Waterkeeper Wins Lawsuit against the Town of Lake George

The Lake George Waterkeeper won its lawsuit against the Town of Lake George. The decision was released by the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Warren County in July. The decision found that the Town of Lake George acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner in its approval of the first phase of the controversial Forest Ridge subdivision. The Court found specifically that the Town violated the “segmentation clause” of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). The Court ordered the town to develop a full record to support its decision to authorize the subdivision within 90 days. The Town approved a short environmental review for this project; whereas the Waterkeeper maintained that its significant impacts merited a full environmental review due to the range of impacts of this project from road and residential development on wetlands, steep slopes, and other natural resources. The Waterkeeper filed this lawsuit in May 2006.

“We are pleased with this decision,” said Chris Navitsky, the Lake George Waterkeeper. “It validates our concerns about what we saw as an improper review by the Town of Lake George Planning Board. They clearly tried to segment this project and not fully evaluate significant issues of forest fragmentation, construction of roads and houses on steep slopes, and impacts to wetlands, among others. The Town also failed to properly administer its local stormwater management regulations. We look forward to seeing what the Town produces for the Judge.”

“This decision is important because it puts the Town of Lake George on notice for all other future reviews about the need for comprehensive environmental reviews that include all phases of applications and all major environmental impacts. It’s also important because we need proper application of stormwater management controls in Lake George. There are numerous problem areas already for stormwater control along Route 9N downhill from this project,” said Navitsky.

“The Waterkeeper was joined by a number of adjoining landowners whose concerns were not heard by the town during its review. There should have been a much more robust public review about the full range of impacts of this project,” said Navitsky. “Now we’ll get that review.” The Waterkeeper awaits a response by the Town of Lake George.

Algae Bloom Found in Lake George

An algae bloom has been identified by the FUND and the Lake George Waterkeeper in Bolton Bay on the west side of Lake George. Algae blooms periodically occur on Lake George in specific areas, but there is no historic database of the number or extent of such occurrences. Click here for pictures of the algae bloom.

Blooms occur when algae rapidly grow in an area due to sudden availability of large amounts of nutrients. Growth often covers the lake bottom like a carpet and grows on rocks and plants. Algae require sunlight for growth so it only occurs in the lake’s littoral zone, areas of a depth of 20 feet or less.

The Lake George Waterkeeper is now heading up an effort to identify other blooms in the lake by asking residents and users who know of an algae bloom to go to www.lakegeorgewaterkeeper.org and review pictures of Bolton Bay. If what they have witnessed is similar, they are encouraged to contact the Waterkeeper. We need the public to help as our eyes on the lake. We can’t possibly cover every bay around the lake, so we’re relying on the public to look at their bay and go to our website to see if they have a similar occurrence.

The causes of algae blooms are complex and often involve multiple factors, such as use of lawn fertilizers, dumping of lawn debris into the lake or associated stream, inadequate septic and stormwater control systems, untreated stormwater from roadways dumping directly into streams and the lake, as well as major rain events, which deliver a large pulse of nutrients to the lake. “Algae blooms will occur where the factors are right. Algae are opportunistic and flourish in areas with high nutrient availability. Algae follow nutrients; there’s a direct link. We don’t know the extent of such blooms across the lake, but we intend to find out,” said Kathy Bozony, Natural Resource Specialist with the Lake George Waterkeeper. All reports should be made to Kathy Bozony, of the Lake George Waterkeeper, at 518.668.5913 x 303 or by email at info@lakegeorgewaterkeeper.org.

Since calling for public reports, algae blooms have been documented in Huddle Bay, Sawmill Bay, Sandy Bay in Cleverdale, south of Edmunds Brook, near Indian Pipes, and near the Diamond Point Beach. If you think that you know of an algae bloom location, please contact us.

