News & Opinion About Huletts Landing, N.Y.
Salmon eggs have new homes in the Lake George watershed! This is the 4th year that the Lake George Association will be assisting classes with the Salmon in the Classroom, a program created by Trout Unlimited.
Students at Ticonderoga Middle School, Whitehall High School, and Lake George Elementary will raise salmon from eggs to fingerlings while learning about fish life cycles, water quality, aquatic ecosystems, biodiversity, conservation, and sustainability.
The Lake George Park Commission has released the Final Report for the 2014 Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Program (Boat Inspection Program). Click the image to read the entire report.
The Lake is frozen but that doesn’t stop the Lake George Association from teaching about it. It’s the perfect time of year to bring Lake George to the classroom.
In January, 5th graders from Queensbury learned about invasive species, 3rd graders at Lake George learned about fish adaptations to tie into their buoyancy unit, and 3rd graders at Malta Ave Elementary School learned about watersheds during the LGA’s “Water We Use” program.
Congratulations to the staff of the Lake George Association for bringing this important instruction to the classroom.
All has been extremely quiet this past week, but Huletts has seen some snow.
As of 3:30 pm on Monday, February 2nd, there is about 8 inches of light fluffy snow on the ground which has fallen today.
One webcam is back online so you can see for yourself on the left sidebar.
This sits on top of about another 4 inches that fell last week.
All in all, everything is asleep for the winter.
The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) is pleased to welcome Jennifer Waterhouse Cooper as the newest member of its Board of Directors.
Ms. Cooper has a bachelor’s degree from Pace University and comes to LGLC with a strong financial background. She worked for her father, Lawrence Waterhouse, Jr., full time from 1988-2001 as a broker, manager, and lastly, executive marketing manager at the family business, Waterhouse Investor Services (later sold to TD Bank and then became known as TD Waterhouse, a subsidiary of TD Bank, and now currently known as TD Ameritrade; the company is still known as TD Waterhouse in Canada).
Her connection to Lake George runs deep; Ms. Cooper has spent every summer of her life on Lake George, and continues to summer at the lake at her family’s home in Bolton Landing.
“My family has a deep love and respect for Lake George,” said Ms. Cooper. “I am honored to be asked to become a board member for The Lake George Land Conservancy and I hope I can bring value to this endeavor.”
Ms. Cooper’s grandparents bought a home in the Rainbow Beach Association on Basin Bay in the 1950’s. In 1993, her father bought a home on Northwest Bay, where she enjoyed summers with her four siblings until 1999, when her father purchased their current family home in Bolton Landing.
“We spend a great amount of time on Lake George and it is a treasured place in our family,” said Ms. Cooper. “My children enjoy the lake and it is with great hope that the love of Lake George is being passed down to my children and their cousins.”
Ms. Cooper lives in Pleasantville, NY, with her husband, Perry, and two children.
A panorama from one of the highest elevations that NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has reached in its 11 years on Mars includes the U.S. flag at the summit. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ.)
The view is from the top of “Cape Tribulation,” a raised section of the rim of Endeavour Crater. The panorama spans the interior of the 14-mile-wide (22-kilometer-wide) crater and extends to the rim of another crater on the horizon. (See full picture here.)
The U.S. flag is printed on the aluminum cable guard of the rover’s rock abrasion tool, which is used for grinding away weathered rock surfaces to expose fresh interior material for examination. The flag is intended as a memorial to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. The aluminum was recovered from the site of the Twin Towers in the weeks following the attacks. Workers at Honeybee Robotics in lower Manhattan, less than a mile from World Trade Center, were making the rock abrasion tool for Opportunity and NASA’s twin Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, in September 2001.
Opportunity has driven 25.9 miles (41.7 kilometers) since it landed in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars on Jan. 25, 2004 (Universal Time, which was Jan. 24, PST). That is farther than any other off-Earth surface vehicle has driven. The rover’s work on Mars was initially planned for three months. During that prime mission and for more than a decade of bonus performance in extended missions, Opportunity has returned compelling evidence about wet environments on ancient Mars.
Opportunity has been exploring Endeavour’s western rim since 2011. From a low segment of the rim that it crossed in mid-2013, called “Botany Bay,” it climbed about 440 feet (about 135 meters) in elevation to reach the top of Cape Tribulation. That’s about 80 percent the height of the Washington Monument.
The recent cold has seen the lake freeze.
With the webcams experiencing technical difficulties, I know people have been interested in seeing pictures of the lake.
Ice in occurred about a week ago (around 1/14/2015). There was about 6″ of clear black ice this past weekend, which was perfect for ice skaters. There were fisherman out on the lake and even one four wheeler.
All is pretty quiet with very low temperatures.
If venturing onto the ice, please be careful. Not all areas are exactly 6″. Please use caution.
(Click images to see full-scale. The top picture is a high resolution panoramic view which shows the lake in detail. )
Jamie Brown has been announced as the New Executive Director of the Lake George Land Conservancy.
