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Almanack Contributor Melissa Hart
Melissa is a journalist with experience as a reporter and editor with the Burlington Free Press, Ithaca Journal and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. She worked as a communications specialist for the Adirondack North Country Association and is currently digital editor for Adirondack Explorer, overseeing both the Explorer's website and its community forum the Adirondack Almanack. She enjoys hiking, camping and other outdoors activities, and spending time with her husband, their twin daughters, and rescue animals -- two dogs and two cats.
Discussion time: Herbicide to kill milfoil
Eurasian watermilfoil, the pervasive invasive aquatic weed at the center of a debate over using herbicide in Adirondack waters. Photo by Gwendolyn Craig
With the news that the Adirondack Park Agency has approved use of ProcellaCOR in Lake Luzerne, I thought it would be good to check with readers and get a feel for what you make of it. In light of the controversy in Lake George, should other Adirondack lakes be moving ahead? Is an herbicide the best tactic for removing/eradicating milfoil? Or should hand harvesting be the sole/preferred method?
For those who need a refresher, here’s an overview of the herbicide and its uses.
Eurasian watermilfoil, the pervasive invasive aquatic weed at the center of a debate over using herbicide in Adirondack waters. Photo by Gwendolyn Craig
Discussion time: Name changes
From my colleague Zach Matson in his weekly “Water Line” newsletter:
John Thomas Brook in Franklin County flows south from its source near Kate Mountain to Twobridge Brook near Bloomingdale. It used to be named Negro Brook, before it was formally renamed last month by the U.S. Board of Geographical Names. Read Mike Lynch’s story on the history of the brook and John Thomas, an escaped slave who made his home in the North Country. The new name honors the deep history of Black Adirondackers and offers a step – albeit a small one – toward making the Adirondacks a bit more accepting to all.
Adirondack Diversity Initiative Executive Director Tiffany Rea-Fisher called it a “powerful gesture.” Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center Director David Fadden, whose home the stream flows past, said he was long embarrassed to share the old name.
“I always just had a bad feeling about that: the history and derogatory term used to name this beautiful little brook behind my house,” Fadden said.
What’s your reaction to this name change? What do you think next steps should be for other place names such as this one? (Please, let’s keep the discussion civil and bonus points for avoiding the word “woke.”)
Photo at top: This brook near Bloomingdale was recently renamed to John Thomas Brook, for a 19th century Black settler. Photo by Mike Lynch
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Latest News Headlines
- Death of an Adirondack relic
- Thick smoke hangs over the Adirondacks
- A Schroon Lake hike, with black flies
- Saranac marina supporters call for APA approval
- Ranger rescues: More than 4,500 served in 10 years
- Learning from the lake
- Revitalizing Adirondack communities, one building at a time
- Essex Co. woman to appear on History Channel survival show
- Second fox tests positive for rabies in Ticonderoga
- State aid offer for new Boquet Valley school building falls short
The Adirondack Almanack
The Adirondack Almanack is a public forum dedicated to promoting and discussing current events, history, arts, nature and outdoor recreation and other topics of interest to the Adirondacks and its communities
We publish commentary and opinion pieces from voluntary contributors, as well as news updates and event notices from area organizations. Contributors include veteran local writers, historians, naturalists, and outdoor enthusiasts from around the Adirondack region. The information, views and opinions expressed by these various authors are not necessarily those of the Adirondack Almanack or its publisher, the Adirondack Explorer.
General inquiries about the Adirondack Almanack should be directed to editor Melissa Hart.
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Discussion time: Wilderness dams
The Explorer has been running a series on the 500+ dams that can be found within the Adirondack Park boundary. (Click here to see all the stories in the series) One of the articles specifically looks at dams that are in Wilderness areas. Marcy Dam is now gone and same with the dam that once made Duck Hole a celebrated paddling destination. Lake Colden is the only remaining dam.
The question remains: Do dams have a place in these protected areas? Should the state maintain the ones that remain? The article points to Lows Lake and the Boreas Ponds tract as examples of dams the state is willing to maintain. Weigh in here with your thoughts.
Photo at top: Debris from the old wilderness dam at Duck Hole. Photo by Mike Lynch