New Website

The FUND for Lake George and the Lake George Waterkeeper have launched a new website. This website is designed to provide information on the most pressing issues facing Lake George and the full range of work of the FUND and Lake George Waterkeeper. The website contains a full description of the FUND’s various programs including Lake Science, Uplands Protection, and the Lake George Waterkeeper. The website also includes weekly postings of press releases, news items, and all public comments. “The website is designed to give the reader the full breadth of work of the FUND for Lake George and the Lake George Waterkeeper. There’s no shortage of issues that we’re involved in around the lake. This new website lets us show the full scope of our work in real time while setting a high standard for organization and advocacy transparency and openness,” said Peter Bauer, FUND Executive Director.

Get the Latest Information on Major Developments Proposed around the Lake

The most important feature of the new website is regular updates about the major developments proposed around the lake. The Lake George Waterkeeper comments and intervenes in the biggest and most important developments. Information on all such developments is contained on the website and listed in a town-by-town format. If you want to know what is happening in your community go to www.lakegeorgewaterkeeper.org and look for the new interactive map of the Lake George Watershed on the Project Review page.

Coliform Research Identifies Problems, Pushes Communities to Solutions

Part of the FUND’s long-term water quality monitoring partnership with the Darrin Fresh Water Institute focuses on sampling for coliform, bacteria that indicates the presence of animal or human waste. This research has identified areas of chronic high levels of coliform. This generally means that septic systems in the area are failing or overwhelmed. This program identified a chronic problem at King James Spring, which entered Lake George right near the Sheriff’s Dock in the Village of Lake George. After reports to the Village, action was taken to “seal” this spring in order to find where the problem is upstream. Subsequent tests have found low coliform levels, though upstream sources have not been found to date.

Salt Study

State Senator Betty Little (R-Queensbury) secured $200,000 for a study about the impacts of salt pollution in Lake George. FUND supported water quality monitoring data collection by DFWI has found that salt levels have nearly tripled in the lake since 1980. This is a serious long-term threat to the lake. These funds will be administered through a grant to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and the Lake George Watershed Conference. The FUND is part of an advisory committee helping with this study.

James Wolitarsky and Nell Fraser Join FUND Board of Trustees

The FUND welcomes two new Board of Trustees — James Wolitarsky of Northwest Bay and Philadelphia and Nell Fraser of Saratoga Springs and Bolton. Jim brings more than 30 year’s experience in financial, marketing and executive management roles. Until his retirement in 2007, Jim was President and Chief Executive Officer of Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, one of the largest full-service regional securities broker/dealers in the United States. In addition to 16 years service with Janney, he has served in senior positions at CoreStates Bank, where he led certain corporate lending and product management activities, PaineWebber, Inc., where his positions included Director of Marketing Administration and Director of Mutual Funds & Asset Management and Moseley Securities Corp., initially as Chief Financial Officer and later as President and Chief Executive Officer.

Jim is currently on the board of the Pennsylvania Hospital, a member hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and is a director of Davidson Companies, a full-service securities broker/dealer. In addition, he has served on numerous other public, private and non-profit boards throughout his career.

Jim’s love of Lake George and the Adirondacks dates back to the 1950s and 1960s when his family rented a lake front cottage for a few weeks each summer on Black Point Road in Ticonderoga. Two years ago, Jim and his wife, Jean, whose family has spent generations on Upper Saranac Lake, reconnected with the Adirondacks when they purchased a home on Northwest Bay in Bolton Landing. Jim and Jean now spend much of their leisure time hiking, kayaking, boating, fishing, gardening and looking forward to the many family visits from their four children and two grandchildren. Jim’s other interests include skiing, travel and golf. He looks forward to his participation on the board of the FUND, where he can combine his years of business experience with his passion for supporting the continued health of Lake George.

Jim holds a B.A. degree from Franklin & Marshall College and a M.B.A. degree from New York University. He served in the United States Army from 1968 to 1970 with service in Vietnam and was decorated with a Bronze Star and Vietnam Cross of Gallantry.

Nell Fraser is a native of the Albany area and spent much of her childhood on the lake. She has recently returned from Charlotte, VT where she worked for 10 years in watershed protection. Nell received her undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont and an MS from the University of Massachusetts in Watershed Science and Management. Nell lives with her husband, Rob and young son, William, in Saratoga Springs. Nell loves to sail, kayak, hike and camp on and around Lake George. Nell has a particular interest in water quality and looks forward to working on the Lake Science and the Uplands Protection committees.

