|
The last 2 weeks have seen a real emergence of spring at Paradox. The loons have been calling, spring peepers have been peeping, fishing has begun, and an eagle was spotted perusing the inlet marsh around suppertime. Not to mention glorious 70 degree days. Of course, since this is spring in the Adirondacks, the temperature plummeted last week and snow was seen on Hoffman Mt and in higher areas around town. And a fair amount of rain has fallen, which we do need. The lake is unusually low for April. State of the Lake MeetingOur annual State of the Lake Meeting will once again be held on Zoom this year, on Thursday, May 27 at 7:00 PM. The Zoom meetings last year were well attended and given the continuously changing guidance from the CDC and NYS, we’ve decided to continue with the Zoom format at least for the May meeting. Further information will follow. If you have specific questions you’d like to ask, please let us know in advance, by clicking here. Heard Around TownIn the past, the Schroon Lake Board was a very stable body of 4 members and a long-standing Town Supervisor. Last year, two longstanding members retired, and two new members were elected to the Board, Richard Gero and Ethan Thompson, and a new Supervisor was elected, Jeff Subra. This year, we hear that the remaining two longstanding Board members, Roger Friedman and Meg Wood, as well as Supervisor Subra are not planning to run for re-election. That means that there will be 3 open positions, for which only one candidate for Board member, Lynn Donaldson, has registered to run so far. Given the surge in real estate sales and values over the last year, expect to see an increase in assessed values of 4.5% on all residential real estate this year, though not on vacant land. This is expected to impact tax bills by at most 2%. The assessor’s office will be sending out letters in May. Another issue that has come up in Schroon Lake is the prevalence of a fungal disease affecting white pines. The Schroon Lake Environmental Committee approached NYS DEC about this last year and was told that they are researching this problem along with several other states. To read more about this, click here. Invasives UpdateAs part of maintaining our APA permit to harvest invasives in the lake, Nancy Girling submitted a detailed summary of the work being done at Paradox Lake. The report identified three different aquatic invasives present in the lake: Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM), Curly-Leaf Pondweed (CPW), and Variable Leaf Milfoil (VLM). It emphasized the coordinated efforts of our growing and dedicated group of volunteers who identify, mark, assist in harvesting, and work with AquaLogic, the company specializing in milfoil harvesting that we have hired for the last four years and will be hiring again this summer. At least in part due to our very active volunteer force, and in an effort to get the milfoil problem in the inlet bay under control, AquaLogic has selected Paradox Lake to receive a grant equivalent to 120 dive hours this year to complement the 180 hours that we will fund. We all appreciate AquaLogic’s, our volunteers’, and our donors’ commitment to our lake. In 2020 because of an increase in membership numbers, and their generous donations, we were able to add an additional five days of harvesting at the end of the season. Membership matters! Thank you! While we are controlling aquatic invasives in the lake, our greatest risk is still from new invasives coming in on visitors’ boats. If you have a rental property on the lake, please impress upon your renters the need to wash their boats prior to launching on the lake. We are fortunate to have a very convenient free boat wash station on Route 74 near the Northway exit, so washing should be a very minor inconvenience. You should also make your renters aware of the orange buoys marking milfoil on the lake and impress upon them the need to stay clear of these buoys to make sure their propellers don’t cut and fragment the milfoil plants. Did you know that if you need to fertilize your lawn, buy only a phosphorous-free fertilizer. Phosphorous gets into our lakes and rivers causing increased algae growth and reduced oxygen for our fish population Here’s an opportunity to Take Action to help strengthen the Aquatic Invasive Species Transport Law. Currently this NYS law requires motor boat operators to take “reasonable precautions” prior to launching a boat, dock or vessel in public waters. But compliance has been low, and inspection and decontamination stations have been underutilized. With existing infrastructure and seasonal staff, the Adirondack Park has the capacity to manage a mandatory boat inspection program. With the current AIS transport law expiring on June 1, 2021, we have an opportunity to strengthen the law by requiring mandatory boat inspections in the Adirondack Park to reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species. Click here to send a message to New York State’s Environmental Conservation Chairs. 2021 PLA On-Line Fundraising RaffleWe are starting to collect items for the 2021 Raffle. If you have any items to donate to the Raffle, or know of someone who might be willing to donate items of any value to the Raffle, please contact Dee Dee Foran at deedeeforan@gmail.com. The Raffle will be held the last week in July. The more prizes we get, the better the Raffle will be. If you want to sponsor the Raffle without donating a prize, please contact Dee Dee. If you submit an item to the Raffle, you or your organization will be recognized on our Raffle website. If you submit an item or donation worth $500 or more, we will include you or your organization in all Social Media postings, Website, and Promotional Advertising of the event. Social Events, 2021At this time we are holding off planning any social events this season as we give pandemic control efforts a chance to work. If things should change for the better, we may consider a (safe) outdoor event. May is Membership Month!As has been our tradition, we will be communicating with all of our members during May. Please watch for our emails, and then take a minute to renew your membership and make your donation. Your InputThank you to all who have completed the survey sent out last month. We’ve received 125 responses to date, a very good turnout. Written surveys will be mailed to those for whom we have no email addresses. When those results are added to the ones we have, they will be reported, but your suggestions are already being taken to heart. If you need one last chance to do the survey, here it is! If you would like to contribute articles to the newsletter, or help produce the newsletter, please contact Micki Kuttler at micki@kuttleronline.com. Happy Spring everyone! See you on the lake,
Micki Kuttler
Communications Chair
Paradox Lake Association Board
|
