinted her ankle. Rescue crews packaged the subject into a litter and brought her to a waiting ambulance at 4 p.m.
Dresden Sewer Boards May 2024 Meeting Minutes
Here is a link to the draft minutes of the May meeting of the Sewer Board.
The preliminary engineers report has still not been released to the public.
LGPC Moves Forward with Test of Aquatic Herbicide ProcellaCOR
A well-attended rally in opposition to the application of ProcellaCOR in Lake George was held at 8:30 am on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 outside the office of the Lake George Association. The Lake George Association has opposed the use of ProcellaCOR in Lake George.
Later in the day on Tuesday, the Lake George Park Commission rejected the Lake George Associations’ offer to pay the full cost of hand-harvesting in the two areas where the state wants to apply ProcellaCOR this year. Both sites are in the northern Lake George basin. One site is off of Huletts Landing.
News Channel 13 of Albany covered the Lake George Park Commission hearing here.
New Bond Act Website
Governor Hochul has announced the launch of an enhanced website for the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, which was approved by voters in 2022.
The site is part of New York State’s commitment to a transparent process that empowers the public to track and learn about Bond Act investments statewide. New resources and features on the website:
An interactive statewide map to access facts about Bond Act-funded projects;
a funding finder tool; eligibility guidelines; and
Bond Act funding allocations based on project category.
Please encourage our state, local and school officials to apply for grants. It’s easy to spend other people’s money, the real work is bringing money into the town to benefit everyone.
LGLC’s Sucker Brook Preserve, in Putnam, Now Accessible by Boat
The new seasonal dock, now open to the public, at the Lake George Land Conservancy’s Sucker Brook Preserve.
A seasonal dock is now available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Lake George Land Conservancy’s Sucker Brook Preserve, in Putnam.
The Sucker Brook Preserve is made up of multiple protected properties, including those previously known as the Gull Bay Preserve (protected in 2003) and Last Great Shoreline Preserve (protected in 2009). In total, the Sucker Brook Preserve encompasses a total of 1,078 acres and more than 6 miles of trails. Now you can visit by boat.
Most trails at the Sucker Brook Preserve are considered moderate, with many relatively flat and easy stretches. There are also challenging, though short, sections, notably at the southern end of the Orange Trail, and the Red Trail-South. In addition, because these are active beaver ponds, water levels vary throughout the seasons and years, which may impact trail conditions.
April in Huletts
The Solar Eclipse from Huletts
A picture taken this afternoon in Huletts of today’s solar eclipse.
It was a beautiful sunny day with a wonderful view of the eclipse for the hearty folks who watched it today from Huletts.
The next time a total solar eclipse will be visible again from the contiguous United States will be August 22, 2044. Today’s event is now preserved here!
Thoughts on April
I’ve always thought April is such a good month. The worst of winter is usually over, and the world begins to wake up again. While it can be a little damp and rainy at times – the old axiom; April showers bring May flowers always holds true.
When we were children, we would always come to Huletts for our Spring Break. My grandmother would recite Longworth’s, Paul Revere’s Ride, from memory because it happened on the evening of April 18, 1775. Both my grandparents would tell us that rote memorization was a big part of their education as children. They would recite poems that were emblazoned in their memories as children.
Work would begin again on things that couldn’t be done in the winter and the lake’s ice would usually melt in April. (I always remember the sound the ice would make as it creaked and groaned in the winter.) Birds would start singing in the morning again as they returned from their winter migration.
My parents and my grandparents would always talk about the ideas of community, faith and family. I’ve sensed a greater longing for community and family in these tumultuous times where there seems to be a greater loneliness and anxiety loose in the world.
These discussions on the ideas of faith, family, and community still resonate with me today. My grandfather would say that the most important commission in the bible was Christ’s admonition to Peter; “to strengthen the brethren” which is also, at times, translated as “strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:32)
Hopefully, you have weathered the winter and April finds you enjoying the longer days and soon to be warmer weather. May you hear birds singing in the morning as we all look forward to returning to Huletts.
March Sewer Board minutes
Here is a link to the draft minutes of the March 25th meeting of the Sewer Board. This meeting took place after the special meeting of the Town Board on March 25th. The Town Board approved two resolutions at the Town Board meeting but the minutes from that special meeting have not been made available yet.
DEC Forest Rangers in the News
Town of Greenwich
Washington County
Wildfire: On March 18 at 2:45 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call for Forest Ranger assistance for a wildland fire on Lick Springs Road. The fire had started in a garage and spread into the woods. By 4:20 p.m., Rangers contained the fire to half an acre.
