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Children’s Program a Success


17 children, aged 4-12, attended the first children’s program at the new Huletts’ “Gallery”.

Pam Judge Wilson and Lucinda Heidsiek Bhavsar organized a children’s program last Friday at the new Huletts’ “Gallery”, where an engaging docent from Fort Ticonderoga spoke to the children. The kids learned what it was like to be a soldier in the revolutionary war. They made tri-fold hats, examined the contents of a habersack, practiced marching commands, and dressed up in 18th century clothing. The children even asked the docent to come back next year! What a great event for the local youth (and Mom & Dad on a rainy day). Thank you Pam and Lucinda for adding something great to the community.

There will be another children’s program this summer which we’ll tell you about as we get closer.

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The Darrin Freshwater Institute


The Wyatt’s cove culvert has shown remarkable improvement in water quality over the last 20 years.

I was sitting on the porch today thinking of things to write about and saw the boat from the Darrin Freshwater Institute pull up and take a water sample from what they call the Wyatt’s cove culvert. So I called the Institute and spoke with Larry Eichler and learned a few things.

1.) The Darrin Freshwater Institute regularly samples locations throughout the lake and monitors conditions. The Wyatt’s cove culvert in the center of the Landing has shown dramatic improvements over the last 20 years. Mr. Eichler attributed this to the town sewer system that was installed in the 1980’s. There is lessened algae growth on the bottom of Wyatt’s cove and fecal coliform levels are in accepted ranges. The Institute checks this site numerous times over the course of the summer but it has reached a point, where Mr. Eichler said; “We don’t really see problems with that site anymore. We monitor but that site has shown remarkable improvement.”

2.) When asked if he could give any conclusions about the Lake George basin as a whole, he responded; “We have seen salt levels rise dramatically over the past few decades”. In 1980 (the first year salt was regularly tested for) salt levels averaged 6 parts per million, by 2008 this level had risen to 16 parts per million, almost tripling. When asked what this could be attributed to, Mr. Eichler explained that while waste water does contain salt which usually goes untreated through the sewage treatment cycle, most salt enters the lake through the application of road salt on surrounding area roads in the winter.

3.) Zebra mussels have not been found to date in the Huletts area. They have been found at 8 locations throughout the lake, 6 in the south and 2 in the north, but the lake’s low levels of calcium make it hard for the mussels to survive. Zebra mussel’s need roughly 20 parts of calcium per million in order for the shells to harden, whereas Lake George averages 12 parts of calcium per million in most locations. Where they have been found, calcium levels have been heightened. In these locations, the problem is being dealt with by hand harvesting by underwater divers which seems to be working. In the areas they have been found, calcium levels have been high. Cement seawall’s have known calcification effects and the Darrin Fresh Water Institute is studying these effects.

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7th Annual Huletts Black Mountain Breakfast


Black Mountain Point 1870 – Seneca Ray Stoddard

Sat. July 25th, 10:00 a.m. – Black Mountain Point*

Serving Eggs, Bacon, Pancakes, Sausage, French Toast, Bagels, Fruit Salad, Coffee, Orange Juice, Bloody Mary Mix and more…
(Please bring your own Booze )

Cost: $15 per person ($10 kids 7 and under)

[*] Proceeds will be donated to the Huletts Golf Course

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Warren Supervisors Blast Park Commission

The Post Star reports on what happened at the Warren County Board of Supervisors meeting on Friday.

I was there for the beginning of the meeting and presented my pictures of the Center for Watershed Protection’s own backyard.

What the Lake George Park Commission is proposing is completely in the extreme. They want no cutting or land disturbance within 100 feet of a stream.

So here are some of the things that I can think of that couldn’t be done under the new regulations. A person couldn’t cut brush to improve their view if the brush was along a stream. This would affect many in Huletts including the line of houses across from the tennis courts. The new green sign that says “Village Green” wouldn’t have been put in this past winter because it would have been disallowed. People living within a 100 feet of a stream will not be able to expand their houses by more than 20%. Work on the golf course would be impacted along Fairy Creek. A walkpath along a stream would need a permit.

