Town of Queensbury
Warren County
Wildland Fire: On April 23 at 5:30 p.m., three Forest Rangers responded to a fire in Dunham Bay Marsh. By 8:30 p.m., fire crews had the 2-acre fire under control. The cause is under investigation.
New Flowers Added to Post Office Front
Many thanks to Emily for not allowing the new flower boxes in front of the Post Office to remain empty for long. She planted these today to give the front of the building some spring color. Please let her know what a great job she did.
Sunday Morning Calm
This picture was taken from County Route 6 on Sunday morning, April 26, 2026. The lake has been calm the last two days and the grass has been growing and becoming green.
Forest Rangers in the News
Towns of Chester, Lake George, and Lake Luzerne
Warren County
Training: On April 14, 15, and 16, Sixteen Forest Rangers participated in the largest Flood Incident Response Strike Team (FIRST) exercise ever held on the Hudson and Schroon rivers. Ranger instructors taught 82 participants techniques for whitewater swimming, throw bag rescues, swiftwater rope work, inflatable rescue boat operations, and swiftwater river crossings. FIRST is comprised of New York State Fire, New York State Police Dive Team, New York State Park Police, New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, and Environmental Conservation Police Officers and Forest Rangers. The joint training effort will make crews better prepared to work together during flood responses.
FIRST Training
FIRST Training
Town of Horicon
Warren County
Wilderness Search and Training: On April 18, Forest Rangers conducted a limited continuous search for Tom Messick, a hunter missing since 2015. Three Rangers joined 19 members of Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue (LASAR) to focus on areas that may reveal clues about his disappearance. Volunteers used the opportunity to improve their crew boss and search skills. The last search was conducted in November 2025 on the 10-year anniversary of Messick’s disappearance.
Tom Messick search
Tom Messick search
World Frog Day is March 20th
A tree frog seen in Huletts Landing.
On March 20th, frog supporters worldwide celebrate and plan to take action for amphibians. This leap towards conservation helps highlight the vital role frogs play in our ecosystem and educates the next generation on the importance of their survival. We are blessed to have many different types of frogs in Huletts.
It’s no surprise that when the air temperature starts to warm and the ground thaws that a “spring awakening” occurs and populations start to move. For most frogs, this migration pattern leads them to crossing roads to get to their destination: a vernal pool. When they encounter roads and driveways mortality from vehicles can be high. The New York State Department of Conservation strides to educate and provide safe and rewarding volunteer experiences to assist in amphibian migration. See the following links to learn more about frogs and support native habitats:
Protect habitats by buying a habitat and access stamp.
Educate yourself by reading Frogs and Toads of NYS – Conservationist Centerfold (PDF)
All New York native amphibians are protected by New York State law, and cannot be harmed or collected.
Winter’s End is Close
This photo of the Mountain Grove Memorial Church, taken on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, shows winter’s grip is receding. The last few days of warmer weather has melted much of the snow. The ground is reappearing from below the lessening snow piles and the ice on the lake is also getting much thinner.
Before we know it, it will be spring.
NY State Senator Stec: NYSERDA Memo Should Mean the End of CLCPA
A memo produced by the New York state Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA) regarding the exploding costs associated with the state’s 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) outlines what those costs could be:
“Absent changes, by 2031, the impact of CLCPA on the price of gasoline could reach or exceed $2.23 per gallon on top of current prices at that time; the cost for an MMBtu of natural gas $16.96; and comparable increases to other fuels. Upstate oil and natural gas households would see costs in excess of $4,000 a year, and New York City natural gas households could anticipate annual gross costs of $2,300. Only a portion of these costs could be offset by current policy design.”
.@GovKathyHochul admin making case to scale back 2019 climate law, @NYSERDA argues NYers’ gasoline & home gas prices could jump an av $4k annually upstate & $2,300 in NYC.
