The Assocaited Press reports the Adirondack Watershed Institute is hiring stewards for a new program to inspect and decontaminate boats to prevent invasive species from fouling Adirondack lakes.

North County Public Radio released that across the Great Lakes and Appalachian regions, wildlife groups, nature organizations and civic groups are planning annual “Garlic Mustard Challenge” events, a friendly competition to remove an invasive plant that sprouts profusely in the spring.

According to a press release, state helicopters delivered 80 tons of lime to an acidified pond in the Five Ponds Wilderness Area in the Town of Webb in Herkimer County as part of an effort to mitigate the impact of acid rain and restore brook trout to the Adirondacks.

Brian Mann reported that earlier this month, a landowner in the Adirondack Park decided to appeal a court’s decision that could set important precedents for paddling and property rights in New York’s North Country.

Anthony F. Hall wrote that the salt in Lake George would decrease by 40% over a ten-year period if highway departments reduce its use now, by half, according to Dr. Jeff Short, a science advisor to The Fund for Lake George.

Kim Smith Dedam reports the newly established Adirondack Diversity council has planned two workshops this spring “to develop and promote strategies to help the Adirondack Park become more welcoming and inclusive of all New Yorkers, both visitors and permanent residents.”

The Associated Press today released that State helicopters have deposited 80 tons of lime to a remote Adirondack pond to reverse the effects of acid rain so native brook trout habitat can be restored.

Will Doolittle dicusses how with the Adirondack Park Agency taking the reassuring line that it must operate within the law, as written, the other sides in the debate over Adirondack land use can concentrate on finding common ground. 

Lohr McKinstry reported the Lake Champlain Basin Program is awarding $662,471 in grants to communities and organizations with projects to improve the lake’s watershed.

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TICONDEROGA — The Lake Champlain Basin Program is awarding $662,471 in grants to communities and organizations with projects to improve the lake’s watershed.

Numerous entities in Essex, Clinton and Franklin counties received funding from the program, including the towns of Willsboro and Ticonderoga.

The 68 grants awarded in New York and Vermont will support projects in four areas: pollution prevention and habitat; aquatic-invasive-species-spread prevention; education and outreach; and organizational support.

“Local nongovernment organizations and municipalities will use these funds to complete projects in every corner of the Lake Champlain watershed,” said Basin Program Director William Howland in a news release.

“Local watershed groups also serve as strong community leaders delivering an appropriate blend of persuasion, education and, now and then, kicking butt at the local level, to prevent phosphorus and other pollutants from entering the watershed.

"Some partner up with public-works crews to identify specific opportunities to prevent erosion from ditches and municipal parking lots.”

BULWAGGA BAY

Howland said other watershed groups help landowners to restore eroded streambanks through riparian plantings, reduce contamination at local beaches and create programs that help students understand watershed problems and implement solutions.

Last year, for example, the Town of Moriah used Basin Program funds to stabilize an eroding shoreline at the Bulwagga Bay Town Campground on Lake Champlain, where fine, sandy material would not readily support vegetative growth and was subject to severe erosion.

Funds were used to create one of four engineered berms, 75 feet long, that contain soil amendments, trees, shrubs and grass to stabilize the shoreline.

“This area will now create habitat for wildlife, and the shade generated from the trees when they mature will benefit fish and other water organisms,” Essex County Senior Planner Garrett Dague said in the release.

“This stabilization project was necessary to maintain a functional campground and public recreational facility, and will ultimately benefit the near-shore aquatic environment.”

FIX LOCAL PROBLEMS

With the Lake Champlain watershed containing thousands of miles of stream banks, including more than 680 main-stem miles along the biggest rivers, a great deal of work still needs to be done, Howland said.

He said the Basin Program encourages project applicants to fix local problems like stormwater runoff, improve recreational access and work to reduce the spread of aquatic nuisance species.

Grant Winners

Lake Champlain Basin Program grants in Essex, Clinton and Franklin counties went to: Boquet River Association, $3,988, for support; AuSable River Association, $4,000, for support; Willsboro Town Parks and Recreation Department, $4,500, for an anglers path; Paul Smith’s College, $7,500, for an invasive-species interpretation program; Greater Adirondack Resource Conservation and Development Council, $7,000, for a logging skidder bridge loaner program; Friends of Saranac River Trail, $3,850, to give talks; Essex County Soil and Water Conservation District, $4,190, summer education program; Essex County Historical Association, $7,500, school outreach program; Clinton County Historical Association, $7,500, school outreach program; and Adirondack Mountain Club, $7,364, backcountry monitors.