The end result is that people who own land with streams will abandon their land because they will not be able to do anything with the property. A lot of taxable property will come off the tax rolls. Taxes WILL increase if these regulations go through.

The sad part is, is that no alternatives are being considered. New and immerging technologies that could help the environment and protect property rights aren’t even being considered.

Boos to the Lake George Park Commission for turning down an extreme path, Bravos to the Warren County Supervisors for thinking this one through.

Read the Post Star article.

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Support the Beach: T-Shirts Are In


We are happy to report that the Washington County Beach is now sellling t-shirts to raise money. They really look great! They are asking for a $10 donation for each shirt. They have youth sizes S-XL and adult sizes S-2XL. Get one quick, they’ll go fast.

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A View From A Tree

Thoughts going through your mind as you’re climbing a tree at 7:30 in the morning trying to get some scenic shots:

I hope my wife doesn’t find me dead.

If only I weighed what I did in high-school.

If only that branch was a little thicker.

Boy what a great view, why isn’t the camera getting what I’m seeing.

Maybe I can get a few days of Posts right here.

(Click to see a larger view.)

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Part of Pike Brook Road To Be Repaved

At the regular board meeting of the Town of Dresden this month, the repaving of part of Pike Brook Road was discussed. Preliminary work has already been completed and repaving should begin shortly.

Approximately one mile of the road, starting at County Route 6 and continuing past the trail head for Black Mountain, will be repaved.

“This is work that will benefit everyone traveling the road,” said Supervisor Bob Banks. “Local residents, visitors, and tourists will find a much improved road. Access to Black Mountain is important to everyone and we’re committed to this important project.”

Town Highway Superintendent, Richard Hobus, gave a status report. “We’ve been delayed slightly because of the wet weather, but we’ll start repaving soon. Everyone’s been delayed, including the county work crews, but things are drying out now, so we’ll be starting shortly.”

Bravos to all Town officials and staff involved with this important work.

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An Interview with the Postmaster


Pam Stragnell wants everyone to know what they can do to support the Huletts Landing Post Office.

Today, I had the chance to talk with Pam Stragnell, who is the Postmaster of Huletts Landing. We talked about our small Post Office and some of Pam’s interests.

“Pam even though you know everyone and everyone knows you, perhaps you could tell us a little bit about yourself?”

Well, I was born and raised in San Francisco. I originally met my husband (Sanford) at Oregon State University. He told me out in Oregon “that there’s this place in New York where the trees and the water are simply beautiful.” I didn’t think that was possible before I came to the lake but I have to say he was right. My first visit to the lake was in 1975 and we moved here in 1978. We have two children. Carol has a degree in sociology and lives with her husband who is stationed at the Naval base in Brunswick, Maine. Our son, Robert just graduated from the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. He’s on his way to California to spend some time with his Aunt (Sandy’s sister) who recently lost her husband to a heart attack. It’s been a tough year for our family but the support of the community has been great. I can’t thank everyone enough for all the support they’ve given us.

“I’m sure you get this question a lot, but could you tell our readers what it’s like to spend the winter in Huletts?”

It’s actually fantastic. It is simply beautiful here during the winter. Now that’s not too say that it isn’t hard. What most people don’t realize is how cold it gets. Dealing with such bitter sub-zero cold is difficult. We hybernate but we’re really glad when Spring arrives. I grew up near the Sierra Nevada mountain range (which in Spanish stands for “snowy mountain range”) in California, but it actually gets colder here. That’s what people don’t realize, when it’s cold here, it’s cold.

“Can you tell us what people can do to support the Post Office in Huletts?”

Well the biggest thing they can do is buy stamps. We have a stamps by mail program where you can order stamps and the postage is paid both ways, so it costs you nothing to order or get the stamps. Having a Post Office in a small rural community is a way of life that we don’t want to lose.

“Can you tell us about other services the Post Office in Huletts offers or other things that people should know?”

