On Wednesday, July 7, 2021, National Grid installed a new electric pole near the Huletts firehouse. As demand grows for electricity in Huletts, expect to see continued upgrades.(Click picture to see larger image.)
FHHL Lecture Series Start: Tuesday July 6th
Please join the Friends of Historic Huletts Landing for the start of their lecture series on Tuesday, July 6th, at 7 pm in the Mountain Grove Memorial Church.
Dr. Brett Palfreyman, Associate Professor of History at Wagner College, will speak on “Life in the Slums: The Lower East Side in the Late Nineteenth Century”
Gypsy Moths Munching Away
Gypsy moth caterpillars are crunching away on the leaves of many local trees.
If you look at the hills surrounding Lake George you will see many bare trees this year. The culprit? The gypsy moth. You will see leaf shards on the ground, ragged leaves, holes in leaves, and lots of green poop.
Gypsy moths have been present in the United States since the late 1800s. While a caterpillar, this destructive critter feeds on the leaves of over 300 different plant species. Gypsy moth caterpillars especially enjoy eating oak leaves, but if there is a large enough infestation the caterpillars will eat just about any tree species that grows in our forests. By July, the gypsy moths should fly away and hopefully our trees will re-leaf.
Until then, watch those black caterpillars and all those half eaten leaves and green poop.
Pike Caught Off Huletts
I was forwarded this picture of a northern pike caught off of Huletts this past week. The fisherman who caught it threw it back, so it’s now a little ‘wiser’ and will be harder to catch again. As readers of the site know, I always enjoy and try to post pictures of fish caught in Lake George.
May Dresden Town Board Meeting Minutes
The minutes for the regular May meeting of the Dresden Town Board were approved Monday night at the June meeting and have been posted on the town’s website.
NYS Drops Most COVID Restrictions As State Reaches 70% Vaccination Rate
During a press conference yesterday afternoon, Governor Cuomo announced that New York State has reached a 70% vaccination rate in the 18+ population, allowing for several of the remaining COVID restrictions to be lifted.
What Does This Mean for New Yorkers?
Effective immediately, the following state-mandated COVID restrictions are lifted across commercial and social settings.
– Social Gathering Limits
– Capacity Restrictions
– Social Distancing
– Health Screening
– Cleaning and Disinfection Protocols
– Contact Information for Tracting
This applies to the following: Sports & Recreation, Construction, Manufacturing, Trade, Child Care, Camps, Food Services, Offices, Real Estate, Buildings, Agriculture, Fishing, Forestry, Amusement & Family Entertainment, Personal Care Services, Gyms, Retail, Malls, and Movie Theaters.
*Institutional restrictions remain in place, including the following: large venues, schools, public transit, homeless, shelters, and correctional and healthcare facilities
NOTE: In addition to the institutional restrictions still in place, unvaccinated individuals are also still required to wear a mask in accordance with CDC guidelines.
Fr. Torres – Announcement of Transfer
The Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Albany, Edward B. Scharfenberger, D.D. (left), stands with Fr. Rendell Torres, Pastor of the Chapel of the Assumption (right) in a previous visit to Huletts Landing in 2014.
Fr. Rendell Torres, the Catholic priest who served at the Chapel of the Assumption in Huletts Landing and Our Lady of Hope in Whitehall for the past eight years announced this week that he has been transferred to a new parish. Below is his letter to parishioners.
June 12, 2021
+ The Immaculate Heart of Mary
Dear parishioners and visitors,
The Holy Spirit brought me to our parishes in 2013, and at the end of this month the Holy Spirit is moving me to another parish, St. Joseph the Worker in West Winfield and Richfield Springs. Their pastor died suddenly this past December, so they lost their spiritual father. My own father died a couple of months later, so it seems fitting that God is joining us together.
On the weekend of July 3-4, please welcome Father Zachariah Chichester, your new resident priest. Ordained in 2018, he will technically be the parochial vicar (or “associate pastor”), while the canonical (“official”) pastor will be Father Busch, who lives in Queensbury at Our Lady of the Annunciation. Father Chichester will live at the priest’s rectory at Our Lady of Hope in Whitehall and minister to your sacramental needs; additionally, he is also assigned to serve St. Mary’s in Granville (where retired priest Fr. Powhida has been the sacramental minister), although the three parishes in Whitehall, Fort Ann, and Granville remain distinct and are not being merged.
I am grateful to God and to you for the eight years that I have been blessed to serve as your parish priest. Please forgive me for my shortcomings, and pray for me to do God’s will always. I will also continue to pray for you.
Peace in Jesus
through Mary,
Fr. Rendell R. Torres
Saturday Quote
“Happiness is a state of the soul; a state in which our natures are full of the wine of an ancient youth, in which banquets last for ever, and roads lead everywhere, where all things are under the exuberant leadership of faith, hope, and charity.”