Dresden Town Board Approves Sewer District # 1 Pipe Burial Project
On Monday, March 25th, the Dresden Town Board approved borrowing up to $200,000 for the relocation of two sewer lines which presently cross Foster Brook. The proposed relocation would run the lines under Foster Brook.
The town is anticipating a 10-year loan at approximately 5% to pay for the project.
To learn more about the project, the town has posted this report on their website.
Lake George Land Conservancy Awarded $4.15M for Water Quality Protection
This pond in the Town of Bolton will soon be permanently protected by the LGLC with support from the recently announced grants from NYS DEC.
The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded grants totaling $4.15 million for land acquisition for source water protection from the Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) grant program administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
The LGLC will use $3.5 million of the grant funds to permanently protect over 700 acres in the Indian Brook sub-watershed region of the Town of Bolton. Maintaining forested buffers around the streams and wetlands of this area will prevent erosion, filter sediment and pollutants from stormwater, and aid with flood resiliency.
The remaining grant funds will be directed toward the purchase of a 73-acre forested property in the Town of Lake George. This property contains 1,545 feet of streams with a healthy vegetated buffer that will further safeguard the water quality of Lake George, a drinking water source, and the surrounding watershed.
LGLC Executive Director Michael Horn said, “We are grateful to New York State and Governor Hochul for supporting our work to protect Lake George by protecting the land around it. By keeping our forests healthy and whole, we’re allowing the land to do what it does best – filter water, reduce pollution, and prevent stormwater issues downstream.
“With these grants we will be able to advance a number of projects over the next few years, but there is still much work to be done, including raising the more than $1 million in required matching funds.”
Land conservation is an efficient, cost-effective tool for protecting water quality. By focusing efforts on the most sensitive wetlands, streams, slopes, and shoreline, it can prevent costly issues that may arise from poorly designed development, non-porous infrastructure, and severe weather events.
These grants are part of a $166 million total announcement by NYS DEC for 187 projects statewide that will help protect drinking water, update aging water infrastructure, combat contributors to harmful algal blooms, and improve aquatic habitat.
Lake George Land Conservancy Receives $86k Grant to Manage Invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid on Protected Land in Putnam
An infested hemlock branch showing the woolly masses of hemlock woolly adelgid, found at the LGLC’s protected Clark Hollow Bay Preserve in Putnam.
The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant of $86,215 to support the LGLC’s rapid response and management efforts to control the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) on its Clark Hollow Bay Preserve in the Town of Putnam. The LGLC’s Land Steward discovered an infestation of HWA at its recently acquired 60-acre Clark Hollow Bay property in the spring of 2023. This was the first time HWA had been found on LGLC protected property, and is at the northern frontier of the HWA infestation at Lake George and in the Adirondack Park.
Hemlock trees play an important role in the forests where they grow, preventing soil erosion and providing habitat for both terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. Left alone, HWA will kill hemlocks within five to ten years, making early detection critical to effective management.
Hemlocks are a dominant tree species in much of the forest surrounding Lake George, making HWA especially dangerous for the preservation of water quality and health of the whole lake ecosystem.
This summer, LGLC staff identified 108 trees with known HWA infestations on the Clark Hollow Bay Preserve; the actual number of infested trees is estimated to be at least doubled, when taking into account those trees that were inaccessible for evaluation.
Dr. Mark Whitmore of the New York State Hemlock Initiative joined LGLC staff in 2023 to confirm the presence of hemlock woolly adelgid at the Clark Hollow Bay Preserve.
The LGLC’s HWA management plan for the Clark Hollow Bay Preserve includes the use of both biological controls for long-term management, and chemical controls in the short-term. In partnership with the New York State Hemlock Initiative (NYSHI), the LGLC released Laricobius nigrinus beetles on the property in fall of 2023. The beetle is native to the Pacific Northwest and preys exclusively upon HWA. Highly controlled chemical application was also conducted on the property with help from the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP).
The grant will fund three years of additional monitoring and management activity at the Clark Hollow Bay Preserve.
LGLC Executive Director Mike Horn said, “With this funding we are able to combat hemlock woolly adelgid on this important protected property. We are grateful to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, as well as the resources and expertise provided by NYSHI and APIPP, for making this work possible.”
This grant is part of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Invasive Species Grant Program, which provides funding for aquatic and terrestrial invasive species spread prevention, early detection and rapid response, lake management planning, research, and education and outreach.
The Invasive Species Grant Program is supported by the State’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and administered by the Bureau of Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health in DEC’s Division of Lands and Forests. For more information, please visit DEC’s website.
Lake George in January
