Category: The Environment

LGA lake saving projects, like the dry well installation at Bixby Beach shown here, are made possible in part through funding support from the Helen V. Froehlich Foundation.

Lake George, NY – August 30, 2010 – The Lake George Association announced today that the Helen V. Froehlich Foundation has awarded the 125-year old conservation organization a grant of $378,500 for lake-saving initiatives. This is the LGA’s seventeenth consecutive award from the Froehlich Foundation. This grant award will provide $174,500 toward lake saving projects, $56,000 toward education and outreach programs, and $123,000 toward lake quality programs, including Citizen Science and the Citizens Statewide Lake Assessment Program, Invasive Species Management, and Lake Stewards.

“The LGA is grateful for the Foundation’s continuing support, as well as their vote of confidence in the LGA and our efforts to protect the Lake and its watershed for future generations,” said Walt Lender, the LGA’s executive director.

Nearly half of the total grant award will provide funding for the LGA’s Lake Saving Projects. These construction projects improve Lake George’s water quality by preventing sediment and pollutants from entering the lake. “The funds in the grant award, leveraged with our members and donors generosity, put us in a strong position to receive significant funding from public sources, which in turn, extends our ability to complete more projects to protect the Lake,” he said.

The LGA’s popular Floating Classroom program will receive $23,000 to help teach lake science and watershed management to area students. Over 1,000 area students benefit each year from the LGA’s Education and Outreach programs, which are provided free of charge through grants like the one provided by the Froehlich Foundation.

LGA staff also educates homeowners, businesses, municipalities and landscapers about improving water quality by installing vegetative buffers, reducing lawn size and non-permeable surfaces, controlling stormwater runoff through rain gardens and rain barrels, and using no-phosphorus fertilizer and native plant species in landscaping.

The 17 consecutive grant awards from the Froehlich Foundation represent over $5 million dollars worth of improvements to Lake George and the watershed.

Established in 1885, the Lake George Association is America’s first lake association and a pioneer in the conservation movement. The LGA spent over $900,000 in 2009 to carry out its mission to protect Lake George. In addition to the funding from the Froehlich Foundation, the LGA relies on income from membership support and fundraising events.

Dear Editor:

The Lake George Association is concerned about the decision made by the Department of Environmental Conservation to discontinue retrieving garbage from collection centers on the Lake George islands. We urge the DEC to reconsider this decision and ask local citizens who love Lake George to join us in finding a better solution.

Expecting our natural resources to bear the burden of cost cutting is fiscally irresponsible. At the LGA, we believe that the cost of cleaning up this problem will be higher than preventing it from happening in the first place.

Alternative solutions could result from a dialogue with Lake users. The LGA has considerable experience on the Lake and a deep understanding of boating, recreation and water quality. Given the opportunity to discuss the situation with the DEC, we could help find a solution that continues to protect Lake George and the water we use for drinking, swimming, fishing and boating.

While the “carry in – carry out” policy is ideal in theory, trash finds its way into the Lake regardless of policies. One isolated example: after Log Bay Day 2010, the LGA hauled away several large bags of trash.

Even conscientious Lake users need a convenient way to dispose of trash. It is considerably easier to empty trash at a central collection point than to clean up wind-blown garbage, especially when it has left an island and gone on to desecrate the Lake.

To allow trash to enter Lake George — after generations of exemplary stewardship by DEC staff — would be shameful.

Sincerely,

C. Walter Lender
Executive Director
Lake George Association

Lake George’s Invasive Species Awareness Week (ISAW) begins next week, and coincides with the release of a new report by the New York State Invasive Species Council. Entitled: A Regulatory System for Non-Native Species, the report has been sent to Governor Patterson and the legislature for review.

Those interested in learning more about invasive species impacting Lake George and efforts currently in place to prevent their spread, or discussing the new regulatory system proposed by the state council, are invited to stop by the ISAW display at the Visitors Center in downtown Lake George, from 11 am – 4 pm, Monday – Friday, July 12 – 16. Representatives from the Lake George Association, the Cornell Cooperative Extension, Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District, and other area organizations will be on hand.

Due to a lack of natural predators, diseases and parasites, invasive species can quickly become pervasive. When they do, these species can negatively impact the ecological balance of Lake George by out-competing native species for light, nutrients, and space.

The new report by the NYS Invasive Species Council introduces a process for assessing level of threat, assessing socioeconomic value, and assigning each invasive species into a distinct category for appropriate action.

State Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis said, “New York needs to take action now to curb the many pathways that invasive species use to make their way here. The system the Council is proposing strikes the right balance of minimizing the major threats to our ecology and economy
while allowing for the careful use of those plants and animals that pose lower risks.”

The new assessment process would allow the state to categorize invasive species as “prohibited,” “regulated” or “unregulated.” Species in the “prohibited” category would be the most restricted as they pose clear risks to New York’s economic, ecological and public health interests, and, therefore, would be banned from commerce entirely. “Regulated” species would be restricted, but not prohibited from commerce, and would require practical and meaningful regulatory programs. “Unregulated” species would be identified as those non-native species that do not pose a threat and therefore could be used freely in commerce.

