Plow drivers from Peru, Ausable, Plattsburgh and Hague gathered recently in Peru for a workshop to reduce road salt. Thank you to these communities and individuals for going the extra mile to keep winter roads safe and water clean.
Posts Tagged ‘Hague’
AdkAction: Adirondack area plow drivers take part in road salt reduction workshop
The place I live: Hague
Hard to get there. Harder to leave. It’s how we describe Hague, located on northern Lake George. Second-home owners abound during the warm summer months, heading back to their ‘real life’ around Labor Day. After that, Hague shuts down. That’s when the only thing you can buy in town is a stamp or a house. We can get groceries in Ticonderoga, which is about 12 miles away. That’s also where the kids go to school, ever since Hague Central School shut down in 1979.
Approximately 200 Attend Lake George Association’s 7th Annual Adirondack Champlain Regional Salt Summit
LAKE GEORGE — Approximately 200 elected officials, municipal highway crew members, business owners, scientists and not-for-profit leaders gathered in Lake George and online on Thursday, Oct. 13, for the Lake George Association’s Seventh Annual Adirondack Champlain Regional Salt Summit. The day-long event provided presentations and demonstrations on keeping winter roads, driveways and parking areas safe while reducing the cost and environmental consequences of road salt use.
A salty solution
The salt pollution challenge can be daunting: years and years of salt use have already penetrated surface and groundwater and will stick around for years to come. And salt is still the No. 1 way of keeping winter roads safe.
But the small highway crew in Hague, on the western shores of Lake George has started to show that if you use less salt on the roads, less salt will show up in the water. After the Hague crew reduced its salt use by nearly 70% over the last five years, researchers with RPI’s Darrin Fresh Water Institute have found an average 4% annual reduction in chloride concentrations in Hague Brook. More study is needed but it’s a positive sign that Hague is reducing salt on the roads and in the waters.
Read more about what Hague has been up to and my recent visit to their garage. I also spoke with North Country Public Radio Adirondacks reporter Emily Russell this week about the latest on the state’s road salt reduction task force.
The road salt issue has also started to draw more national coverage in recent weeks after a scientific research review published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment highlighted the dire public health and environmental downsides of rampant salt use – which has tripled in the last 45 years.
Photo: Hague plow operator Tim Fiallo mixing a brine solution at the Hague garage. Photo by Zachary Matson
Editor’s note: This first appeared in Zach’s weekly “Water Line” newsletter. Click here to sign up.
Warren County, Hague Certified for Sustainable Winter Management
Warren County and the Town of Hague have earned the Sustainable Winter Management (SWiM) Program certification for reducing the use of road salt — and its runoff into Lake George and other waterways — while maintaining safe driving conditions.
The SWiM certification was developed and is administered by winter management consulting firm WIT Advisers, LLC, of Delanson, NY. In 2018, the Town of Lake George became the first municipality in North America to earn the certification. » Continue Reading.
Terrestrial, Aquatic Invasive Threats Talk in Hague
The Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District and Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) are set to host a free informational event about terrestrial and aquatic invasive threats to the region on Thursday, August 15, 2019 from 6 to 8:30 pm at the Hague Community Center at 9793 Graphite Mountain Road, Hague.
Invasive species are an ecological threat to lands and waterbodies, and to local industries such as forestry, farming, and tourism. Early detection and rapid response is the most successful and cost-effective approach to managing infestations of invasive species. » Continue Reading.
ADK Shakes Shakespeare Performances Returning
After a one year hiatus, Adirondack Shakespeare Company, known locally as ADK Shakes, is returning to the mountains with new experiences, a professional cast, and performances of Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
According to Artistic Director Tara Bradway, the professional theatre troupe is presenting six performances from July 31-August 4. » Continue Reading.
Route 9N Closure in Hague Starts Monday, Feb 25
A short segment of Route 9N in the town of Hague, Warren County, will be closed starting Monday, February 25, until Thursday, May 23, to allow the New York State Department of Transportation to make repairs to a retaining wall. » Continue Reading.