For invasive-species monitoring and lake stewards, awards went to: Upper Saranac Lake Association, $15,000; Rainbow Lake Association, $15,000; Paul Smith’s College, $15,000; Lake Placid Shore Owners Association, $15,000; Lake Colby Foundation, $9,000; Ausable River Association, $14,950; and Adirondack Mountain Club, $14,986.

Pollution prevention grants went to: Town of Ticonderoga, $19,986, stormwater drains bump-out program; Paul Smith’s College, $7,710, for road salt stream effects study; and Essex County Soil and Water Conservation District, $20,000, for Boquet River bank restoration.

Anthony F. Hall writes how a proposal by the owner of the Bolton Landing Marina to increase the quick launch facility’s height by twenty feet is drawing the scrutiny of Bolton’s Zoning and Planning Boards, both of which will have to approve the expansion before it can be sent to the Adirondack Park Agency for its review.

Brian Mann reports After months of fierce public debate and controversy, village trustees in Saranac Lake, N.Y., voted unanimously yesterday to allow major zoning changes for a proposed new resort.

Kim Smith Dedam reports the Saranac Lake Village Board voted 4-0 to OK the Planned Unit Development District for Lake Flower Lodging LLC at a special meeting on Monday afternoon.

Reporter Chris Knight reports that last week the DEC outlined plans to clean up coal tar that was found in Pontiac Bay in Lake Flower, located in the village of Saranac Lake, amid an ongoing debate about an upscale hotel and other projects near the site of the cleanup.

Lake George News editor Anthonly Hall writes of the animosity and fierce debates surrounding the Adirondack environmental groups in the 70’s and 80’s, and with the recent comments regarding a call to abolish Protect the Adirondacks, reminds readers of how difficult those times were.

Peter Bauer, Executive Director of Protect the Adirondacks, discusses how the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) is investigating potentially significant changes to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan (SLMP), which sets Forest Preserve management standards and guidelines, and writes that the APA would be well-served to adhere to the adage that good science makes good policy.

Chris Knight reports that State Department of Environmental Conservation officials fielded questions and took comment from the public Wednesday on a multi-million-dollar plan to excavate thousands of cubic yards of hazardous coal tar from Lake Flower’s Pontiac Bay.

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SARANAC LAKE – State Department of Environmental Conservation officials fielded questions and took comment from the public Wednesday on a multi-million-dollar plan to excavate thousands of cubic yards of hazardous coal tar from Lake Flower’s Pontiac Bay.

Many of the questions surrounded the project’s potential impact on businesses and residents near the bay.

"Whatever option is chosen is going to result in some imposition on the community," said DEC Region 5 Director Bob Stegemann. "We want to work with you to manage that and describe and define what kind of imposition there will be and the timing of the imposition that works best for the community."

Stegemann said the remediation project has nothing to do with a controversial four-story, 93-room hotel proposed on the shoreline of the bay.

"This is not about the hotel project," he said. "This is a stand-alone project that’s moving forward. We’re not here for comments about the hotel project tonight."

—

Contamination

DEC environmental engineer Mike McLean, the project’s manager, said Pontiac Bay is one of three sites of environmental contamination associated with the former Saranac Lake Gas Company, which operated from the late 1800s to the 1940s. The other two sites are the former gas plant property on Payeville Lane and Brandy Brook, which drains into the bay.

In the bay, the agency estimates there’s about 17,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil up to 7 feet deep in the ground. The worst was found in the shallow areas where Brandy Brook comes into the bay. McLean said sampling outside the bay found "random hits" of hazardous waste contamination not related to coal tar near the state boat launch and near the former village beach in Prescott Park, where some people want to build a new beach.

"It’s probably from a different source," McLean said. "That will not be part of the cleanup."

—

Cleanup plan

DEC considered several remedial options for the bay, each of which have their own pros and cons. The current plan, estimated to cost $9.75 million, is to dam up the bay and excavate the contaminated sediment. McLean said one idea is to set up a cofferdam in the middle of the bay and to dewater and excavate half of it at a time. That way, Brandy Brook would continue to drain into the side of the bay that isn’t being excavated.

