Posts Tagged ‘Saranac River’

Monday, October 16, 2023

Saranac River Fish Passage Improvements Nearly Complete

Saranac River project

Fish in the Saranac River are about to experience some new-found freedom. Deconstruction to remove the remnants of the Indian Rapids Dam and Frendenburgh Falls Dam in Plattsburgh is just about complete, which means fish will now be able to move more freely on that stretch of river.

The projects are a combined effort of NYS Electric & Gas (NYSEG), US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), and Trout Unlimited to improve fish passage before a fish ladder is installed at Imperial Mills Dam. The fish ladder combined with the removal of the two dams will allow fish to access upper sections of the Saranac River for the first time in over 120 years.

For more detailed information on this project, visit the USFWS website and check out this Adirondack Explorer story by reporter Mike Lynch at the following link. 

 

Photo at top courtesy of the NYS DEC.


Sunday, September 24, 2023

Saranac River projects impact access for paddlers, other users this fall

Northern Forest Canoe Trail logo.

 

Several projects along the Saranac River section of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) will impact access for paddlers and other users this fall. The projects include construction on Casey Road, a dam removal near Indian Rapids, and a fish ladder being installed at Imperial Mills Dam.

“Our community partners have done great work to inform us of the impact these projects will have on users,” said NFCT Stewardship Director Noah Pollock. “We want to be sure that paddlers, anglers and other outdoor recreationists know about this work and adjust their plans accordingly — the goal is to keep people safe and informed. Ultimately, these projects will enhance these sections of the Saranac River and we’re excited to see them come to fruition.” » Continue Reading.


Monday, April 26, 2021

Go Fish: Stocking Saranac River Salmon

salmonRegional fishery folks are testing new ways of getting salmon ready for the Saranac River, a river salmon once thrived in but were blocked from 200 years ago by dams.

I explored the relationship among the river, the dams and the salmon in a series of stories last year. This spring, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation plans to stock salmon in the river, which it has done for years, but this time keep some in a pen for several weeks. In the pen, the fish, who were born in a hatchery, will be fed and cared for by Trout Unlimited. The idea is these fish will have a better chance to survive and learn the river before they leave it for Lake Champlain. That learning, called imprinting, might make it more likely for the salmon to return to the river to spawn in years to come.

» Continue Reading.


Monday, April 12, 2021

Partners work on Pen-Rearing Projects for Atlantic Salmon

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salmon courtesy Concordia UniversityFollowing Success of Net Pen Programs for Other Species, DEC Anticipates Increased Survival of Stocked Smolts

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced the deployment of two new pen-rearing projects for Atlantic salmon to begin this spring. To improve post-stocking survival and imprinting to the stocked water, experimental Atlantic salmon pen-rearing projects will be conducted in the Saranac River estuary in Lake Champlain and in the Salmon River in Lake Ontario. DEC is partnering with the Lake Champlain Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Plattsburgh Boat Basin on the Saranac River project and partnering with the Tug Hill/Black River Chapter of Trout Unlimited and Salmon River Lighthouse and Marina on the Salmon River project.

» Continue Reading.


Monday, November 9, 2020

The ups and downs of the Saranac River

Over the summer, long before any hint of fall and far before the fall of snow, I spent a while on the phone talking about the ups and downs of the Saranac River.

The Saranac was dammed way back in the late-1700s and hasn’t been the same since. Now, a series of dams along the river cause dramatic changes in the flow and elevation of the river. Those changes, the ones that started over 200 years ago and continue to this day, upend the lives of fish and insects in the river and make it hardly the sort of wild river it at first may appear.

» Continue Reading.


Sunday, October 18, 2020

Enjoying our environment

We’re wrapping up production of our November/December magazine issue, and we think Mike Lynch’s photography and writing in it should alert a lot of readers to recreational and environmental aspects of the Adirondacks that they hadn’t previously considered. For one thing, it seems that a lot of people who enjoy our mountains weren’t aware that they were home to salmon — either historically or right now.

Well, they are, and Mike made a number of trips to the Boquet River to see and photograph them running there. (Above is a long exposure he snapped of a landlocked Atlantic salmon cresting in the river.) Those fish, which the state has stocked but in some years will also reproduce naturally in the river, offer hope for a thriving wild salmon fishery in the park.

» Continue Reading.


