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Adirondack Council Award
The Adirondack Council is the premier advocacy group for the protection of the environment in the Adirondack Park. The Council presented the Lake Colby Association with a Resolution of its Board and a plaque recognizing the Associations success in getting watercraft horsepower limited to 10HP on the lake and in stopping the 2007 planned auto races on the lake's frozen surface. This link will take you to the citation. The Council also presented the LCA with a plaque containing the 10HP Act signed into law and the pen used by the Governor. We will have both for display at our annual meeting.
2007 Water Quality Results
The 2007 Adirondack Lake Assessment Program results have been posted. The results are not good: we continue to have deteriorated chloride levels and elevated conductivity (caused also by the salt run-off). We have asked the Town and Village for an update and projections on completion of their joint salt/sand shed. This will be a major topic at our annual meeting.
Annual Meeting
As per our by-laws, the 2008 Annual Meeting will take place at 4pm on August 8th, the second Friday of August. The location will be announced in July.
Events Committee
In response to the third attempt by the Village of Saranac Lake to organize high-powered events on the Lake (see Public Policy), an ad hoc group formed to brainstorm possible events that would be attractive to tourism, fun for locals, non-disturbing to the patients at the Adirondack Medical Center (AMC) and environmentally friendly. The LCA agreed to sponsor this group and four LCA members joined, including a representative from AMC and three co-members of the Saranac Lake Chamber of Commerce (SLCC). The March 18th meeting was to refine a list of events from an initial brainstorming list. After the meeting on March 18th the top events were researched further by three teams to determine feasibility, cost, references from other sites, and suitability. This final report, posted here, was presented to the Village Board on April 14th and to the Town board two weeks later. It has now also been presented to the Chamber of Commerce.
Auto Races on Ice
Consistent with our charter, we vigorously opposed the planned use of Lake Colby for auto races on the ice March 8 & 9, 2008. Our opposition and February 28, 2008 presentation to the Village Board was and is based on (i) noise in front of the hospital, (ii) the risk to the environment, and (iii) the lack of jurisdiction over such an event by the Village, Town, or DEC. The organizers, Adirondack Motor Enthusiasts Club, have withdrawn, but the larger issue of the Village (or any landowner's) rights to use the ice without some environmental review and oversight remain. A list of public policy questions we will pose to our representatives , the APA, and the DEC to resolve this larger problem is posted here. We will also work with the Saranac Lake Chamber of Commerce and other local activist groups to plan events that will attract tourists but not be threatening to the Lake. We thank everyone involved for their input to this effort. A continuing attack on the LCA's position in letters to the editor at the Adirondack Daily Enterprise prompted a reply by LCA President, Nancy Keet.
The Adirondack North Country Association has posted its Blueprint for the Blue Line on its website. This is valuable and interesting reading for every LCA member.
10 HP Restriction
Our proposed amendment to the New York Navigation Law making 10HP state law for Lake Colby was signed by the Governor! The Saranac Lake Village board and the Harrietstown town board both supported us, and on January 11th Senator Betty Little and Assembly Member Janet Duprey sponsored Senate Bill S1100 and Assembly Bill 2010. It signed it will take effect April 1.
Annual Meeting
The 2007 annual membership meeting minutes are posted here.
Website
This website has been totally re-done and reorganized as of 19 July 2007. Please forgive some areas still in development and please send any comments to Webmaster@LakeColby.org!
Grants
We were the first to apply to the DEC for $30,000 to be used and matched 1:1 over the next three years. Our award was honored and we signed the contract early in 2008.
Sand Shed
Our five-year effort to get the exposed sand stored on Van Buren Street by the Village, which washes directly into Colby Brook and hence into the Lake, is nearly over. The Town and Village have agreed to build a joint storage facility with completion this year.
Speed sign
The Department of Transportation is the last hurdle in getting the radar speed sign that we, the Town, and the AMC sponsored installed on south-bound Route 86 just north of the hospital. We agreed to pay $1,000 towards its cost, as did the AMC, and the Town put up the remaining $3,500. This will help cut noise, improve safety, and reduce road spray of salts into the Lake.
Milfoil program
The 2007 milfoil eradication program finished with three-passes of the main Lake. Harvesting of Little Colby is planned for 2008, funds permitting. Dan Kelting, Director of the Paul Smith's Watershed Institute, addressed our 2007 annual meeting with final results and recommendations for 2008. In late 2007 the State DEC approved the LCA's application for a $30,000 three-year grant to be matched 1:1 to continue the program. We are now seeking funds from our partners to continue and finish the program.
Public Education Program
Our milfoil information station at the boat launch continues to be a success, with hundreds more of our booklets distributed through October of last year. We started this program again in May and already have distributed many dozens more.

Lake Colby Association

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