Well we have PO boxes, we have flat rate express mail which is overnight service and we have priority mail. We can issue money orders and we have all the services that the US Postal Service offers.

What people need to know is that more and more mail sorting is being handled by machines. If your address is correct you will receive your mail faster and it is more efficient. If your address is wrong, your mail will most likely be delayed.

There’s also a big difference between your 911 address and your mailing address. Your 911 address is your physical address where an ambulance will go if you call 911. Be sure that you and your renters know what that address is! Your mailing address is where your mail is sent to. Some people get this confused, but don’t have mail sent to your 911 address.

“Can you tell us some facts about the mail delivery into Huletts?”

Well it comes from Albany via Glens Falls. It’s sorted by 9:30 a.m. every morning and it goes out at 4:00 p.m. during the week in the afternoon.

“Pam, I appreciate you taking the time to do this interview and telling everyone about yourself and the Huletts Post Office. Thanks also for always getting us that mail; rain, snow or shine!”

It’s been fun and remember to tell everyone to buy stamps through the mail when they’re not here!

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An Interview with Jim McMaster

Today, I had the opportunity to sit down with Jim McMaster who is the President of the Friends of Historic Huletts Landing (FHHL).

FHHL has leased the old firehouse and is making renovations to turn the building into a community resource building.

“Jim to begin could you tell us about some of the events FHHL has planned for this summer?”

The biggest effort for FHHL this year has been converting the old Huletts firehouse building to serve as a better home for our collection, as well as to keep the Mountain Grove Memorial Church Ladies Guild Library in operation. We have a tentative name, “Huletts Gallery and Library” that we hope people will find more inviting and will give a greater sense of community ownership to residents as well as renters. We would also like to see if it can serve as a gathering place for at least some community activities. The commitment for this activity will absorb more money that we have received from donations alone in the past, so we will necessarily have to put more emphasis on membership and fundraising, but hopefully not so much that it is an annoyance.

“When you say that FHHL is turning the building into a community resource could you tell our readers some of the things you were thinking about doing in the building?”

We have several objectives.

First, FHHL has housed its small collection there for years, but the display space was very limited and not well maintained. Over the years since FHHL was formed, we have saved and invested much of the money donated. As a result of the efforts of the people who came before me, we had enough money to make some small scale renovations possible. We have done several things that we hope will be well received. With the help of JVP Landscaping, we have removed the undergrowth and eyesores from behind the building and have filled and graded to provide what we hope (mosquitoes cooperating) will be a nice gathering place for Summer activities, like art shows and receptions. The area is actually rather nice and has a couple of large tree boles as well as the stream that make it interesting. We rip-rapped along the stream and hope to plan some perennial cover between the stones to make it even more erosion resistant. To protect Foster Brook we added a gravel walkway so entry via the new back door is easy from either side of the building. Hopefully we can add a chair or bench out there, and volunteers will plant some nice perennial plants. Inside, we have repainted the walls (after filling about 10,000 nail holes) and the woodwork. We even washed the curtains. We are building several shelf-display panel combinations and a couple of 4 ft x 8 ft display boards to provide lots of space for graphic collection. These will provide space for at least 80 large scale prints. We hope to place these inside the building to leave much of the wall space available for hanging of more permanent framed items. We have had several donations this year and will also frame a few items from our collection.

Judy Haggert let us scan some of her Huletts and Lake George postcard collection and also some historic photos of the hotel and ice gathering, for example. We have made large size posters of these to provide an initial display. Our hope is that members of the community will get interested enough to loan us historic pictures from their own collections for scanning or photographing so we can use these for theme display in the future, as well as add to the FHHL website (www.historichuletts.org).

