The NYS DEC is once again enforcing the annual burn ban from March 16 through May 14. During this time, NYS is especially vulnerable to wildfires, with nearly half of all serious wildfires happening in the spring. As the snow melts to reveal fall’s dry leaves and downed branches, warm temperatures, and low humidity increase the risk of fires spreading. The annual burn ban temporarily prohibits burning residential brush to reduce the risk of wildfires across the state.
On March 15, the Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative – a working group of fisheries professionals from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – announced the decision to further reduce the number of stocked lake trout released annually. This decision was prompted by the continued increase in natural reproduction and the documentation of multiple age classes of wild fish.
A stocking program was established in the 1950s to restore lake trout in Lake Champlain following the loss of native populations due to water quality and habitat changes. Although the lake was stocked with 82,000 fin clipped fish annually, there is little evidence of successful natural reproduction during the first 60 years of this program.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency this morning proposed the first national drinking water standards for the so-called “forever chemicals” that are pervasive in waterways across the country.
The proposed regulation – which is open for public comment and EPA suggested would be finalized by the end of the year – would establish legally-enforceable “maximum contaminant levels” for six types of PFAS.
The rule would require public water systems to monitor the contaminants, report levels to the public and achieve new thresholds for the different chemical types. The proposed rule establishes maximum contaminant levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) of 4 parts per trillion in public drinking supplies. It creates a hazard index for four other chemical types, limiting their levels to less than 1 part per trillion.
The ubiquitous chemicals are found in countless items of everyday life, such as waterproof clothing and toilet paper. Hundreds of millions of Americans are estimated to be exposed to some levels of PFAS in their tap water.
Check out coverage of the proposed rule in the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Associated Press.
Water conference
In New York City, the United Nations is hosting a global water conference. Known officially as the 2023 Conference for the Midterm Comprehensive Review of Implementation of the UN Decade for Action on Water and Sanitation, the conference aims to refocus efforts to address the numerous challenges to freshwater first outlined at a 1977 UN conference. Participants will serve as a review of goals established to avert international water shortfalls.
This first appeared in Zach’s weekly “Water Line” newsletter. Click here to sign up.
Photo at top: Ice at the old Corinth drinking supply reservoir earlier this winter. Photo by Zachary Matson
Harrietstown, NY — The Adirondack Land Trust is inviting community members to review preliminary designs for possible public access to its Glenview Preserve in Harrietstown. This 238-acre property, off State Route 86 between Saranac Lake and Paul Smiths, is being maintained as a scenic vista and managed for pollinator and wildlife habitat, water quality protection, and maple syrup production.
The draft plan reflects input from neighbors and community members, and now the land trust and Saratoga Associates are hosting an open-house-style work session to provide opportunities for additional input and feedback.
Ray Brook, NY – The Adirondack Park Agency Board, at its March 16, 2023 meeting, authorized a 30-day public comment period to solicit input to help inform the Board’s interpretation of the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan’s Wild Forest Basic Guideline No. 4, including a new No Material Increase Alternative #4.
The Agency will accept public comment through close of business on April 17, 2023. All public comments will be shared with the Department of Environmental Conservation, who the Agency works in consultation with on Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan implementation.
Herkimer County SWCD – If you have a weed problem in your pond, you may want to consider stocking it with Grass Carp. These fish have a tremendous appetite for aquatic vegetation and can be used as a non-chemical agent to control weed growth in ponds, such as hydrilla, milfoil, coontail, elodea, and pondweeds.
The fish that are available for stocking are Triploid Grass Carp, which means they are sterile and cannot produce viable young. This non-native species of fish does not compete with native fish species that you may already have swimming around in your pond. Please note, these fish will not eat species such as cattails, bulrush, or water lilies.
Because Grass Carp are not native to New York and because they have huge appetites, a permit is required from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC). The Herkimer County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) starts the permitting process now, with stocking to take place in June 2023. The permitting process conducted by the NYS DEC is free of charge.
The Lake Champlain Basin Program, Champlain Centre Mall, and the Champlain Basin Education Initiative invite the public to participate in a World Water Day Celebration on Saturday, March 18 beginning at 11 a.m. at the mall on Smithfield Blvd. Plattsburgh, NY. Mall guests may view student works about local water resources and interact with more than 20 organizations which will host exhibits and hands-on activities celebrating water resources.
“We’re excited to co-host this in-person World Water Day Celebration with a whole group of enthusiastic partners,” said Sue Hagar, Education and Outreach Steward for the Lake Champlain Basin Program. “The groups are hard at work every day to improve water resources for both drinking water and recreational uses including boating, swimming and fishing, all while encouraging folks to get involved in personal stewardship actions to improve the watershed.”
