Ti Cub Scouts Make Waves & Meet Requirements
A group of Ticonderoga Cub Scouts recently completed their requirements for Wildlife Conservation loops and pins aboard the Lake George Association’s Floating Classroom.
Last week, four dens from Ticonderoga Cub Scout Pack 72 enjoyed an eco-learning adventure aboard the Lake George Association’s Floating Classroom. Tiger, Wolf, Bear and Webelo scouts learned how to use the tools of the limnology trade – field microscopes, Secchi disks, and plankton nets, and gained a better understanding of Lake George’s delicate ecosystem and how important it is to protect the Lake’s water quality.
The scouts were able to complete several of the requirements they needed for their Wildlife Conservation belt loops and academic pins, including: 1. explaining what natural resources are; 2. learning why its important to protect and conserve natural resources; and, 3. visiting with a person who works in wildlife conservation.
In addition to programs scheduled specifically for groups, the Lake George Association is offering a Floating Classroom program for the general public for the first time this summer. Every Wednesday during July and August, the Floating Classroom will leave the dock at Shepard Park in Lake George at 11 am, for a two-hour program. Reservations are required. Donations of $10 per adult and $8 per child are suggested.
Bits of Everything
Andrew Cuomo’s Private Life Not Private After All
The Washington Times does an expose on Andrew Cuomo’s private life.
What is Rock Snot?
WNBZ does a story about a new form of invasive species.
Birding in the Adirondacks
Learn all you want about boreal birds, bugs, and bears at laurakammermeier.com.
Low Hanging Clouds
LGA Lake Steward Monitoring Begins
LGA Lake Steward Monika LaPlante holds samples of three invasive species Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweed and zebra mussels. These were pulled off a boat at Norowal Marina during her first day on the job for 2010.
LGA lake stewards are once again on duty at boat launches around Lake George for the summer, inspecting boats and educating boaters on how to prevent the spread of invasive species.They began their work on Memorial Day weekend.
Coordinated by the LGA, the program seeks to contain the spread of three species already present in Lake George: Eurasian watermilfoil, zebra mussels, and curly-leaf pondweed, as well as a possible fourth – brittle naiad – which was found and removed from Dunham’s Bay last summer. The program also helps prevent new invasive species from being introduced, such as spiny waterflea and water chestnut, which are present in nearby water bodies.
On her first day out, Friday, May 28, Lake Steward Monika LaPlante removed three invasive species – milfoil, curly-leaf pondweed and zebra mussels – from one of the boats she inspected that day. Monika and fellow stewards Lee Peters, Mark Altwerger and Brendan Carberry, were trained in inspection, identification and data collection by the LGA and at the Adirondack Watershed Institute at Paul Smiths College, in cooperation with the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program and the Lake Champlain Basin Program.
LGA stewards will be located at Norowal Marina and other launches in the south end, and Mossy Point, Hague Town Launch, and Rogers Rock in the north end on weekends throughout the summer. In addition to inspecting the boats for aquatic invasive species, the stewards will also remind boaters of the DEC firewood regulation, new in 2009, which limits the transport of untreated wood to 50 miles, in an effort to protect forests from insect invaders, such as the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) and Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB), which have had a devastating impact on tree populations in the Great Lakes and the Northeast regions.
Emergency funding for the program this year was provided by the town of Hague, the town of Bolton’s Local Development Corporation, and the Lake George Park Commission. “In past years, the LGA has received funds from New York State through the Lake George Watershed Coalition to run this essential prevention model program, which is respected across New York and New England,” said Walt Lender, LGA’s executive director. “We are grateful to secure funding from other sources this year, including grant funding provided by the Helen V. Froelich Foundation. Without preventative measures like this, Lake George could suffer the kind of devastating impact, both ecologically and economically, that we’ve seen in other lakes,” Lender said.
Last summer, the stewards inspected 3,886 boats at launch sites around the lake between May 23 and August 28, and collected 162 samples, with 75 of those being invasive species. The invasive samples included 48 specimens of eurasian watermilfoil, 13 of curly-leaf pondweed, seven of zebra mussels, and seven of water chestnut (which is not currently found in Lake George). Eurasian watermilfoil was removed on 22 occasions from vessels entering at Mossy Point and 21 times from vessels entering at Norowal Marina. A total of 158 different water bodies were visited in the two weeks prior to their entrance into Lake George. Many of these water bodies are known to have invasive species.
The most common previously visited water bodies include the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Great Sacandaga Lake, and Lake Hopatcong (NJ). With 65 boats having last visited the Hudson River and 62 last on Lake Champlain, which contain 91 and 49 invasive species respectively, along with last year’s discovery of the invasive zooplankton the spiny waterflea in Great Sacandaga Lake, the importance of having Lake Stewards at our launches to help protect Lake George from new invaders is very apparent.
Darrin Fresh Water Summer Lectures
The Darrin Fresh Water Institute and the Historical Society of Bolton recently announced their 2010 summer lecture series.