Kathy Bozony Joins the Lake George Waterkeeper

Kathy Bozony joined the staff in April. She’s the new Natural Resource Specialist working with the Lake George Waterkeeper program. Kathy’s main focus is with the Waterkeeper’s Project Review work, where she continues to make environmentally responsible recommendations to the local Planning Boards and Zoning Board of Appeals regarding their review, mitigation and subsequent approvals for development applications within the Lake George watershed.

Kathy worked for nearly twenty years in the health care field before transitioning to environmental advocacy. Her career switch led her to an environmental science degree at Paul Smith’s College and employment with the noted Adirondack Watershed Institute. After graduation, she worked with the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks before joining the Lake George Association, coordinating their Land Use Program. Kathy brings passion and knowledge of the area to her new position.

Stream Regulations under Development by the Lake George Park Commission

The Lake George Park Commission (LGPC) continues to work on the development of new draft regulations for stream buffers. The LGPC’s statute requires that it develop “stream corridor control” rules, but this has been a blank page in its official regulations for twenty years. Currently, the LGPC has retooled its rulemaking effort for stream buffers. It has contracted with the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) to help with research and rule drafting and with the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District for data gathering about the locations and classification of the hundreds of streams in the Lake George Watershed.

The Lake George Waterkeeper has reported to the LGPC a number of streams discovered during the field work of its Stream Assessment Project that were not part of the LGPC’s inventory. The LGPC has since expanded its inventory efforts around the watershed. The LGPC anticipates having formal draft rules for public hearing in 2009.

West Brook Conservation Initiative

The West Brook Conservation Initiative has been launched. This combined effort between the FUND for Lake George, Lake George Association and Lake George Land Conservancy seeks to protect the headwaters of West Brook and transform the Gaslight Village into an environmental park to treat stormwater and remove sediment and nutrients before these waters reach Lake George. The total costs of the land acquisition and environmental restoration is estimated at $15 million.

The three environmental groups have embarked upon a capital campaign and are working to raise $6 million from private and corporate support to leverage $9 million in local, state and federal grants. We’re in the quiet phase of the campaign now; where we’re reaching out to individuals and families around Lake George for support for this ambitious and innovative project.

The West Brook Conservation Initiative is an investment in the local economy and environment through stormwater treatment, upland protection, and wetland restoration projects that will provide an ecological benefit to Lake George. Through years of being channelized, associated wetlands filled, and its watershed degraded, West Brook has become the biggest single source of pollution to Lake George. It is clear that Lake George is the most important economic asset of this area and its stewardship is of the utmost long-term importance.

Bauer Receives Adirondack Achievement Award

In May, the FUND’s Executive Director Peter Bauer was the recipient of the Adirondack Achievement Award by the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks, honoring his 13 years of environmental advocacy as the Executive Director of the Residents’ Committee to Protect the Adirondacks from 1994 – 2007. Bauer took over leadership of the FUND in October 2007.

FUND Annual Meeting Held at the Gaslight Village

On July 19th the FUND Board of Trustees held its 2008 Annual Meeting on the site of the former Gaslight Village in downtown Lake George. We met on this site to peer into the future.The FUND purchased a conservation easement on this project for $2.1 million in March with theLake George Association and the Lake George Land Conservancy. Over 70 people attendedand were treated to cocktails and refreshments under a tent with updates on the West Brook Conservation Initiative, a tour of the planned transformation of the dilapidated Gaslight Village into an environmental park, and reports on the state of the FUND and the Waterkeeper.

See pictures of the event here.

FUND Releases 2007 Annual Report

The FUND’s 2007 Annual Report has been released. If you have not received a copy, please contact the FUND office and one will be sent to you. The report can also be downloaded off the website. This report enumerates highlights of the FUND’s work over the past year and gratefully acknowledges supporters.

Make an Online Contribution to the FUND for Lake George

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