Fall Update

Fall colors on display!

It looks like Fall, but doesn’t feel like it!

I heard on the radio yesterday that we have passed the latest frost date ever recorded on Mount Mansfield, VT, and there’s no frost in sight in the next week or two! However, despite temperatures in the 70s during the day and 50s at night, the leaves are definitely putting on a good show!

Membership Update 2021

Year to date we have 189 paid members. Thank you so much to everyone who has paid their dues and made a generous contribution! Your support is what sustains the work we do to protect our beautiful lake.

In 2020, at year end, we had 197 paid members, so it looks like there are still a few people who maybe forgot to join this year. Please take a look at your records to see if you missed paying your 2021 dues. We've received $24,500 in member dues and contributions this year, versus $26,800 last year, so between some former members and perhaps a few new ones, we can match last year. Please push us over the top! Thank you again.

To quickly and conveniently pay your dues and make a donation click here, or mail your check to Paradox Lake Association, PO Box 45, Severance, NY 12872.

Update from the Annual Business Meeting

Our Annual was held on Zoom on September 14. We had roughly 28 attendees. The Powerpoint presentation, including financial reports, can be found on our website at https://paradox-lake.com/meeting-minutes.

Pete Pelone stepped down from his position as Lower Lake Director, and Scott Randall was voted in to replace him. Dan Gorke officially stepped into the position of President for the remainder of the current term, until September 2022. Bob Hauserman was voted in to replace him as Vice President. Now Bob’s former position as Upper Lake Director is open for the remainder of his term (1 year) and the Board is working on filling that opening.

Please consider running for a Board position in 2022! There are 4 positions coming up for re-election next year:
President
Lower Lake Director
Treasurer
Recording Secretary
Being on the Board is a great way to contribute to the health and beauty of our lake and to get to know your neighbors. The effort required varies by the time of year and responsibilities you take on. To learn more, please contact us.

The other major news from the board meeting was that the Invasives Committee will be expanded to include 3 Board Members instead of just 1. In the years since aquatic invasive plants were discovered at Paradox, the problem has grown substantially and involves many more players than it did. We’ve gone from a handful of volunteers who could manage the problem then, to professional divers, many more volunteers, and several State and Park agencies, all of whom need to be managed, reported to, and consulted. The expanded committee now includes Nancy Girling, Scott Randall, and Bob Hauserman. They hope to produce a timeline and plan of attack in the next few months.

Photo by Judy Gabler

Paradox Lake Water Quality Continues to be Excellent

The Adirondack Lake Assessment Program (ALAP) is a collaboration started in 1998 between the Paul Smith's College Adirondack Watershed Institute (www.adkwatershed.org) and Protect the Adirondacks (www.protectadks.org). Paradox Lake residents Jim Belott and Jim Bowen sample our lake water 5 times each summer and submit the samples to ALAP. The full report for Paradox Lake is available here. It is good to know that Paradox is still “classified AA by the State of NY, it’s highest ranking. Safe for drinking and swimming. Water quality supports trout and other fish species sensitive to water quality issues.”

Photo by Ellie George

More about Paradox Lake as a Loon-Friendly Certified Lake

The sight and sound of loons on Paradox Lake is a perennial thrill cherished by many of our association members. This summer, the Paradox Lake Association began participation in the Loon Friendly Lake Certification Program run by the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation (ACLC). 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.

Loons nest on undisturbed, natural shoreline and prefer quiet lakes to feed and to raise their young. They face a number of challenges on Adirondack lakes like ours that are heavily utilized for human recreation. One of these challenges is human disturbance, particularly of nest sites and of chicks with their parents before they are old enough to dive. The Loon Friendly Program provides educational signage to be placed at strategic locations as well as brochures to be handed out to lake residents and renters, that discusses this issue and attempts to make people aware of the problem.

Since loons feed almost exclusively on fish, ingestion of lures with hooks and/or lead sinkers, can cause serious problems for loons. Additionally, entanglement with discarded or broken off fishing line can lead to a long, slow death for a loon. This summer, in particular, our only juvenile loon produced on the lake became severely entangled with fishing line. Fortunately, this loon was spotted and reported to the ACLC whose staff immediately responded, captured the loon and released it from its death trap. As of a week ago, this loon was reported to be doing well. The Loon Friendly Program provided us with a fishing line recycling container which will be placed at the boat launch so that it can be disposed of in a responsible manner.

Also as a part of the Program, the PLA will sponsor lake clean-up events to try to eliminate hazardous materials and litter accumulated along the shoreline of the lake so that it will not become a hazard to wildlife. Additionally, the PLA will help promote the ACLC's "Lead Buy-Back Program" in which lead fishing tackle can be turned in at participating locations in return for certificates to purchase equally-functional, lead-free tackle.

Paradox Lake, at present, has a very productive and stable loon population. We are also lucky enough to have a member of the ACLC field staff, PLA member and loon naturalist, Ellie George, as a lake resident. According to Ellie, Paradox Lake has produced 12 loon chicks in the last 4 years, a figure which represents outstanding productivity. Prior to 2018, successful loon nesting was virtually unknown on Paradox. Long time residents cannot recall any successful loon nesting going as far back as the 1940's. The prevalence of DDT and mercury in the environment and the deposition of acid rain, caused loon populations to decline in the 1960's and 70's. The banning of the widespread agricultural use of DDT and the reduction of acid rain and mercury deposition following the enactment of federal Clean Air Act has led to a resurgence in loon numbers in the eastern Adirondacks. As loon numbers expanded, we were lucky to have enough undeveloped shoreline on Paradox for some loon pairs to find safe nesting locations which they now call home. Hopefully, with the help of loon-lovers throughout the lake and the dedicated staff at the ACLC, the loons will continue to find Paradox to be a friendly place to share with us.

To donate to the work of the ACLC, visit their website at adkloon.org.

Guest Contributor: Tony Petrongolo

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