“There is a lack of market capacity to deliver the volume of renewable energy” EV sales, heat pumps etc. pic.twitter.com/88nbp16PSB
— Bernadette Hogan (@bern_hogan) February 26, 2026
Senator Dan Stec (R,C-Queensbury) issued the following statement concerning the leaked NYSERDA memo outlining the exorbitant implementation costs of the CLCPA:
“The leaked memo from Governor Hochul’s handpicked head of NYSERDA is a bombshell and a scathing indictment of the CLCPA.
“Because of it, Upstate New Yorkers can expect their energy costs to rise an average of $4,000 per household and gas prices can rise to over $5 a gallon as a direct result of these green energy policies. These numbers, which come directly from NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris, highlights the reality of what my Senate Republican Conference colleagues and I have been saying for years: The CLCPA is going to drive up costs and crush our families and small businesses.
“What’s even worse is that in a recent City & State article, Senate Democrats made it clear that they have no intentions of making any changes to the unaffordable and unfeasible CLCPA in the upcoming budget.
“At a time when, according to a recent Marist poll, one-in-three New Yorkers plan to move out of the state due to the escalating cost of living, perhaps my colleagues on the other side of the aisle should reconsider their position and put an end to the failing CLCPA mandates.”
Final Engineers Report for Sewer District # 1 Released
During the summer of 2023, an engineer’s study was conducted on the overall health and status of Sewer District #1 in Huletts Landing.
I can now report that the final report has been concluded and released to the public.
The report is quite long and the file is large but it can be accessed on the Town’s website here.
Because the study was funded by the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation and the Department of Conservation with a NYS Engineering Planning Grant, items identified may be open for further funding.
DEC Releases Lake George Fisheries Management Plan
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced the release of a five-year (2025–2029) Fisheries Management Plan for Lake George, Warren County. With this plan in place, DEC will focus on collecting data primarily on lake trout, Atlantic salmon, and black bass to inform a subsequent long-term fisheries management plan. DEC will also implement a net pen release strategy to improve recruitment of Atlantic salmon to the fishery and help determine the fate of the existing Atlantic salmon stocking program.?
“DEC is proud to continue our decades-long commitment of responsible fisheries management in Lake George through this five-year, data-driven management plan,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said. “Informed by angler survey data and DEC biologists’ research and observations, DEC will engage in data collection and population assessments for key species in the ‘Queen of American Lakes’ to develop a long-term plan focused on the health of these species and of Lake George.?DEC is grateful to the public for participating in the revealing 2023 angler creel surveys and for members of the Lake George fishing community for bringing DEC their concerns.”
Using the management plan, DEC will expand data collection to include tracking the population of the long-stocked Atlantic salmon, assessing status and overall health of adult lake trout, and monitoring the black bass population. This new plan will address gaps in the data to inform a subsequent, long-term fisheries management plan to better manage and improve the populations of these species.
In 2023, DEC conducted an angler creel survey that reported both recreational and professional anglers seeking Atlantic salmon or lake trout had concerns with the rate and size of their catches. These data indicate overall poorer health in the lake trout population despite strict harvest regulations. Over the upcoming years, DEC will collect more information on the trout population to determine future management actions to increase the quality of the lake trout in the fishery.?
DEC determined that existing Atlantic salmon stocking?is failing to create a viable, sustainable fishery for this sought-after species based on data from the?2023 angler creel survey and the overall poor survival rate of stocked Atlantic salmon. DEC will employ a net pen release strategy, which protects hatchery-raised yearling salmon within the safety of a net as they acclimate to their new waters.?DEC will also implement a standardized sampling protocol to assess the ongoing health of black bass in Lake George.
“The Lake George Fisheries Management Plan supports stellar recreational fishing access to public lands and waters while prioritizing the overall health of the ecosystem,” said DEC Region 5 Director Joe Zalewski. “DEC management promotes a healthier Lake George and fosters diverse angling opportunities for both local and visiting anglers. Through this plan, DEC fisheries biologists will better understand the fish community within Lake George to provide outstanding angling as visitors to the fishery have come to expect.”
