The State of Schroon Lake 2020

Many folks we’ve spoken to over the summer have commented how busy Schroon and Paradox Lakes have been this season.

On some weekends we’ve witnessed day long water craft induced wakes on Schroon. To get a spot at Dog Beach arrive early. The Dock Street boat trailer lot fills up quickly, with the Town Hall parking lot absorbing the overflow. The Schroon Lake Marina has moved a ton of inventory, according to co-owner Craig Kennedy. And we’ve seen a lot more smiling faces  on stand up paddle boards, kayaks and canoes than in previous years.  Maybe this is  due to the pandemic, with folks staying local.

The fact is our lakes and gorgeous Schroon town beach continue to be a huge draw, and the number one attraction pulling in tourists dollars to our local towns. And the reason our lakes are  so popular are the pristine waters, the result of three  organizations working together. Volunteers from The Paradox Lake Association, The East Shore Schroon Lake Association and The Schroon Lake Association (SLA)  are tireless in their efforts to protect our bodies of water.

Filmmaker and Lake Steward Christian Gratto

Recently the Schroon Lake Association hosted a virtual  educational presentation on the state of the lake, hosted by SLA president Marg Granger.

You can watch the presentation above by clicking the video above or click here.

Mark reminds us of the origins of why the SLA was formed in 1911. That’s when the government planned to turn Schroon, Paradox, the hamlet of Adirondack, Horicon and Severance into a gigantic reservoir. Citizens fought hard and won to stop the plan. Years later the fight continues. The enemies today are invasive species and pollutants getting into the lake.

Even during this pandemic, the work of the SLA continues: water sampling, stewards manning boat launches and boat washing stations, the mapping of the lake bottom to detect areas of invasives and monitoring sand and silt levels washing into the lake from the Schroon River.

The video is well worth watching. Christian Gratto did a fine job editing multiple interview and graphic elements. He also makes a cameo talking about his duties as a lake steward at the Schroon Lake Boat Launch

Paradox Lake Steward Wilden Bruce

You’ll also hear from several experts and volunteers, including Neil Chippendale, who gives a very informative and easy to understand demo on the technology used to “bottom map”  Schroon Lake.  Paradox Lake steward Wilden Bruce talks about boat inspections and two milfoil harvesters from the Invasive Solutions Dive Company explain why they remove this invasive by hand. You’ll come away with a greater understanding of just how important our lake associations are to the well-being of Paradox and Schroon Lakes.

Neil Chippendale demonstrates technology used to “bottom map” Schroon Lake

The SLA  is always looking for volunteers. If you don’t have the time, your donations will go a long way to help preserve our lake for generations to come.

Check out these SLA links for information on  Volunteers, new Members, and their  Fundraising activities. Please visit these pages to see what YOU can do to help!

Experts from the Invasive Solutions Dive Company are interviewed by SLA’s Roger Friedman

What Led to Schroon’s Diversity Pledge?

Our Town Beach: One of Schroon’s prized jewels

Long time Schroon Laker Emily Rossi-Snook provides a detailed chronology to the events leading up to the Town’s new Diversity Resolution in the following letter to the Editor of the Sun Newspaper. The paper has extensively covered the story in their print and on-line editions.

To the editor:

In regards to the article in the July 25, issue of The Sun, "Schroon Passes Diversity Pledge Following Flag Incident”, it is reported that the school banner in question “was hastily removed" when actually the town was resistant to its removal.

On June 5, all involved organizations; Mountainside Bible Chapel, Schroon Lake Central School, Schroon Lake Town Board, were contacted about the offending image. Nothing was done. On June 16, a Mountainside representative said that there would be an adjustment to the photo. So, why wasn’t it done? Who blocked this correction? After several emails and still no action, Supervisor Subra said in a phone call on June 19, that the town resources would not be used in the adjustment of the banner.

I do not call 6 weeks, multiple emails, a refusal by Supervisor Subra to remove the banner a “hasty removal”. I call this stonewalling. I call this a lack of leadership. I call this supporting racist imagery.

At the July 13, Town Board meeting, when Town Board member Roger Friedman presented a drafted diversity resolution, Supervisor Subra told a resident that he found her Black Lives Matter sign offensive (See p.8 of July 25 issue of The Sun).

In the July 24 online issue of The Sun, there is a photo of another sign stating Black Lives Matter. It is reported that Supervisor Subra singled out this sign, made by an eight-year-old child, as offensive. Please read this right: a sign of acceptance and inclusion, made by a child, is publicly called offensive by our elected town leader.

To the Schroon Lake Town Board: Your diversity pledge is a fine start, but you have more work to do. Let’s start by demanding the resignation of Jeff Subra as supervisor of the Town of Schroon.

Emily Rossi-Snook, Schroon Lake

New Faces on Schroon Town Board and a New Town Supervisor

Photo Courtesy of Jeff Subra

Jeff Subra will be the new Town Supervisor replacing Mike Marnell. Subra defeated Meg Wood. New faces joining the Town Board will be Richard Gero and Ethan Thompson, following the decision by Don Sage and Clara Phibbs to retire.Here are the unofficial election results from Essex County.

You can read more about Jeff, by clicking here.

Jeffrey topped Meg in the race by a margin of 422 to 261.