Planting a Seed – Saranac Lake‘s Common Ground Gardens Opening Registration to New Gardeners Today, Thursday, March 16, 2023
By Paul Sorgule
It’s a bit ironic as I sit with my morning coffee, looking out the window at a steady Adirondack snowfall, knowing that my shovel is waiting outside – that my thoughts are on planting our garden in a few short months. Our High Mowing Seeds order has already been placed and a path has been cleared to the backyard shed where garden tools stand ready, willing, and able. There is something so gratifying about getting our hands in the soil, weeding between rows as shoots pop their heads through the dirt, and watching humble seedlings grow and mature into the vegetables that will grace our table during the summer and early fall. Sharing this experience with dozens of other local planters at Common Grounds Community Garden is icing on the cake. These thoughts are really the first sign of Spring, long before lawns peek through the snow, and the birds return from their winter homes.
APA Honors Women’s History Month with “Remarkable Women of the Adirondacks” Historical Presentation and Fine Arts Exhibit
Ray Brook, NY – The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday, March 16, 2023. The meeting will be held at the Agency’s headquarters in Ray Brook, NY. The public is welcome to attend in person or remotely.
Public comment will be available to members of the public who attend the Agency meeting in person as well as those who participate remotely. If you would like the opportunity to make a public comment remotely, please email your name and the phone number used to call into the Board Meeting to AgencyMeeting.PublicComment@
Saranac Lake, NY – The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) has been awarded a $558,000 federal grant to support climate-smart agroforestry projects on small farms in northern New York. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) awarded the regional economic nonprofit a Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant to help farmers diversify their operations while implementing farming practices that improve land, water and air quality across the region.
On March 6, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced the availability of employment opportunities for the summer recreational season. Individuals looking for seasonal summer employment and who enjoy the outdoors are encouraged to learn more about opportunities to work at DEC facilities at upcoming on-site job fairs on Thursday, March 16, 2023.
The Adirondack Common Ground Alliance (CGA) is a diverse network of stakeholders focused on addressing issues that affect the Adirondack Park – specifically, though not exclusively, environmental protection, economic development, and community vitality. Our goal is to facilitate dialogue and identify collaborative solutions that improve the Park and its communities for generations to come. Since 2007, CGA has organized an annual forum, yielding an agreed upon set of recommendations for state action referred to as the “Blueprint for the Blue Line.”
In the summer of 2022, more than 190 citizens participated in the 15th annual CGA Forum at Gore Mountain in North Creek. Below is a set of recommendations within five priority themes: housing, vibrant communities, community policing, recreation, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Examinations for individuals seeking a license to practice the sport of falconry, become a volunteer wildlife rehabilitator, or use leashed tracking dogs to find wounded or injured big game animals are scheduled for Friday, April 14, 2023. The registration deadline for these free exams is Wednesday, April 12, 2023. To provide broad access to these examinations, DEC is offering them exclusively online.
Free study guides, the link to the registration website, and directions on how to register are provided on each of the individual license webpages. An email acknowledgment of registration will be sent to applicants along with an additional one-time link to access the website on the day of the exam.
For questions or assistance, please contact the Special Licenses Unit by mail at NYS DEC Special Licenses Unit, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4752; by phone at 518-402-8985; or email us.
Photo at top courtesy of USFWS, provided by the NYS DEC.
AdkAction and the Compost for Good (CfG) team are thrilled to announce that they have selected the Town of Newcomb as the recipient of a high flow drum composter as part of a USDA Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG). Newcomb was selected upon recommendation from a local advisory committee through a competitive application process based on the Town’s long standing interest in community scale composting, its strong collaborative team, and the educational opportunities it will provide.
The RBDG grant was awarded to CfG and AdkAction in 2021 to promote community scale compost business development in the North Country, including manufacturing, food scrap hauling, compost sales, retail, and more. The 20’x4’ drum composter was designed by CfG’s cofounder, John Culpepper, and is capable of transforming several hundred pounds of food scraps per week into rich soil. There are four community scale drum composters currently in the North Country, and Newcomb, receiving the 5th unit, is the first community-led, community scale initiative.
On February 13, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced that the application period for the Trees for Tribs’ “Buffer in a Bag” program is now open. Qualifying private and public landowners may apply for a free bag of 25 tree and shrub seedlings for planting near streams, rivers, or lakes to help stabilize banks, protect water quality, combat climate change, and improve wildlife habitat.
Latest News Headlines
Latest News Headlines
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.
To advertise on the Adirondack Almanack, or to receive information on rates and design, please click here.
Catch up on all your Adirondack
news, delivered weekly to your inbox
Help us keep bringing you the Adirondack information you value.
Email
Twitter
RSS
Facebook
Recent Almanack Comments