Second, the Mountain Grove Memorial Church Ladies Guild) has operated a free library in the building for several years. They have been limited by shelf space to maybe 2500 to 3000 books, mostly paperbacks, but a few hard covers. We are adding free standing shelves to roughly double that number. We hope that the hours of operation (now Tues. and Thurs. 10 to 12) can be increased (volunteers needed) and that that will double to provide access to the FHHL Collection as well. The Guild will be looking for book donations to fill all those new shelves. It is important that people understand that the library is for both owners and renters in the community. Those who have a renter manual might add mention of the availability of the gallery and library. Current hours are Tuesday and Thursday, 10 am to noon, but access at other times can be arranged. We hope to install a book drop in the overhead door of the equipment bay to make it easier for people to return (or donate) books as they leave the landing.

Third, we hope to create a small space for community gatherings (not that the new firehouse isn’t pretty nice).

We are planning an informal wine and cheese reception from 5 to 7 pm on July 15 to sort of introduce the Gallery and Library to the community. Weather permitting, we’ll try out the new backyard for part of the activity. The display and library enhancements may not be completely finished, but we hope to have enough that people can see where we are going. Of course, we’ll have a cookie jar for donations and membership forms for those interested.

“You’re also going to have some unique speakers come in and talk about regional history. Could you give us a brief preview of what is in store?”

We have typically had a couple of summer programs in the evening at the Mountain Grove Memorial Church. These have been interesting and educational, but haven’t reached too much beyond the older generation of citizens. This year Lucy White, FHHL’s Program Director wanted to have at least one additional program and to try to extend the reach to a wider range of the community as well as to younger people, and I think has succeeded.

Lucy has arranged two traditional evening programs:

Captain Paul Saenger, Captain of the Carillon cruise boat running out of Whitehall will share stories and pictures of the history of this most interesting region. Many people may know, Wood Creek provided part of the water connection between the Hudson and Lake Champlain. Early trails followed the creek, followed by the canal, which was subsequently widened and deepened to what you see today. Railroads also followed the route due to the easy grade. As a result, Whitehall was for many years a very important terminal for commerce. This interesting talk will take place, July 19th at 7 pm, in MGM church.

Marian Knight and Ginny Lyons will present a program exploring the history of the Knight family, longtime residents in Huletts. They will share family photos, stories, and memories. This will take place, August 21st at 7 pm, MGM church.

Sylvia Lawler is also putting together a night of Celtic Music that includes “Road to Galway”, a Celtic band that sounds fun (Google them and look at the U-Tube piece). In addition Huletts’ own Elizabeth Straton, Betsy to many of us, will sing. I’ve had a couple of her CD’s for several years and enjoy them a great deal. The Celtic Night will be at the Casino on July 25th from 7 to 11 pm (and a bit longer if the band keeps playing). This will be a good opportunity to visit the Casino. It you want to come early for dinner, it would be a good idea to make reservations with Leann at the Casino a few days ahead so that she can have enough help and food to serve those who come. Tickets are on sale at the Casino and the Marina, as well as from Sylvia at 518-756-2631, $10. ($12 at the door) for adults, $5 for children 6 to 12, and children under 6 free.

Lucy, is also planning to have some sort of Children’s Program in August. We hope to have an area in the “Gallery” arranged for children’s books and activities. Lucinda (Heidsiek) Bhavasar and Pam (Judge) Wilson are putting this together. Contact them if you want to help.

“All of those things are very exciting, how can our readers get in touch with you and support FHHL?”

We are hoping to increase our current 66 paid member families (last year’s total) to at least half of the 300 families listed in the Huletts Directory. We used mailing lists this year for the Newsletter in hopes of reaching a wider audience, and hope that anyone on the FHHL list we managed to leave off will forgive us. We hope this web presence will help as well. Membership forms will be available at the Gallery, or just give your coordinates, including E-mail to a member, along with your dues, and we’ll sign you up. Finally, if you rent, be sure to let your renter’s know that these programs are available to them.

“I know what you’re doing would not be possible without the generous arrangement the fire department made with FHHL, to lease you the building. Could you tell our readers how this came about and who we should thank in the fire department for making this happen?”

