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Dear friends and members of the Paradox Lake Association, I hope you had an enjoyable season at the lake in 2021. It was a busy year for the Association, with many successes and challenges. The most gratifying observation of 2021 was the record number of volunteers who helped out. What a tribute to the members who recognize the importance of contributing their time to help keep our lake beautiful. Thank you all! If you aren’t already involved, please consider it in 2022. Don’t worry about it taking too much of your time; whatever you can spare will go a long way. There are many opportunities for you to pitch in: scouting, snorkeling, harvesting, fund raising, the annual picnic, membership, helping assemble/disassemble the boat wash tent…many are one-time annual chores that might only take a couple of hours. Contact any board member, or go to our website www.paradox-lake.com and click on the Contact/Volunteer button. New people and ideas will keep our association vibrant. We don’t yet have the 2021 water quality test reports, but they will be posted on our website as soon as they become available. Through 2020, our water quality was still rated AA by NYS DEC, its highest ranking, safe for drinking, swimming, and ability to support trout and other fish species sensitive to water quality. This summer we began participating in the Loon Friendly Lake Certification Program, run by the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation. The purpose of the program is to protect and enhance our local and regional loon populations so that they will continue to thrive on Paradox Lake. We have been fortunate to have had several loon chicks produced on Paradox in the last few years. We are learning that due to the size of our lake, we probably can’t support more loons than we currently have, but obviously want to support a stable population for us to observe (and hear). The work we do is only possible through the dues and donations that our members generously contribute. In 2021 we had a total of 198 members, who contributed over $26,000. Thank you so much! While 198 members looks impressive, and it is, we need everyone who enjoys the lake to participate financially. We email our communications, including this one, to our complete email list, even those who aren’t paying members. In 2022, please make joining us one of your priorities. One thing is certain, whatever we do to control invasives in Paradox Lake in the future is going to be more expensive. Aside from membership, our fundraising efforts in 2021 brought in $8,700. We will need to be more creative to increase both membership and fundraising to support our more extensive invasives control operations. We are also grateful to the Schroon Town Board for their support of our invasives plan. In 2021 we received $6,000 from the Town of Schroon, up from $4,000 in 2020. Our Town Board is very concerned and engaged on lake association issues with both Schroon and Paradox. They have also complemented us and are grateful for the volunteer work we do. Another critical part of our invasives battle is the boat wash station on Route 74. That operation is largely supported from a NYS grant that has been pursued by the Warren County Planning Department and the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District. As part of the Schroon watershed, we are able to benefit from the financial support for the boat wash. We were notified in late 2021 that a new grant has been approved by NYS. We also received a $500 grant from the Adirondack Foundation which we used for signage at the campground boat launch. Another partner we greatly appreciate is our milfoil harvesting contractor Aqualogic. Dominic Jude and his staff have worked hard for us, in all kinds of weather, to help us battle milfoil. Dominic also provided us with a $15,000 grant in 2021 to help us with additional days of harvesting. Thank you Aqualogic for your work and support of Paradox Lake! Looking ahead, we have some challenges before us. In 2021 we discovered milfoil in some new locations around the lake, as well as increased density of milfoil in previously identified sites. Even with additional harvesting days by Aqualogic, and more volunteers snorkeling and hand harvesting, it seemed like we just couldn’t keep up. A record amount of milfoil was harvested, but there was still more to be harvested at season’s end. We’ve recently learned that what we experienced wasn’t unique to Paradox Lake, and that some other Adirondack lakes observed similar growth. Experts are puzzled, and attribute it to a cyclical phenomenon. To address the problem, our board made some changes as we plan for 2022 and beyond. Our Invasives Committee was expanded to three board members, and because of the close interaction with the Water Quality Committee, we combined the two committees and now have four board members working together. They have already begun formulating plans and will have recommendations to our Board before winter ends. One area of focus will be making us more efficient and more effective as an organization in managing both our contract removal work and in our volunteer work. We will likely be increasing our contract harvesting in 2022. We will have a strategy going into the season, we will stick to it, adjusting if necessary, but not allowing ourselves to get pulled in too many directions as we attack milfoil. The second area of focus is to determine actions needed to allow us to make significant progress longer term in our fight against invasives. One of the options that we will consider is the application of a very targeted herbicide, which is used widely in the Northeast and is being considered by many Adirondack lakes. Because of the preparation, communication, and permitting process, the earliest this might happen would be in 2023. We will be monitoring other lakes for the success and impacts before we make a decision. Of course, communication with our members and neighbors is critical, and we will engage our membership and keep everyone apprised of developments. An Algal Bloom was discovered late in the year. Before a sample could be obtained, the bloom quickly dissipated. From the photos submitted to the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, it wasn’t possible to determine whether it was toxic. Once again, Paradox was not alone in discovering this, as other Adirondack lakes reported similar outbreaks. Finally, I want you to be aware of what a dedicated group you have on our Board of Directors. Every board member is engaged with multiple aspects of managing the association and they make my job easier. To Jeanette Barth, DeeDee Foran, Nancy Girling, Bob Hauserman, Doug Kaufman, Micki Kuttler, Matt Massiano, Tony Petrongolo, and Scott Randall, a sincere thank you! Welcome Jeanette and Scott , our newest members who joined us in the fall. Our board members’ contact information is on our website should you want to communicate with us for any reason. In 2022 the terms that will be expiring include President, Treasurer, Secretary, Upper Lake Director, and Lower Lake Director. These positions will be filled at the annual meeting in September. Please give consideration to any of these positions, as new faces and ideas are welcome and important. Thank you again for supporting and protecting our beautiful lake, and I hope you have a safe, healthy, and enjoyable year at Paradox Lake in 2022. Sincerely, Dan Gorke
President
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