These events are open to the public and free of charge. The programs are on Monday evenings at 7:30 PM. To learn more call 518-644-3541 or visit the website: www.rpi.edu/dept/DFWI.
Bits of Everything
Support the Huletts Post Office
The Washington Post details a GAO report that endorses postal cuts.
“Lawmakers also should consider establishing a panel similar to the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission to independently recommend changes, the report said. Auditors, however, also suggested that more details are needed about potential delivery cuts and post office closures.”
Remember stamp and postal purchases in Huletts Landing, support the operation of the Huletts Post Office.
Leave the Firewood Home
North Country Public Radio details the DEC’s attempts stop wood infested with invasive insects from entering the Adirondacks.
Albany Still Waiting on Giants
According to the Giants Football Blog, NY Giants CEO John Mara, is still waiting to make an announcement regarding summer camp at the University of Albany.
What Happened?
Over the last couple of days, if you tried to access the Huletts Current, you were greeted by a message that said, “Error establishing a database connection”.
Well, I migrated the Huletts Current to a new “green” web server on Thursday and as you can imagine, we ran into some small technical difficulties.
However, now when you read the Huletts Current, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that we are operating on a web server that has purchased renewable energy certificates to offset the use of electric power. In other words, we’re powered by the wind! To learn more, click on the picture in this post.
So now, instead of getting your “news” the “old way” through newspapers that are produced by cutting down trees and which clog landfills (when not recycled), you can get your news here, powered by clean wind energy. Our new logo on the left sidebar certifies this.
Bits of Everything
Rogers Ranger Challenge: Fort Ann to Lake George
Are you up to the Rogers Rangers Challenge? Find out what it is on the Adirondack Almanack.
Info-graphic: Teens and Their Mobile Phones
Here’s a great graphic from Flowtown showing how teens use their cell phones.
Lawns on Lake George Face Scrutiny
The Post Star reports on manicured lawns and Lake George.
Webcam: Bald Eagles in their Nest
The Eagles of Hornsby Island webcam stays focused on a Bald Eagle nest in British Columbia.
In Case You See Any Turkeys Looking Nervous
May 1st is the start of Spring turkey season.
For the Spring Turkey Season, May 1 through 31, hunting is permitted in most areas of the state, except for New York City and Long Island; hunters must have a turkey hunting permit in addition to their small game hunting or sportsman license; shooting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to noon each day; hunters may take two bearded turkeys during the spring season, but only one bird per day; hunters may not use rifles, or handguns firing a bullet. Hunters may hunt with a shotgun or handgun loaded with shot sizes no larger than No. 2 or smaller than No. 8, or with a bow and arrow; successful hunters must fill out the tag which comes with their turkey permit and immediately attach it to any turkey harvested; successful hunters must report their harvest within 48 hours of taking a bird. Call 1-866-426-3778 (1-866 GAMERPT) or report harvest online at: www.dec.ny.gov
Bits of Everything
Eastern Woods Return / Face New Threats
The Washington Post had a good article documenting the historical changes to eastern forests over the last 400 years and some modern threats that they face. One might not think that deer pose a threat to the forest, but as this video points out, they eat most of the young saplings.
Blight in Whitehall, New Ideas in Lake Luzerne
I missed this Post Star article from a few weeks ago. Here’s what another local town is doing.
Christopher Llyod Coming to Vermont in Late August
This might be worth seeing. The Rutland Herald reports on the Back to Future actor playing Willy Loman.
Bits of Everything
Adirondack Life’s Photography Winners
Every year the magazine, Adirondack Life, holds a photography contest. See this year’s winners here.
NY Has Room to Cut
The NY Post had an article and graphic which shows that there’s plenty of fat to cut from the NY state budget. There just doesn’t seem to be the will in Albany.
One Big Shredder
This reminded me of the the compactor at the recycling center. Instead it’s a shredder.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aja7gcgRMJU
Spring Smelt Run Started
A school of smelt can be seen in Foster brook.
Just this week, I noticed one of the more interesting occurrences of the spring. The smelt have begun their trip upstream to spawn in many area streams.
Smelt are a food source for salmon, lake trout and bigger fish. They traditionally swim in schools and are easy to see in the bright sunlight against the bottom of a shallow stream.
You know spring is here when you see the smelt start “running”.
This shot was difficult to take because they were swimming so fast in the cold water.
It was a pleasant surprise to see such large numbers of smelt in Foster brook this year.
I think these ducks were even trying to get a mouthful.
No Snow Mold Means Greener Greens
The greens of the Huletts Golf Course have come through the winter extremely well.
I’m pleased to report that the mild winter has produced very little to almost no “snow mold” on the greens of the Huletts Golf Course. Last year the greens weathered a very difficult winter and a fungus attacked the greens. This year, there is little evidence of any “snow mold” on any of the greens. For those who saw the greens at this time last year, they were almost entirely white last April. It’s nice to report that this year they are almost entirely green.