The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) is announcing its new executive director, Jamie Brown. Brown officially began January 5, 2015, following the retirement of current Executive Director Nancy Williams.
“Nancy has built the Lake George Land Conservancy into a strong and solid land trust,” said Brown. “I am humbled, honored, and excited to be LGLC’s next Executive Director.”
Brown has worked in the land protection field for over 10 years, most recently as the director of land protection for Ducks Unlimited out of their headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. Prior positions also include conservation director at the Frenchman Bay Conservancy in Hancock, Maine, and land preservation specialist at the Morris Land Conservancy in Boonton, New Jersey.
In addition to receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University and Master’s degree from the University of Maine, Brown has a law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law. As an attorney, Brown practiced law for five years in the areas of real estate, land use and municipal law.
This is a critical time for land conservation on Lake George, and Brown is joining LGLC at a peak of activity. As Williams prepares to leave LGLC, several major conservation projects are either just closing or in the process of coming to fruition. Brown will need to jump in with both feet, taking over land negotiations as well as major fundraising campaigns, and meeting many of LGLC’s key supporters and community members.
“I am really moved by the obvious dedication of LGLC’s donors to protecting the lake,” said Brown. “So many people have generously supported LGLC, in the form of providing the extra bit needed to move specific land protection projects forward as well as the annual support that allows LGLC to fulfill its mission. But what has really impressed me is their collective connection to the lake. I find these close ties to the lake and the community to be such an important part of our work, and I really look forward to visiting with donors and hearing their stories about time spent on and around Lake George. I also look forward to hearing their ideas for how we can continue to build on what they and LGLC have already accomplished.”
Brown is not a stranger to the Lake George region. Having grown up in rural northwestern New Jersey, he frequently visited the Adirondacks as a kid, and later would often stop to admire the lake on his way to his wife’s family farm in Addison, Vermont.
“I am thrilled to be returning not just to the Northeast, but to such an amazingly beautiful and familiar place. I am looking forward to seeing my young son, Isaac, and my wife, Laura, enjoying themselves out on the lake or hiking on one of LGLC’s wonderful preserves.”
Gatherings will be scheduled over the next few months for the public to meet Brown; the public is also welcome to visit any staff at the LGLC office at 4905 Lake Shore Dr. in Bolton Landing, during regular business hours, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) is now accepting applications for two Stewardship Assistant positions. The positions are full time but temporary, to be filled late May through mid to late August.
The Stewardship Assistants will work together and primarily conduct field work, including trail maintenance and new trail construction, boundary posting, and monitoring of conservation easement properties. They will also lead public hikes and educational outings, and assist other staff as needed with summer events.
Should local knowledge, experience and training make it appropriate, one Stewardship Assistant will be offered the position of Lead Stewardship Assistant and will be given additional leadership responsibilities.
Application deadline is March 6. For more information about the positions, including full job descriptions, visit lglc.org/about/#jobs.
The Adirondack Almanack: Lake George from Green Island Bridge
A great picture of the lake in cold weather from the bridge to the Sagamore.
NY State DEC: Adirondack Forest Ranger Search and Rescue Highlights: 12/29/14-01/04/15
You might end up in this report if you get lost in the woods.
Governor Cuomo’s 2014 End of Year Report
The actual report is 44 pages but it’s broken down by category.
Office of the State Controller, Thomas P. DiNapoli
State Pension Fund Commits Additional $50 Million
to Invest in New York-Based Companies
USA Today: North Korean Reality Isn’t Funny for Christians
The Winter Solstice occurs exactly when the earth’s axial tilt is farthest away from the sun at its maximum of 23° 26′. Though the Winter Solstice lasts an instant in time, the term is also used colloquially to refer to the day on which it occurs. For most people in the high latitudes this is commonly known as the shortest day and the sun’s daily maximum position in the sky is the lowest. The seasonal significance of the Winter Solstice is in the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days.
In other words, while it is sometimes known as the first day of winter, it only gets lighter (and hopefully warmer) from this point forward!
Well dream no more, it got very white in Huletts this past week. Here are some pictures of how the snow looked. (Click all images to see full-scale.)
The Story Behind The Attempt To Oust the LGPC’s Dave Wick
The Adirondack Almanack tells a story of political intrigue.
Ticonderoga Area Turns out to Support IP Pipeline
The Times of Ti reports on a proposed gas line under Lake Champlain.
Public Pocket Getting Picked
The Times Union reports on thefts from the public treasury by public employees.
Artist, Sandra Hildreth, painting an Adirondack scene. (Photo credit: Gary Lee)
With the leaves starting to fall, I recently had a chance to interview Sandra Hildreth, who is known for her paintings and artwork which depict the Adirondacks. Below is my interview with her.
Your art captures the spirit of the Adirondacks. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself? How you came to the Adirondacks and what you try to capture in your art?