Another possibility, McLean said, is to divert Brandy Brook in another direction near the former gas plant site.

"Then we could clean up the stream without any water all the way down to the bay, and if there’s no water in the bay, we could possibly cofferdam the whole thing off," he said.

The excavated sediment would be removed, dewatered and treated, possibly in the park next to the bay, then hauled away to a landfill. The bay would be backfilled to original elevations and monitored over a five-year period, McLean said.

DEC is partnering with the state Department of Health to determine whether the contamination and the cleanup could impact public health. DOH Public Health Specialist Brad Wenskowski said there’s no risk of exposure from groundwater because the village has a public water supply, but the sediment in the bay "does represent a potentially complete exposure pathway, and that is why we support the remedy in DEC’s proposal."

—

Impacts

During a question-and-answer session, several people voiced concerns about impacts to businesses along the shoreline and nearby residents.

"What experience have you had with other Superfund cleanup sites in highly populated and recreation popular sites," one person asked.

Jim Harrington of DEC’s environmental remediation bureau, said his agency has overseen gas plant cleanups in sites all across the state, including in very heavily populated areas.

"We’ve done it next to houses, and I’m not going to tell you there will be no disruption or there will be no odors, but we’ve learned over 20 years how to manage them," he said.

An air monitoring system would be set up next to the site, Harrington said. If odors are a problem, the excavated area could be coated with an odor control foam, or smaller areas could be excavated to minimize disruption.

"If the mitigative measures don’t work, we shut the job down, cover the site up and try to figure out how to do the work without causing off-site interruptions," he said.

McLean said DEC plans to do the work over two seasons, from September to November, to minimize its impact on the motels and other businesses on or near the bay during the peak summer tourism season.

"There should be signage up when this whole project starts to alert people to what’s going on," said Caperton Tissot of Saranac Lake. "Otherwise it’s very peculiar to see our lake dug up."

—

Ice Palace, flooding

Marty Rolley asked if the bay would be filled with water after the work is suspended for the winter. Ice from the bay is cut each year to make blocks for the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Ice Palace.

"Yes, the bay would be filled in," McLean said. "I foresee a cofferdam down the middle. Other than that, the bay

Reporter Kim Smith Dedam reports two town supervisors well acquainted with disaster response weighed in during a public hearing on emergency project regulations proposed by the Adirondack Park Agency.

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RAY BROOK — Two town supervisors well acquainted with disaster response weighed in during a public hearing on emergency project regulations proposed by the Adirondack Park Agency.

Essex County Board of Supervisors Chairman and Town of Jay Supervisor Randy Douglas and Keene Supervisor Bill Ferebee asked APA attorneys to work with towns and villages as those dictates are finalized.

It defines “emergency projects” as work done in response to “an immediate threat to life or property” or during “a declared emergency,” such as steps taken by many municipalities, businesses and private landowners in response to Tropical Storm Irene.

TWO WORK PERMITS

There would be two types of emergency project permits in the new regulations.

An emergency certification would be obtainable either before or after the work is done, APA Senior Attorney Jennifer McAleese explained at the hearing. APA would have two days to complete review and issue such a certification.

An emergency recovery authorization, the second option, would apply specifically to actions taken in the aftermath of an emergency. APA would have five days to issue that type of permit.

 Both documents would provide paperwork required for Federal Emergency Management Agency recovery grants, McAleese said.

And the proposed regulations would combine information required by the State Department of Environmental Conservation and the State Department of Transportation that local leaders said could prove helpful in reducing the amount of paperwork involved during a recovery.

“Who determines if a repair went too far in a response?” Douglas asked at the public hearing.

“We’re all in the same boat recognizing (that), when dealing with an emergency, you don’t have a lot of time to think,” APA Senior Attorney Paul Van Cott said.

‘IRENE ISN’T OVER’

Cooperation and speedy response are built into the proposed emergency project regulations, the attorneys said.

Both the short time-frame for APA review and collaboration among state agencies are designed to help towns and private property owners get the help they need to effectively address emergency repairs or remediation, they said.