Certainly FHHL is grateful to the HLVFD for leasing us the building, but it is hopefully a win-win situation for HLVFC, FHHL, and the community. We had a debate over the past couple of years inside FHHL as to whether we could do this from a financial point of view, and particularly during a time of recession. However, the building was available now, and might not be in the future. We were concerned about the cost of major repairs, like, say the roof needed replacement. But, if you think about it, the fire company would have to turn to the same community that we will turn to when this become necessary. Just different people doing the begging.

We had sufficient money in the FHHL treasury to finance this with no external help or grants, although we do hope to use the fledgling Gallery as a tool to obtain such grants in the future, mainly then to improve, expand, and protect the collection.

“What do you plan for FHHL in the future.”

We laid out 5 objectives for this year. Do something with the old firehouse, arrange a third program, increase the content on our website, enhance our physical image collection, and try to get one grant. We are on track for this thanks.

For 2010, we have some basic ideas. So far, No. 1 is to expand our physical collection. No. 2 is to increase community participation, not just with membership, but also with volunteer help on projects, as hosts for the gallery and library so we can extend the hours. We will round out a list of 5 or so by the August 22 (note this date might change) FHHL Annual Meeting, which will be at 9 am at the Gallery.

“What can the community do to help?”

We would like to see greater involvement in what we are doing, as well as increasing the paid membership to provide the increased funding we will need to do this right. Not just Huletts, but all of Dresden residents. “Support, Join, Participate” sort of sums up what we hope our community will do.

“Jim, it’s been a pleasure chatting with you and learning about FHHL. Thank you for all you’re doing and keep up the great work.”

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Have You Seen the Whale?


Sleeping Whale Island, sometimes also called Whale Rock, is a familiar sight for boaters.

Indian folklore, handed down for many generations, told of a species of fresh water whale that once inhabited numerous lakes in the north country.

Sleeping Whale Island gets its destinctive name from this legend. The story that I’ve always heard and which is corraborated in the book, Stories of Lake George, Fact and Fancy, by Thomas Reeves Lord is that the Indians told that the only proof left that these whales existed was through enormous casts where one could see their shape.

Thus the name Sleeping Whale Island. Can you see it?

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Historic Huletts Beer Can Art

Many people may remember longtime Huletts resident, Frank Nelson, who passed away sometime in the late 1970’s or early 1980’s. He lived past the entrance to the Mountain Grove Memorial Church.

I came across these recently and thought they’d make an interesting story. One of Mr. Nelson’s hobbies was making artwork that resembled miniature furniture out of beer cans. These were some of the pieces he gave to me when I was younger.

He basically took a beer can, cut it and twisted it and added padding for the seat and turned it into a miniature furniture set.


I took two shots of the same pieces below. Here is what the finished product looked like.

Here you can clearly see the bottom of the beer can under the padding.

Many people in Huletts probably have some of these pieces still around but it’s a great example of taking everyday garbage and making something useful and artistic out of it. The funny thing is, Mr. Nelson actually told me; “Hold onto these, someday they’ll be worth something.”

If you have any beer cans left over from the 4th, you can try it too! It proves the old axiom, “that one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure!”

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Support the Washington County Beach

sportsextravaganza
The Washington County Beach is hosting a sports extravaganza on July 18th at 6 pm. There will be a basketball, volleyball, horseshoe and tennis tournament to raise money for the beach.

In addition to this, they are also starting small group and private swim lessons soon.

Please consider supporting these activities. The Washington County Beach is a wonderful asset to the community.

Update: 11:30 am

Here is the flyer for the sports contest.

Here is the flyer for the swimming lessons.

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Warren County: No to Stream Rules Again

The Warren County Board of Supervisors have now passed a second resolution opposing the Lake George Park Commission’s proposed stream regulations. You can read it here.

It’s getting a bit disingenuous to keep hearing the Lake George Park Commission say that they’ve been consulting with Towns in the basin on the proposed stream regulations, when the Supervisors keep voting heavily in opposition to them.

Consultation doesn’t mean telling someone your changing the rules to their detriment, it means working with and listening to the other party.

Think anyone from the LGPC will show up on July 17th?