Lake George remains one of the Adirondack’s cleanest lakes and has long been a popular tourist destination, attracting anglers from around the world to the region. The Lake George Fisheries Management Plan is just one way that DEC’s investments in habitat enhancement, angler enjoyment, and research will help continue to protect Adirondack fisheries. DEC recently announced a Final Adirondack Brook Trout Pond Management Plan to guide future species management and, in 2025, DEC announced a $100 million investment from the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act and other capital funds for State hatchery improvements, including enhancements at the Adirondack Fish Hatchery that will help construct a new brook trout broodstock building.
In Six Months You Could Be Swimming
This picture taken on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 looking north from County Route 6, shows Narrow island on the right and Huletts Island in the center. The lake is frozen, although you should always be careful if venturing onto the ice. It was an overcast gray day. The good news – six months from now you could be swimming in Lake George.
The Chapel in Winter
A picture of the Huletts Landing Chapel of the Assumption from Friday, February 6, 2026. There is still a good amount of snow on the ground in Huletts. (Click image to see larger view.)
Lake George Land Conservancy Purchases 160 Acres in Dresden
A photo of the stream protected as part of the “Spruce Mountain Addition” acquisition. (Click image to see larger image.)
The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) purchased 160 acres near Huletts Landing in the Town of Dresden on January 29. The “Spruce Mountain Addition” has more than 1,100 feet of stream corridor within the Lake George watershed, including the headwaters of a tributary that flows into Lake George.
The mostly forested property adjoins the 488-acre Spruce Mountain, protected by the LGLC 1996 and currently owned by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. This land, in turn, shares a boundary with the LGLC’s Leeming Jelliffe Preserve close to the lake’s shoreline in Huletts Landing. Together, this connected stretch of land provides critical habitat for a variety of wildlife, including the timber rattlesnake, a threatened species in New York State.
LGLC Executive Director Mike Horn said, “In addition to safeguarding the water quality of Lake George, this region of the watershed provides important resources for wildlife. By connecting parcels together, we are expanding the safe areas through which wildlife can roam and thrive.”
“I want to thank the landowners,” Horn continued, “for working with the LGLC to permanently protect this land, ensuring that the forests and streams will forever remain wild, protecting everything we love about Lake George and this whole region.”
The LGLC will develop a management plan to address past disturbances and improve forest health. At this time, the Spruce Mountain Addition does not have public access for recreation.
We Need to Talk About Energy
With prices of electricity and energy exploding in New York, I am going to start spending some time highlighting energy issues.
The first video below is U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright giving an outline of energy production in three-minutes. I especially liked this part: “Germany invested half a trillion (in renewables) and now produce 20% less electricity at 3 times the price,” Wright noted.
He succinctly explains that businesses and industry flee when our energy policy is so misguided.
The U.S. Energy Secretary just obliterated Net Zero ideology in 60 seconds.
Oil, gas, and coal power EVERYTHING including green energy.
This is what adults sound like.
Liberals are not ready for this conversation.pic.twitter.com/c6J4x7k7Nk
— Marc Nixon (@MarcNixon24) January 7, 2026
The next video is of our State Senator, Dan Stec (R,C-Queensbury) at yesterday’s joint Legislative Environmental Conservation and Energy Budget Hearing. Senator Stec engaged in a discussion with NYSERDA President Doreen Harris and PSC Commissioner Rory Christian over the energy policies as laid out in Governor Hochul’s 2027 Executive Budget proposal.
In his discussion with President Harris, Stec questioned her about the financial impact and stability of our energy grid due to the CLCPA mandates. PSC Commissioner Christian and Stec engaged in a discussion over the reasons New York’s energy taxes and rates are considerably higher than in neighboring states. With ratepayers in the North Country and statewide currently facing some of the highest costs in the nation, this was Stec’s opportunity to hold the state’s energy policymakers accountable.
Senator Stec highlights the shockingly high number of New Yorkers who are behind in their electricity payments.
The Calm Before the Storm
A picture of the Huletts Landing Post office from Thursday January 22, 2026. While the east coast is hunkering down for a major snow storm, there is not a lot of snow presently on the ground in Huletts. That should change this upcoming weekend.