“(After Irene) …we had over $25 million worth of damage between Jay and Keene,” Douglas said.

“A lot of people think the disaster is over, but in Bill and my eyes, we said it would be a five-year plan. And we’re closing in on four years. 

"In my town alone, we lost all our sewer infrastructure, all our water infrastructure in AuSable Forks, we lost our youth facilities. We lost access to our senior site, we lost a fire department in Upper Jay … town roads, bridges, culverts.

“We respond keeping in mind what you mentioned here — protect the property and the public safety of our people. And we’ve done that,” Douglas said.

“We do tend to know what we’re doing, and we work very hard to critique after a disaster to make sure … we’re working together to be better responders.

“Work with us,” Douglas implored APA. “It’s a financial burden (to correct repairs) if we don’t have the funding to fix the things we made mistakes on.”

‘PHONE CALL OK?’

The town leaders also asked if APA could make provision for phone calls to authorize emergency actions.

“During a disaster, we really don’t have time to do letters,” Douglas said.

“Hopefully, it would be sufficient to the APA that we would reach out with a phone call … and say we’re in the middle of an emergency, and we’re doing this in response — hopefully that would work. 

"I want to stress the point that we have to make quick decisions (in disaster response), and some of them are not always right.”

“Is it going to take a state of emergency for us to apply for permits?” Ferebee asked the APA attorneys. “If not a state of emergency, then we can get in trouble for working in the rivers?”

“Either it will be a declared emergency or it would be a situation where there’s an immediate threat to life or property," McAleese replied. "That does not have to be declared.” 

CONSEQUENCES

The supervisors asked what would happen to property owners if they don’t know the proper response for emergency permits, either during or after a disaster.

The question specifically looked to APA enforcement action, should the work not follow emergency rules.

Van Cott said that APA would provide a thorough and written response to that question in the final draft of the regulations.

 The proposed emergency project rule is expected to go before commissioners this spring.

Amanda May Metzger reports the governor’s office issued a press release this morning reagrding the wide spread support for the aquatic invasive species plan with quotes from DEC Commissioner, Joe Martens, Senator Betty Little, Chairman of the Hamilton County Board of Supervisor, William G. Farber, president of the Adirondack Association of Towns & Villages, Brian Towers, Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board executive Director, Fred Monroe, and many more.

Brian Nearing reports rivers and streams this summer will see new efforts meant to bar the spread of aquatic invasive species under an agreement among the state, local governments, lake associations and conservation groups that was announced Tuesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Amanda May Metzger reports 53 entities have signed an agreement to develop a program to stem the spread of aquatic

Dave Gibson discusses the valuation of Lot 8, located on Jay Mtn., and how under no circumstances should discovered mineral reserves under Lot 8 be undervalued and the public’s Forest Preserve come out as losers in an appraisal and resulting land exchange.

Phil Brown reported the Adirondack Park Agency board voted unanimously to approve a plan to subdivide 1,119 acres in Fulton County into twenty-four building lots, most of them bordering two water bodies, Woodworth Lake and Hines Pond even though all four of the Adirondack Park’s major environmental groups opposed the plan.

Ken Fenimore, resident of Elizabethtown, discusses in his letter to the editor the real intent of the Adirondack Smart Growth Comprehensive Plans and asks people to question why environmentalists support it.

Pete Klein reported the Hamilton County Board of Supervisors passed a number of resolutions it hopes will increase economic development through tourism when it met Thursday, March 5.

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LAKE PLEASANT — The Hamilton County Board of Supervisors passed a number of resolutions it hopes will increase economic development through tourism when it met Thursday, March 5.

In December, Hamilton County won a Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) for an Adirondack Community-based Trails and Lodging System (ACTLS) in the amount of $220,000.

The board authorized entering into a contract with Leading E.D.G.E, Saranac Lake, for preparation of the ACTLS for an amount not to exceed $200,000, of which E.D.G.E. will use $24,000 to obtain services under subcontract with a certified Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) for services critical to the project.

The board then authorized entering into a contract with Nancy Berkowitz, Blue Mountain Lake, a NYS-certified MWBE, for the contract administration of the ACTLS grant for an amount not to exceed $20,000.

According to the terms of the CFA, a total of $44,000 must be awarded to MWBEs.

