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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
Latest News Headlines
- Saranac River trail network keeps growing
- Tupper Lake's water woes
- Santa's Workshop: 75 years of magic
- Powering up their way: Adirondackers living off the grid
- Following merger, Boquet Valley school communities look to the future
- Tips for planning an off-grid system
- Tempers lost at Adirondack library meeting
- Warren County report shows major housing shortages
- APA developing battery energy storage application
- Southern Adirondacks mining expansion gets APA approval
Latest News Headlines
- Saranac River trail network keeps growing
- Tupper Lake's water woes
- Santa's Workshop: 75 years of magic
- Powering up their way: Adirondackers living off the grid
- Following merger, Boquet Valley school communities look to the future
- Tips for planning an off-grid system
- Tempers lost at Adirondack library meeting
- Warren County report shows major housing shortages
- APA developing battery energy storage application
- Southern Adirondacks mining expansion gets APA approval
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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Reporting with impact on environmental issues
Every day the Adirondack Explorer’s reporting focuses on Earth Day values: The importance of fresh air, clean water, wild forests. And ensuring everyone has access to those essentials. As well as how to strike the balance between human communities and the natural world.
In the Adirondack Park, those issues are front and center. The region serves as a world-class example of the importance of protecting our natural assets. Founded 25 years ago, Adirondack Explorer has served as a “voice of the park.” Since then, we’ve dived deep into reporting on the environment, recreation and human communities. As well as the tensions that can arise in this unique blend of private and public land.
Here’s a look at our team and some of their recent work, published daily on the Explorer website, that embodies “Earth Day, Every Day.” (And if you like what you’re reading, will you show your support with a donation this Earth Day?)
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