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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.

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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.

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Scores Attend Septic Training


Recent training offered by the Lake George Association and the Champlain Watershed Improvement Coalition of New York was well attended.

While not exactly your typical cocktail conversation, alternative septic system design was a hot topic for 90 people in Lake George last week.

Engineers, CEOs, municipal authorities and health professionals came to Lake George last Thursday to learn state-of-the-art design solutions for septic systems. The workshop was sponsored by the Lake George Association (LGA) and the Champlain Watershed Improvement Coalition of New York (CWICNY), and taught by a certified Onsite Wastewater Training Network (OTN) instructor. Jim Meacham from the New York State Dept. of Health answered questions and spoke about new revisions to the Wastewater Treatment Standards for Individual Household Systems that went into affect earlier this year.

“We were overwhelmed by the attendance and positive feedback this year, our first year of offering this workshop,” said Emily DeBolt, LGA’s director of education. “The Lake George Watershed is challenging for homeowners and contractors because lot sizes can be small, hilly and rocky for traditional septic systems. Proper wastewater design is of great concern for us at the LGA, and teaching and consulting with the public on effective practices is one of our highest priorities.”

“Our local professionals needed convenient, affordable and high-quality training; in the past they have had to travel too far and pay too much,” said Beth Gilles, of the CWICNY.

The LGA and CWICNY plan to offer additional workshops in the future which may include such topics as the installation of residential onsite wastewater treatment, wastewater phase II requirements for small projects under one acre, and alternative energy sources.

Thank you Lake George Association and Champlain Watershed Improvement Coalition of New York for a very worthwhile day.

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Bits of Everything

See Pictures of the iPad

Engadget has some great pictures of the new iPad.

Scaring the Birds Away

The Post Star reports on a novel way to scare birds away from the lake.

Report: School Hiring Increasing, Enrollment Decreasing All Over State

The Post Star reports on a new study which documents the problems caused when NY public schools hired nearly 15,000 teachers and almost 9,000 administrators over the last 10 years as enrollment dropped by more than 121,000 students. This is what we need more of. (Watch the videos.)

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Rosenthal Joins LGA Staff

The Lake George Association, a not-for-profit membership organization that protects Lake George, announced today that Lynne M. Rosenthal has joined the organization as Communications Coordinator. She will be responsible for print and electronic publications, media and government relations, and the organization’s website. Previously she served as the Assistant Director for the World Awareness Children’s Museum of Glens Falls, and as an Educational Program Manager for the WSWHE BOCES in Saratoga Springs. She holds a B.S. degree in marketing management from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.

“Lynne has joined us during our 125th anniversary year, and we couldn’t be more delighted,” said Walt Lender, Executive Director of the Lake George Association. “Lynne not only brings a strong background in communications and marketing to the LGA, but also a wealth of experience working for not-for-profit educational organizations. The LGA is proud of its leadership role in education, from the lake friendly outreach work we do for people planning projects on the lake, to our Floating Classroom and in-school programs. Lynne will play an instrumental role in all of our efforts.”

Ms. Rosenthal has lived in Lake George since 1999 with her husband and two sons. She is a flutist and vocalist with the Lake George Community Band and enjoys swimming, kayaking and camping on the lake in the summer, and hiking and cross-country skiing in the mountains surrounding the lake during other times of the year. “Just as the founders of the LGA said when they established the organization 125 years ago, I want to give something back to a lake which has given so much to me,” said Ms. Rosenthal. “I was amazed to learn the LGA is the oldest lake association in the United States. I am also impressed by the scope and number of projects the LGA has completed over the past year. While the amount of the work the LGA produces certainly will make my job challenging, the fact that so many of the organization’s projects produce concrete results, makes the job easier. I am eager to get the word out about the LGA’s many educational programs and lake saving projects.”

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Septic Training Course Offered

The Lake George Association (LGA), in conjunction with the Champlain Watershed Improvement Coalition of New York (CWICNY), is sponsoring a septic system training course on March 25, 2010 at the Fort William Henry in Lake George.

The one-day course, titled “Small Scale Wastewater System Design II – Alternative Systems” is designed for professionals in the wastewater field, including engineers, designers, health officials, inspectors and planners.

“We wanted to offer our local professionals an opportunity to receive some high quality training close to home” said Beth Gilles of CWICNY. Participants at the training can earn 7.5 PE or CEO credits, and will gain an understanding of wastewater regulations and guidance, site appraisal and evaluation, and treatment system design elements. The course will provide guidelines for making soil evaluations, site design examples and alternative onsite technologies. The course is being offered as part of the New York Onsite Wastewater Treatment Training Network (OTN) and will be taught by a certified OTN instructor.

“We felt it was very important to encourage as many people as possible to gain up-to-date knowledge and skills in this area since good wastewater design is essential to protecting water quality. Alternative systems are a great way to effectively manage wastewater on sites around Lake George that have tough physical constraints such as small lot sizes or shallow bedrock,” said Emily DeBolt, LGA’s Director of Education.

Cost including meals and printed materials is $40 for municipal employees and $80 for private industry employees; Pre-registration is required and space is limited. For more information or to register, contact Emily DeBolt at the Lake George Association at 518-668-3558 or Beth Gilles at the LCLGRPB at 518-668-5773.

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America’s Last Frontier

If you have 52 minutes, this is one of the best documentaries I have seen in awhile.

In 1980, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was established in the Alaskan Interior, cutting off 19 million acres of prime boreal wilderness from the mitts of fur trappers, oil tycoons, and would-be lodge owners alike. Only six families of white settlers were grandfathered in and allowed to keep cabins in the refuge—of them, only one still stays there year-round living off the land. His name is Heimo Korth, and he is basically the Omega Man of America’s Final Frontier.

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Innovative Transport of Power Through Whitehall & Canal Proposed


A major supplier of electricity to the Northeast is proposing to go down Lake Champlain, through the Champlain Canal in Whitehall, and back into the Hudson River to bring power to New York City and Long Island. This would be a new way to supply the growing power needs of our country without disrupting scenery.

It has been reported on North Country Public radio about a proposed power supply route that would use the historic route between Canada and New York which passes through Whitehall.

What is truly innovative, as I understand it, is that there would be no overhead lines, no cutting of trees and the power would come from renewable sources.

Here is a video that describes the concept.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75d6-SHFE08

I’m sure we’ll hear more about this in the months ahead.

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Bits of Everything

Vermont Neighbor Wins Olympic Gold

Hannah Kearney from nearby Norwich, Vermont won the gold medal in the women’s moguls at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics!

Historic Lake George Photos Donated to Bolton Library

The Adirondack Almanack has a story which should interest all history lovers.

Beautiful Bird Pictures

This site: http://birdbook.org/ has some stunning photography of different birds.

You will need to:

Click on the Copyright OK
Then select “Photographs”
Then select “Index” to see all birds
When you select a type of bird there are numerous pictures of each type.

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Bits of Everything

Famous Jefferson Lake George Quote Put in Context

The Adirondack Almanack gives us great background information on Thomas Jefferson’s visit to Lake George which produced his memorable quote.

Effort to Save Bats Begins in Whitehall

I definitely noticed that the bat population in Huletts was down last summer, so this is some potentially good news that the Post Star reports.

The Immune System in Action

This is a bit dated but behold, a human polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN, or neutrophil) on a blood film, “chasing” Staphylococcus aureus. This is how your body fights back when you get sick. For real. (Requires Quicktime.)