Lake George Towns Embrace Road Salt Reduction Strategies *winter
Lake shore towns could reduce their salt usage by half simply by applying a liquid solution to roads before a storm arrives, highway superintendents, contractors and town officials were told at a workshop in Lake George in December.
Using the salt and water solution, commonly known as brine, as well as more advanced plows, especially when combined with conservation-minded practices, could reduce the amount of salt spread on local roads and highways even further, perhaps by 75%, said Lake George Waterkeeper Chris Navitsky, whose organization co-sponsored the workshop. “The more we learn about the impacts of road salt on the Lake George watershed, the more motivated we are to achieve road salt reductions in the earliest possible time frame,” said Navitsky. » Continue Reading.
A Lake George Steam Whistle Recalls A Bygone Era
For some folks, the bright notes they hear whenever Shoreline Cruises’ Adirondac circles Bolton Bay have a familiar ring.
That’s because they’re piped from an old fashioned brass steam whistle that once belonged to the Pamelaine, the private steamboat of Bolton Landing’s own Mason ‘Doc’ Saunders.
The Adirondac’s pilots blow the whistle in honor of Saunders, who died in 2006. Back in the day, that is, in the 1960s and 70s, Lake George experienced something of a steamboat revival, and Mason Saunders quickly became its ringmaster. » Continue Reading.
A Visit To Wardsboro Road Near Lake George
The midsection of Lake George, known as the Narrows, is so tightly squeezed with steep mountainsides that there are no highways along its shorelines; without such access, most of that stretch of lake is bordered by state land. Roads connecting the north and south basins of the lake have to run well back from the shore.
The nineteenth-century throughway on the west side, called Wardsboro Road, was built several miles from the lake and had to climb and descend 1,300 feet to connect the towns of Bolton and Hague. The road is named for the early farming community at its southern end. » Continue Reading.
Completed 2014 Lake George Conservation Projects
The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has issued a report to the press outlining its work in 2014 and looking forward to its plans for 2015. In tallying their efforts, LGLC has found that over the last nine months they have protected 462 acres of Lake George watershed lands through partnerships, purchases, donations and conservation easements and are currently working on plans to protect over 750 acres in the near future.
Land conservation projects have been completed in five towns around Lake George, including Bolton, Hague, Putnam, Fort Ann, and the Town of Lake George. The projects protect forests, wetlands, rocky slopes and ridges, and streams, as well as wildlife habitat.
LGLC also achieved land trust accreditation in August from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. The organization is also preparing for a change in leadership. Executive Director Nancy Williams is expected to retire this fall, and LGLC’s Board of Directors hope to have a new executive director in place by January of 2015. » Continue Reading.
Lake George Stream Work Completed
This fall the Lake George Association (LGA) has been at work along waters that flow into Lake George, including Foster Brook in the hamlet of Huletts Landing, and English Brook in Lake George Village. The LGA also partnered with the Warren County Conservation District (WCSWCD), and the towns of Hague and Bolton to remove over 1300 cubic yards of material from eight sediment basins in the two towns, the equivalent of about 110 dump truck loads.
At Huletts, Foster Brook was severely eroded during last year’s Tropical Storm Irene. Lots of unwanted material was deposited along the banks and within the stream, interrupting the natural flow of the water. This material was removed, and some was used, along with new stone, to stabilize the streambanks. In October, dozens of native plants and shrubs were planted along English Brook near its mouth at Lake George.
» Continue Reading.
Sorbet: A Summertime Blueberry Treat
For the past few weeks I just simply have not been in the mood for cooking. It has been hot and sunny, and sitting in the kitchen and standing over a stove – much less turning on the oven – holds about zero appeal. A lot of salads have been hitting the table, as we’ve had a bumper crop of lettuce this year. Herbs have also been plentiful, which makes for fun experimentation with different types of dressings.
Mostly I have been spending a lot of time outdoors with friends and family, bringing along a variety of Oscar’s ready-made salads, smoked meats and cheeses for picnicking. Ready-made has held a lot more appeal than actually whipping up my own potato salad or barbeque after a long hard day of relaxing. » Continue Reading.
Christmas in Hague
» Continue Reading.