Two “tools” would be used in assessing risks from non-native plants and animals. One evaluates the inherent, biological “invasiveness” of each species, i.e., some species are better “weeds” than others. The other tool looks at socio-economic values to help determine whether the social benefits of a plant or animal outweigh the potential harm. For example, earthworms have often been shown to have positive effects on soil structure and fertility in agricultural and garden ecosystems; however, glacial ice sheets that covered most of New York some 11,000 to 14,000 years ago left New York worm free. Today’s worms are actually European invaders and considered a non-native invasive species, but are clearly valuable.

The New York State Invasive Species Council’s final report is available online at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/63402.html.

The Lake George Association’s Floating Classroom will visit Huletts Landing twice during the summer of 2010, courtesy of the Friends of Historic Huletts

The Lake George Association’s Floating Classroom teaches children, and adults about lake ecology, geology and stewardship.

It is scheduled to make two stops in Huletts this summer: Saturday July 10th at 2 pm and again on Monday August 2nd at 2 pm.

A signup sheet is now in the Huletts Post Office for the Saturday, July 10th visit. Both of these events are sponsored by the Friends of Historic Huletts. The boat is limited to approximately 30, so signup is on a first come first serve basis. Children under the age of 5 may not understand the concepts discussed.

If for some reason, you cannot signup at the Huletts Post Office, I will be happy to take names through the comment form and add you to the list. I will add the names strictly in the order I receive them. If the July 10th date fills up, remember the Floating Classroom will return again in August.

Please do not contact the Lake George Association for sign-up information. Both of these events are sponsored by the Friends of Historic Huletts.

Wall lettuce (Mycelis Muralis), one of the newer invasive species on a watch list for the Adirondacks, is now growing off of Rt. 9L near Dunham’s Bay in Lake George. The Lake George Association is gathering data to assess the spread of the species in the Watershed. Property owners who believe that this plant is growing on their land are asked to contact the LGA at 668-3558 or info@lakegeorgeassociation.org.

An invasive terrestrial plant, Mycelis muralis, commonly known as wall lettuce, has been identified growing alongside 9N near Dunham’s Bay in Lake George, the Lake George Association announced today. Wall lettuce is one of several newer species that was placed on a watch list earlier this spring by the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program. This is the first time that the plant has been known to exist within the Lake George Watershed, although it has likely been growing for a few years without having been identified. Citizens are asked to contact the LGA if they believe this plant may be growing on their property, so that the organization can assess the spread of its growth.

Wall lettuce is a slender herb with a smooth 3- foot stem that exudes a milky juice when broken. Leaves grow primarily near the base of the plant. The leaves are 2½ to 7 inches long and 1 to 3 inches wide. They are smooth with broad, terminal segments and earlike, clasping flanges at the leaf base. Tiny yellow flowers, with 5 strap-shaped petals, form rounded shapes at the very top of the plant. The plant dies back after flowering, and can act as either an annual or biennial.

A closeup shot of a wall lettuce leaf.

Due to a lack of natural predators, diseases and parasites, invasive species like wall lettuce can quickly become pervasive. When they do, these species can negatively impact the ecological balance of Lake George by out-competing native plants for light, nutrients, and space. Plants like purple loosestrife and common reed can alter hydrological processes, and can change drainage patterns, soil water holding capacity, and resistance to erosion.

The LGA ‘s Director or Education, Emily DeBolt, first noticed this new plant when she was working on a native landscaping project near Dunham’s Bay last year. The odd yellow flower was growing just off of Rt. 9L. She shared pictures of the plant with Dan Spada with the Adirondack Park Agency (APA), but at first they were unable to confirm the plant’s identity. Still suspicious, Ms. DeBolt photographed a larger plot of the plant this past Friday and sent the photos to Mr. Spada again. This time Mr. Spada determined that the plant was in fact wall lettuce; Steve Young, the head botanist with New York State’s Natural Heritage Program, confirmed the identification.

Jim Sears, who also lives near Dunham’s Bay, attended the LGA’s native plant workshop this past Saturday, and brought photographs of a yellow weed he has been struggling to remove on his property, explaining that it spread rapidly this year, and has been present for several years. Ms. DeBolt identified this plant as wall lettuce as well.

“Purple loosestrife, phragmites, shrubby honeysuckle, and Japanese knotweed are invasive species that have been targeted for management activities in the Adirondacks for several years now,” said Ms. DeBolt. “We already have more than our share of Oriental bittersweet, burning bush, and Japanese barberry around Lake George – but wall lettuce is one that I was not familiar with,” she said. “Additional newer species that are we need to be on the lookout for as they start to make inroads into Adirondacks are swallowwort, yellow iris, Japanese stiltgrass, flowering rush, and lesser celandine. We need to keep our eyes out for these as well,” she said.