2021 Summer Plans

Hello Chateaugay Lake friends! The milfoil control program is continuing again this year with hand-harvesting, plant surveys and mapping, and activities for supporters and volunteers. This is what’s coming up . . .

Hand-Harvesting Plans
SCUBA divers will be on Chateaugay Lake for six weeks this summer, hand-harvesting invasive Eurasian water milfoil. They 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 plant into fragments–the main way it spreads.  Here is this season’s work schedule:

Week of June 7          Boat Launch
Week of June 14        Sand Bar/Upper Narrows
Week of June 21        Lower Lake Inlet
Week of June 28       Upper Lake – South Inlet
Week of July 5           Upper Lake – South Inlet
Week of August 23    Lower Lake 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.

Too fast and too close!
Hookah rig with diver down flag

Strategic Plan Update
This summer, there will be a comprehensive plant survey of the entire Chateaugay Lake shoreline to assess the feasibility of different milfoil control methods. These include the potential for use of ProcellaCOR EC, a new low-dose herbicide that has recently been approved for use in the Adirondack Park. Use is strictly regulated by the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) and NYS department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), but initial results are promising (see www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/minerva-lake-invasive-plant-herbicide-success).  
To explore this and other options, the Chateaugay Lake Foundation will be working with two outside firms. Northeast Aquatic Research (NEAR) has been selected to conduct the plant survey, which will take place in late July at the height of the growing season. The results of the survey, including detailed maps of native and non-native vegetation, will be provided to SOLitude Lake Management, which will provide a feasibility analysis of control options.  Their report is due by the end of the year and will set the stage for the next phase of Chateaugay Lake’s milfoil management program.

Volunteer for Lake Protection
Please consider volunteering this summer for our Pledge One Day for Chateaugay campaign. We need help keeping the divers safe as they hand harvest milfoil, cleaning up the area around the Sand Bar on July 6th after all the holiday boat traffic, and handing out information to boaters at the boat launch on high priority days. Finally, this summer we are expanding our mapping of milfoil beds to include the Lower Lake and if you can work a tablet and a GPS, we need you! Please let us know if you can help by sending an email to info@chateaugaylakefoundation.org. 

Save the Lake Raffle
After a break last year during COVID, the Save the Lake raffle is coming back this year. With generous prize donations from local artists, artisans and businesses, the raffle is a way for us to reach out to supporters and for everyone to chip in. Look for our ticket tables at locations around the lake.

Coming Soon – New Look for CLF Website
Our website, www.chateaugaylakefoundation.org, is getting a mobile-friendly overhaul. More and more people are using smart phones to get on the internet. We want to make it easier for people to read about us and get involved in protecting the lake from invasive milfoil and other threats. Watch for an announcement soon.