BIRDING FESTIVAL

Hamilton County is once again sponsoring a county-wide Birding Festival in June.

It will consist of numerous separate events including outings, lectures, seminars, and certain events that will require paid guides, facilitators, or presenters.

Therefore, the board authorized each guide or facilitator to receive a $75 honorarium per outing, with a daily limit of two guided outings per guide.

The total number of guided outings is not to exceed eight per each day of the festival and lectures are not to exceed $250 per event.

INVASIVE SPECIES

The board authorized signing a Memorandum of Understanding among public and private organizations regarding Aquatic

Invasive Species Prevention in the Adirondack Region.

The MOU was drafted by the Lake George Partnership and declares the need for boat-washing stations. The Save Lake George Partnership put up half the money to match $700,000 in state cash for each of two years, which will cover the cost of equipment and inspectors through next year.

It will call for 20 boat-washing stations around the park near popular lakes and well-traveled entry points at a startup cost estimated at $500,000.

NYSAC TURNS 90

The New York State Association of Counties was organized in 1925 and dedicates itself to the improvement of all county governments in the Empire State.

The statewide association represents the elected and appointed interests of New York state’s 62 counties, including the five boroughs of New York City.

The board recognized NYSAC’s 90 years with a resolution extending its admiration, respect, and profound gratitude for the extraordinary achievements and important service to the board and county residents.

PROPERTY TAX

The board authorized the county treasurer to correct tax rolls and tax bills and issue tax refunds for erroneously levied taxes in the amount of $1,500 or less upon the recommendation of the director of the county’s Real Property Tax Service department for calendar year 2015.

Pete DeMola reported  dozens of lawmakers from across the state visited Lake Placid on Sunday for the 2015 Adirondack Winter Challenge, the state-organized event designed to promote tourism in the Adirondack Park.

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The Adirondack Council posted a new analysis, released yesterday by a coalition of organizations, showing that across New York State, communities have an immediate documented need for $12.7 billion in clean water funding – impacting every single county across the state.

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John Warren reported a mining company in Chestertown wants to be the first to grow legal marijuana in the Adirondack Park. In the article, Fred Monroe, Chester Town Supervisor and Adirondack Local Government Review Board Executive Director, stated it would provide jobs and offer a tax benefit to Warren County.

Reporter Pete Klein reports Herkimer County put forth a resolution urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to restructure his plan to invest $1.5 billion of windfall settlement money into the upstate economy through an Upstate New York Revitalization Fund. Herkimer County wants to eliminate the competitive aspect and have the state simply prorate the $1.5 billion in the account according to each county’s population.

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The Adirondack Diversity Advisory Council (ADAC) today announced a new affiliate program and released its first list of affiliates.The role of ADAC affiliates is to offer advice and support, as well as engage and participate in those initiatives that fit their role in the Adirondack Park.The role of ADAC affiliates is to offer advice and support, as well as engage and participate in those initiatives that fit their role in the Adirondack Park.

 A news brief states the Cuomo administration is unveiling its plan at a news conference Monday to invest $900M in the New York state parks system by 2020.

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SARATOGA SPRINGS (AP) – The Cuomo administration is unveiling its plan to invest $900 million in the New York state parks system by 2020.

State parks Commissioner Rose Harvey plans to discuss the NY Parks 2020 plan at a news conference Monday morning at Saratoga Spa State Park.

The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation says the program is a multi-year commitment to leverage private and public funding to invest $900 million into the system of 180 parks and 35 historic sites during the current decade. That includes $110 million in the proposed state budget for 2015-16.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan is part of an ongoing effort to upgrade state-owned recreational and historic properties, many of which just a few years ago were understaffed and dilapidated from a backlog of infrastructure needs.

 The Associated Press notes that more than 30 advocacy groups are gathering in Albany to urge lawmakers and other public officials to protect and preserve New York’s state parks.

In an article discussing the need for more state resources to support the management of Catskill State Park, reporter Jim Planck notes that state funding regularly goes to the Adirondacks because of the existence of the Adirondack Park Agency – and a comparable group does not exist in the Catskills.

Letter writer Joseph D. Dumoulin of Jay, NY, comments on Peter Bauer’s recent article defending the lawsuit against the APA’s approval of the ACR’s development near Tupper Lake.