G.K. Chesterton, Charles Dickens: A Critical Study
State Senator Stec: Injured Firefighters Legislation Passes Legislature
The State Senate today gave final legislative approval of legislation that would add ‘vascular rupture’ to the list of injuries covered under New York State’s Volunteer Firefighters’ Benefit Law.
The legislation, introduced this session by Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner and cosponsored by Senator Dan Stec, honors Whitehall Volunteer Fire Company Chief James Brooks. Brooks died in September 2020 due to complications from an injury he suffered while responding to a fire in May earlier that year.
“Assistant Chief James Brooks died as a result of a line of duty injury,” said Stec. “He was doing what he loved, serving his community. The insurance fund that would help with medical expenses unfortunately did not cover his care, which totaled more than $1 million dollars.”
On May 2, 2020, Brooks suffered an aortic rupture while responding to a structural fire in the Town of Dresden, Washington County. The 27-year veteran of the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Company died on September 17, 2020, from health complications due his injury. The New York State Workers Compensation Board determined that Brooks’ injury does not qualify for insurance coverage.
The legislation (S4562a/A6767a) creates a presumption of coverage under the Volunteer Firefighters’ Benefit Law for vascular ruptures suffered in the line of duty. It would assure coverage for this type of injury in the same way that heart attacks, for example, are covered.
The legislation passed the Assembly on Thursday, June 3.
Gov. Cuomo Announces Most Remaining COVID-19 Restrictions to be Lifted When 70% of Adult NYers Have Received First Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine
Governor Cuomo today announced that most of the remaining COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted once 70 percent of New Yorkers aged 18 or older have received the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccination series. New York’s Forward industry specific guidelines — including capacity restrictions, social distancing, cleaning and disinfection, health screening, and contact information for tracing — will become optional for retail, food services, offices, gyms and fitness centers, amusement and family entertainment, hair salons, barber shops and personal care services, among other commercial settings. Large-scale event venues, pre-K to 12 schools, public transit, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, nursing homes, and healthcare settings must continue to follow the State’s guidelines until more New Yorkers are vaccinated.
Unvaccinated individuals will still be responsible for maintaining proper social distancing of six feet and wearing a mask as per federal CDC guidance. Consistent with the State’s implementation of the recent CDC guidance, masks will still be required for unvaccinated individuals. Large-scale event venues, Pre-K to 12 schools, public transit, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, nursing homes and health care settings will be exempt from the restriction lift. In those settings, New York State’s existing COVID-19 health protocols will remain in effect.
Rep. Stefanik Announces Pregnancy
We are absolutely overjoyed to announce that our small family of 2 will soon be 3! We’re excited to share that we are expecting a baby this fall & we cannot wait to meet our precious bundle of joy. Thank you for the warm wishes from so many. We are truly blessed. -Elise & Matt ? pic.twitter.com/w75evFdomw
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) June 5, 2021
Memorial Day: 2021
Today we honor and give thanks for all Americans who died while serving and protecting America. We celebrate the lives and sacrifice of our fallen.
I hope we remember to thank God today that we have such patriots who gave up their lives because they believed that America is our home, our land, the heart of who and what we are as not only a nation among others, but a key part of our very identity.
“May God support us all the day long, till the shades lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then in His mercy may He give us a safe lodging, and a holy rest and peace at the last.”
2021 Washington County Beach in Huletts Landing Schedule
Below is the schedule for the Washington County Beach in Huletts Landing for 2021.
DEC Statewide Forest Ranger Highlights
Town of Fort Ann
Washington County
Hiker Rescued From Lake George Wild Forest Area
Wilderness Rescue: On May 22 at 12:30 p.m., Washington County 911 contacted DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch advising of a 28-year-old woman from Rensselaer with a non-weight-bearing ankle injury on the trail for Sleeping Beauty Mountain in the Lake George Wild Forest Area. Forest Ranger Lt. Ganswindt and Forest Rangers St. Claire and Baker responded. Once on scene, the hiker was packaged into a litter by Forest Rangers and members of the West Fort Ann and Bay Ridge fire departments, along with Fort Ann EMS. The hiker was transported utilizing the new litter wheel system to an ATV and driven to the trailhead. The injured hiker was then turned over to EMS for transport to a local hospital for medical treatment.
Town of Lake George
Warren County
Rope Rescue Training At Prospect Mountain
Rope Rescue Training: On May 20 and 21, Region 5 Forest Rangers participated in their annual rope rescue training at Prospect Mountain. This year’s training focused on low and moderate angle rescues utilizing the new litter wheel system. Forest Rangers spent two days refreshing their skills on setting anchors and patient packaging, as well as building, raising, and lowering systems. The litter wheel system has already been utilized on several rescues this month. All Rangers in the state need to maintain at least operations-level standards set by the Mountain Rescue Association (MRA). Forest Rangers have the additional opportunity to advance to the technician level to further their skill set in rope rescue.