Winter…..finally
6 inches of snow overnight. Another 6 – 10 expected Friday to Saturday morning.
Snow Goose Hunting Season
Special Snow Goose Harvest Opportunity
Areas open: Western, Northeastern, Lake Champlain and Southeastern Waterfowl Zones Areas closed: Long Island Zone Season dates: March 11 – April 15, 2012 Shooting hours: ½ hour before sunrise to sunset Bag limits: 25 snow geese per day, no possession limit Special measures allowed: electronic calls, unplugged shotguns (more than 3 shells) Non-toxic shot: required Requirements to participate: current small game hunting privileges, federal duck stamp and registration in New York’s Harvest Information Program (HIP). NO special permit is required but participants must provide harvest information if requested by DEC.
Beautiful day for ice fishing
Ice fishing is about the only winter activity in full swing, at the moment.
There are three parties out on the northern portion of Loon Lake. Including 2 pick up trucks.
The Browns have their wooden shanty set up off the Seven Keys pumphouse.
Fishing has been good, with several northern pike in the 8-12 pound range caught.
Fisherman take note: a NYSDEC Environmental Conservation Officer was patrolling on the lake yesterday.
See the article written by Phil Brown, over at the Adirondack Explorer: http://adirondackexplorer.org/out-takes/
Stolen Firewood
Yesterday (Thursday 2/16), someone stole wood from a camp on Blue Spruce/Oak Lane, sometime between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. If anyone noticed a strange vehicle or activity in the Blue Spruce/Oak Lane area please let me know. It appears this person has visited a number of the camps in this area likely also looking for wood. It certainly isn’t grand theft but very unsettling nonetheless. Thanks.
NYSDEC is considering changing its fishing regulations to allow ice fishing for lake trout on Lake Kushaqua. NYSDEC will accept public comment on the proposal until April 2, 2012. You may email your comments to NYSDEC at fishregs@gw.dec.state.ny.us. If adopted, the change will take effect this coming Fall.
Loon Lake Weather Station back up
If you query Wunderground.com for Loon Lake weather, you will find the conditions at our camp on the lake. The link has been down for the past 2 weeks. I think it gets broken when the computer updates and reboots. Need to figure how to turn that feature off.
Our current conditions are not great. Roads are clear, and there is less than a foot of very old snow in the woods. Not conducive for skiing, snowshoeing or snowmobiling. Ice activities are in full swing, however. There is at least one fishing shanty on the lake– off Horsehead Point.
K.
Yesterday, Paula, one of the dogs and I went to the Chowder Festival in Saratoga. We had a great time sampling chowder, and watching the crowd (thousands of people). What a great idea for getting people out in the middle of Winter.
But nothing beats a parade! Next Saturday is the Winter Carnival Parade in Saranac Lake, kicking off at 1 PM. It is an awesome event– a parade in the middle of Winter!! This year’s theme is aliens, so the floats should be interesting.
The Chairman of the Winter Carnival is Loon Laker Jeff Dickson (Mensink Road).
More info about the parade:
http://pressrepublican.com/0100_news/x1023474100/Aliens-ready-for-Gala-Parade
Ice safety guidelines
For ice safety, these are the minimum thicknesses, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers standards:
▶ Less than 2 inches: Stay off, ice is unsafe.
▶ 2 inches: One person on foot.
▶ 3 inches: One snowmobile or group of people walking single file.
▶ 7 inches: One car.
▶ 8 to 10 inches: Pickup trucks.
DEC, however, recommends that no ice be considered safe, and that precautions must always be followed.
A list of ice-safety tips is available at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7733.html.
This list does not take into account the slush that forms near shore, rain pooling on the ice, and the daily freezing and unfreezing of the top layer that we sometimes see at this time of year.
Spruce Grouse nears extinction
A beautiful but seldom seen upland Adirondack bird is near extinction. Hopes for stabilizing the population hinge upon importing more Spruce Grouse from Canada to strengthen breeding in targeted habitat areas. Loon Lake is on the border of one such area.
While the Ruffed Grouse abounds in our area ( you hear their wings drumming as you walk along the old roads, paths and trails around the lake), the Spruce Grouse is much more reclusive and lives in bogs and wetlands within evergreen forests of spruce, tamarack and balsam fir.
NYSDEC has issued a draft Management Plan to stabilize the Spruce Grouse population. Restoration efforts will focus on managing known habitat areas in St. Lawrence, Franklin and Essex County. The plan requires cutting back trees, as the Spruce Grouse thrives in young forest habitat.
I believe the era around the Lake is perfect for this experiment. The former International Paper and Lyme Timber properties on either side of Route 26 are still under active timber management and are relatively free from human pressure.
NYSDEC is taking public comments through March 1 on the plan, which can be found online at ftp://ftp.dec.state.ny.us/dfwmr/wildlife/spgr/
