May 2012 Archives

Next weekend the LGA will host its second annual Lake-friendly Living Open House and Native Plant Sale. It's a showcase for sustainable living.

Don't miss is -- Sat, June 2, 10 am - 2 pm at the LGA.

All these experts in ONE PLACE, at ONE TIME, ready with lots of ideas on:

- Stormwater management (do you have flooding or erosion problems?)
- Septic systems (is yours not working well? small lot size? high bedrock?)
- Geothermal Heating and Cooling (want to save money while saving the environment?)
- Permeable pavers and pavement (new ways to create driveways, walks and patios that are beautiful for both your home and for water quality)
- Native plants, rain gardens, shoreline buffers and rain barrels
- Green products for your home, boat and garden -- environmentally-friendly cleaners, motor oil, deck stain and more!

Plus.. there will be FUN LEARNING ACTIVITIES for the kids. An EM River Model will be on display. Kids can experiment with water and "soil" to see how the changes they make along the river affect the volume and direction of the flow and erosion.

Tour the LGA's brand new demonstration gardens, check out our two patches of permeable pavement, and see our geo-thermal heating and cooling system.

See our newly seeded ECO-LAWN. Eco-lawn seed claims to be the ultimate low maintenance lawn seed -- so we are testing it out right here at the LGA to see how it works. According to the package instructions, ECO-LAWN:
- Requires no fertilizer or chemicals;
- Forms a dense turf under extreme conditions;
- Is drought tolerant;
- Thrives in full sun, part shade and even deep shade; and
- Reduces mowing time or allows you to NOT MOW at all!

Visit with representatives from all of these companies and organizations:

Adirondack Landscaping
Cornell Cooperative Extension
DeFranco Landscaping
Fiddlehead Creek Nursery
Green Conscious Home & Garden
Green Planet Products
Gould's Landscaping
Lake Champlain Lake George Regional Planning Board
North Country Landscaping
Puraflo Alternative Septic Systems
Saratoga Organics
Smart Energy Geo-thermal
The Sweeney Company

We hope to see you there!!!

These pictures aren't very pretty are they? Sorry.

This water - filled with silt and contaminants - is flowing directly into Lake George.

At the LGA, we really hate to see stuff like this.

That's why we have a Lake Saving Projects program. Randy Rath is our project manager, and he works hard, all over the watershed, to secure the funding, permits, partnerships, and in-kind donation of services we need to remedy stormwater problems like the one you see here, just off of Black Point Road in the town of Putnam.

Currently, large volumes of untreated stormwater are washing down a hill and into a homeowner's driveway, creating a temporary stream that flows directly into Lake George. A large plume of sediment is created after every storm.

This summer, the LGA will complete a $21,000 LGA stormwater project on the property to remedy the problem.

When completed, the project will intercept stormwater runoff from a 37-acre watershed in the town.

A concrete precast trench drain will capture and direct sediment-laden runoff into a dry well. The runoff will then overflow into a rain garden, where nutrients and phosphorus will be removed, before entering a small stream and flowing to Lake George.

Survey and design work will begin in May, and final construction is slated for completion this August. The Lake George Association, Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District (WCSWCD), and the town of Putnam are partners in the project.

We are thankful for funding support from the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) - a $13,000 LCBP grant made the project possible, as well as continued support from the individuals and businesses who are members of the LGA. (Would you consider becoming an LGA member? We hope so! You can find out more here.)

Do you have a special place on Lake George where you regularly wander?

Any favorite boating spots, swimming spots, fishing spots, islands, shorelines, or just "hanging out" spots?

We are looking for volunteers to help us in a new Citizen Science program this summer, called "INVADERS WATCH."

We need volunteers to look for and monitor non-native, invasive species along Lake George's shorelines, and to help prevent their spread.

What Will You Do?
Monitor a section of Lake George shoreline of your choice at your convenience, at least once during the summer between mid-July and early-September.

How Will You Do It?
Instructions and training will be available on the LGA website.

Also, two optional and FREE Identification workshops will be offered:
1. Aquatic Invasive Plants, Thurs: 6/21/12 10 am - 2 pm
Darrin Fresh Water Institute
2. Aquatic Invasive Animals, Thurs: 8/2/12 1 - 3 pm
Byron Park Log Cabin in Indian Lake

This program is part of a regional effort coordinated by the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP).

To learn more, sign up to participate, or register for a workshop, please contact the LGA at 518-668-3558 or email us at info@lakegeorgeassociation.org.

Make sure to join us for our second annual Lake-friendly Living Open House.

This FREE event will be held on Sat., June 2, from 10 am - 2 pm, on the grounds of the Lake George Association.

The event is not just for folks who live on lake fronts! Anyone who would like to know more about ways to live in a green, sustainable way can learn and see a lot at this event.

Do you have a landscaping challenge on your property? Too much water, too little water, high water table, etc.? Wondering how to best clean the outside of your car, house or boat? Wondering what types of environmentally friendly pavement choices exist, and what they cost? Let our experts help!

Several landscaping companies will be on tap to show and teach you about installing environmentally friendly gardens and landscapes. Learn about vegetative buffers, rain gardens, native plant gardens, and permeable pavers.

Curious about geothermal heating and cooling? Howard Rist of Smart-Energy will be on hand to show and teach you all about it. (He installed the LGA's system and it works wonderfully!)

For kids and the young-at-heart we have invited Beth Gilles of the Lake Champlain Lake George Regional Planning Board with her cool EM river model. This model is a true hands-on way to learn how waterways work and lots of fun!

We'll show you our newly seeded ecolawn, and will have ecolawn for sale.

We'll have green cleaning products for sale, native plants for sale, a raffle and more! Best of all, the entire event is FREE, FREE, FREE.

Mark your calendars today... hope to see you June 2.