Summer 2023 Update and News
| Dear Friends of Chateaugay Lake, With Summer 2023 underway, we wanted to share some updates with you. Most importantly, the milfoil control program will continue again this year with hand-harvesting, plant surveys and mapping, and activities for supporters and volunteers. Here are some dates to keep in mind. Hand-Harvesting Plans SCUBA divers will be on Chateaugay Lake for four weeks this summer hand-harvesting invasive Eurasian watermilfoil. This season, as in years past, the divers will focus on removing milfoil from areas of dense growth and high boat traffic. This will help keep boating lanes clear and reduce chopping the plants into fragments–the main way it spreads. Here is this season’s work schedule:Week of June 19 Boat Launch Week of June 26 Lower Lake Inlet Week of August 7 Upper Lake/South Inlet Week of August 14 Upper Lake/South Inlet The divers work Monday-Thursday and are on the water from about 8:30 am until 5:30 pm. |
| Boaters Beware! Look for Diver Down Flag If you see the Diver Down flag, go slow and stay clear. The milfoil divers work from a “hookah rig” that has air lines going to each diver. Beware of running over the lines and harming the divers or even hitting them by accident! When you see the flag or the hookah rig, steer clear. Stay outside of the buoys marking the dive area. Please alert your family members and visitors to this important safety info. |
| Milfoil Management Strategy Sessions Several public information and discussion sessions are being planned for the July-August timeframe to help the Chateaugay Lake Foundation update its milfoil management strategy. The first session, Milfoil Control History and Outlook, is set for Saturday morning, July 22, (location to be confirmed). It will review the history of Eurasian watermilfoil control in Chateaugay Lake and report on the results of the 2021 aquatic plant survey and implications for future management. A second session, More on ProcellaCOR EC, is tentatively scheduled for a weeknight in early August. It will include a report on the results of a 2022 feasibility study on the potential use of the herbicide ProcellaCOR EC to control Eurasian watermilfoil in Chateaugay Lake. At a final session later in August, Directions for Milfoil Control, attendees from one or more of the prior sessions will help develop goals and strategy for Chateaugay Lake’s future milfoil management. More details will follow via email and Facebook as sessions are firmed up. Lower Lake Buoys Mark Boat Path to Avoid Milfoil Divers have been working for the past several years to clear a path through the dense milfoil that spans shore-to-shore at the southern end of the Lower Lake. Last year, four large buoys were installed to mark the cleared path. This year, two more buoys will be installed to better define the path to and from the mouth of the Narrows. Please let your friends and family know that they should travel between the buoys and not around them! This is different from the buoy perimeter in the Upper Lake where boaters should stay out of the marked area, which has created some confusion. To the extent boaters can avoid going through the milfoil bed, it will reduce fragmenting and spreading the invasive plant. |
Summer Raffle and August Fundraiser
Our Protect the Lake fundraiser is happening again this year! However, since there is no longer a weekly Farmers Market at the Hollywood and Harrigan’s is no longer available, we will be relying less on sales around the lake and more on online orders. Watch for promotions on Facebook and our website, www.chateaugaylakefoundation.org . We will also be conducting a benefit dinner set for Sunday, August 20th at the American Legion in Lyon Mountain. Save the Date!
Our summer fundraiser has been generously supported over the years with prize donations from local artists, artisans, and businesses. Do you have an item or service that you could donate? Please get in touch! Contact us at: info@chateaugaylakefoundation.org .
Help Survey Milfoil Beds in Lower Lake
The CLF needs a boat captain and two other volunteers to help track the milfoil beds in the Lower Lake. Can you help? The team will do a circuit of the lake recording observations at regular intervals to track the milfoil beds and how they are changing. The first Lower Lake survey was done in 2021 and we hope to repeat it this year. CLF volunteers have been mapping the South Inlet of the Upper Lake for the past four years and will help train the new team. The survey involves navigating to GPS points using a “fish finder” or smartphone navigation app, and entering observations using a survey app on a smartphone or tablet. Several teams of two to three people would be ideal! Gather some family or friends to get out on the water while helping to protect the lake. If interested, please contact Kathy Welch, 518-951-4268, welchwidrig@yahoo.com .
Chateaugay Lake Needs You!
The Chateaugay Lake Foundation began sixteen years ago to stop the invasive plant Eurasian watermilfoil from taking over more and more of the shoreline. Our fundraising and milfoil removal efforts have kept milfoil from choking boating lanes and slowed its rate of spread. But to continue this critical work, we need reinforcements!
The CLF is seeking three new Board members. A range of skills are needed—from bookkeeping to boating to fundraising—as well as an interest in helping to reach out to all parts of the lake. To find out more, please email info@chateaugaylakefoundation.org or contact one of our Board members listed below. We would be happy to exchange emails or talk on the phone about your interests, time availability, and how you could help!
Ted Elsasser, teddoge@gmail.com
John Homburger, johnhomburger48@gmail.com
Mary Johnson, info@chateaugaylakefoundation.org
David Kemp, adirondackauberge@gmail.com
Fran McIntyre, FDMCI@aol.com
Hannah McNulty, hwhmcnulty@gmail.com
Mary Agnes Murphy, deerspringlodge@gmail.com
William Wright, wwright1@jhu.edu
Keep in Touch
Check out CLF’s mobile-friendly website, www.chateaugaylakefoundation.org, for updates! And please “like” our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ChateaugayLakeFoundation . Enjoy the lake this summer and we look forward to seeing you and hearing from you.
Sincerely,
The Chateaugay Lake Foundation Board