Tuesday, July 21, 2020

DEC Releases Final Plans to Improve Saranac River’s Imperial Mills Dam

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New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Regional Director Joe Zalewski today announced the release of final plans to improve the Imperial Mills Dam, including installing a fish ladder to provide for passage of landlocked Atlantic salmon and modifying the dam to bring it into compliance with dam safety regulations. The Imperial Mills Dam, also known as the Main Mill Dam, is located on the Saranac River approximately 3.2 miles upstream from Lake Champlain, in the city of Plattsburgh, Clinton County.

 

» Continue Reading.


Sunday, November 24, 2019

Lake Placid Land Conservancy Adds Conservation Planner

Carolyn Koestner provided by Lake Placid Land ConservancyThe Lake Placid Land Conservancy (LPLC) has announced the hiring of its newest staff member, Carolyn Koestner.

She joins the organization as the Strategic Conservation Planner where she is expected to use her expertise in Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis and mapping to identify priority areas for conservation in the Ausable and Saranac River watersheds. » Continue Reading.


Saturday, September 14, 2019

Bike the Barns Riding Through Adirondack History

Sanctuary Farm in VermontvilleThe Saranac River Basin and the farms located within it have a rich agricultural tradition that stretches back generations. The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) invites Bike the Barns participants to engage with the region’s agricultural heritage through interpretive exhibits and farm tours at its fourth annual farm-by-bike event. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, June 20, 2019

UPDATED: Stretch of Saranac River Reopened to Boating

saranac river paddlerUPDATE: The Saranac River is now reopened to boating between the Lower Lock and Second Pond Boat Launch. This section of river was closed on Thursday because of extremely low waters levels that made this section of the river impassable. DEC said the sluice gate was damaged by vandals.

DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officers are investigating this incident and ask that members of the public with information about the act of vandalism contact (518) 897-1326.

Photo of Saranac River paddler courtesy DEC.


Monday, April 29, 2019

Love My Park Day Is Saturday May 4th

love my park dayI Love My Park Day has been set for Saturday, May 4th. With various ways to volunteer and give back, “Love my Park Day” provides a chance to help others, and learn more about sustainability practices. » Continue Reading.


Friday, July 20, 2018

Featured Paddles: Saranac River, Saranac Lake, Moose Pond

saranac river paddlerThe Saranac River offers a calm, winding river with views of the High Peaks, great for a half-day paddle meandering along Route 3 towards Bloomingdale. It flows along the western and northern borders of the McKenzie Mountain Wilderness.

Put-ins are located at the Saranac River Hand Launch or the Pine Street Hand Launch in Saranac Lake. A second car can be parked at the Moose Pond trail head on Route 3 near Bloomingdale. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Adirondack Uranium: A Lewis County Boondoggle

In late summer 1955, after two months of surveying and studying uranium deposits in Saratoga County, Robert Zullo and his partners, George McDonnell and Lewis Lavery, saw their claims publicly dismissed in print by a business rival, who told the Leader-Herald there were “no major deposits of uranium in the Sacandaga region.” Geologist John Bird of Schenectady had been hired by a Wyoming uranium-mining company to survey the area, and after thirty days, he had found uraninite only in “ridiculously small” quantities. » Continue Reading.


Sunday, March 4, 2018

Saranac River Superfund Site Public Meeting Set

NYSEG – Plattsburg Saranac St. MGP Site #510007A public meeting addressing the contamination related to the NYSEG – Plattsburg Saranac Street MGP Site #510007 along the Saranac River in Plattsburgh has been set for March 14th, 2018 at 7 pm, at the Plattsburgh City Hall, 41 City Hall Place, Plattsburgh.

In addition to the meeting, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is accepting public comments about the proposal through March 30, 2018. » Continue Reading.


Sunday, September 4, 2016

Upper Saranac River Conservation Workshop Wednesday

working landscapes mapLake Placid Land Conservancy (LPLC) will be hosting a Community Conservation Workshop at the Saranac Lake Free Library on Wednesday, September 7, 2016, from 5:30 to 7 pm.

The workshop is intended for landowners and community members who are interested in discussing conservation and stewardship of private lands in the Saranac Lake region.

Through a recent mapping initiative, LPLC identified important land use characteristics and attributes (including important ecological, political and economic characteristics) on almost 100,000 acres of private lands in the region. LPLC staff will provide an overview of its mapping initiative and conduct interactive mapping exercises for its Saranac Lake focus area. » Continue Reading.



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