I grew up in rural Wisconsin, always playing outdoors as a child, and in a household full of art and antiques. My mother was an amateur photographer and I remember going with her to go out and photograph clouds! My family moved to Kentucky when I was in college, I finished my education there, married, and moved to northern NY when my husband joined the faculty at SUNY Potsdam. While I enjoyed the rural beauty of the St Lawrence Valley (much like Wisconsin, and I did paintings of it), I felt strongly attracted to the Adirondack Mountains. I taught high school art for 31 years and after divorcing, and my children were grown, I decided there were no reasons I shouldn’t live in the Adirondacks, so I moved to Saranac Lake in 2004. I love to hike, paddle, and ski, as well as spend time outdoors painting and I simply feel like I was meant to live here. What I try to capture in my art is just that – what I love about the Adirondack landscape. Not only the physical aspects – the forms, colors, textures, but also the qualities of rugged wilderness, and even the rich history of the area. The fact that what we see, what my paintings appear to illustrate – a vast, wild scenic landscape, was once almost lost to logging, forest fires, and increasing development. I guess I want to make people aware of the story of the Adirondacks in my paintings.
When you are painting an Adirondack scene, how do you go about creating the scene on the canvas?
I prefer, more than anything, to be outdoors, experiencing the actual place, as I recreate it on canvas. This is “plein air” painting – painting outdoors, on location – what you see, as you see it. But I put a great deal of effort into choosing where I paint – I cannot just drive down a road, park, and set up and paint. I fit all my gear into a backpack and often hike or paddle in order to find good painting spots. While I don’t always have specific things in mind, I have general things that I look for when I’m ready to do a painting. I like the beauty of the random order that nature seems to create – trees don’t grow evenly spaced, mountains aren’t perfect pyramid shapes. Good art, however, needs to be well composed – so all the elements that other artists apply to what they paint or sculpt, I look for in the landscape. Pleasing arrangements of asymmetric forms, variety – different shapes in the mountains or rocks, a harmonious range of colors, interesting textures. I often look for something strikingly unique – an interesting bend in a river, or tall snag of a dead tree. Once I choose the specific view I want to paint, I set up my easel, get my oil paints ready, and choose a canvas that will fit the composition I have in mind. Because plein air painting has to happen pretty fast, I jump right in with the paint. I mix up a neutral grey, using ultramarine blue and burnt sienna, plus some white, add some paint medium to thin it down, and I sketch in the major shapes with a brush. Then I begin blocking in the basic colors and forms until I have the canvas covered, often starting with the sky first. Once the whole canvas is painted, then I go back and add in a second layer, with more details this time, and correcting any errors I might notice. Sometimes I have to change things as the light or weather changes – that’s one of the joys of plein air painting! Painting the passage of time!
A Sandra Hildreth painting of Lake George. (Looking out from near Pilot Knob.)
Your artwork capture rocks, trees and wildlife. Can you tell us how you became interested in painting and what you enjoy most?
I’ve always loved to draw, even as a child. I visualize or sketch out things when I have problems to solve. So becoming an artist came very naturally to me, although for a career, I chose to do something with a more reliable income and became an art teacher. Now, retired from teaching, I spend much of my time outdoors – hiking, paddling, skiing or painting. Plein air painting allows me to do all these things at once! When I finish a painting, there is certainly a feeling of satisfaction. I do frame them and put them in galleries for sale, but what I value most is the experience of being outdoors painting. Painting is like meditation for me – I always feel invigorated after I’ve spent a day outdoors observing, interacting with, and painting the landscape.
How can our readers browse your artwork or get in touch with you directly?
I’m a member of the Adirondack Artists Guild, a co-op gallery in Saranac Lake, and my paintings can always be found on display there. I participate in regional juried exhibitions and plein air events. Visitors are welcome to come to my home studio/gallery in Saranac Lake, if I can be found at home! Call first! All my paintings can be seen on my web site: SandraHildreth.com or 518-891-1388.
The Adirondacks are a unique place. We’re always interested in fostering the idea of “community” through the Huletts Current. Can you tell us how your idea of community influences your art?
I believe most people live in the Adirondacks by choice – so that in itself creates a sense of community. We have chosen to live in a place that lacks a lot of the amenities that people in urban areas take for granted; we accept the fact that we will make less money, have poor cell service, slow internet, high heating bills, and have to sometimes travel long distances for certain goods or services. But look at what we get to look at! The vastness of this place and how there are many places to go where you won’t see houses, or even other people. The beauty of the wild places of the Adirondacks creates a community among the people who respect and cherish this environment. We care about the same things. In my specific community of Saranac Lake, I’ve been active on the Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism Council because I want to see my friends and neighbors prosper, yet I don’t want to see unbridled development impact the lifestyle we have here. I hope my paintings communicate the respect and value I have for the Adirondacks and instills similar feelings in others.
Thank you for taking the time to talk with us, we would like to extend an offer for you to come up and paint a scene from Huletts Landing anytime you are free. Please take us up on this offer.
Thanks for the invite to come paint – I’d love to do it sometime.