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President's Message I was looking over previous issues of the Newsletter recently, and I saw that in April, 2003 Stu Smith reported the lake had 153 inches of snow. I donÕt keep statistics of my own, but it seems this year weÕre about 140 inches short of that mark. This winterÕs weather has been unusual, to say the least, but itÕs still only late January and things can change pretty quickly (as they did dramatically this week; itÕs been downright cold, and we now have no shortage of snow!).
IÕm happy to report, though, that the weather has not interfered with the lakeÕs social calendar. The December 11th Holiday Dinner at Linda and Jim Del SavioÕs was a great success! Sixty-two people attended and fun was had by all (including the hosts!). This event is a wonderful way to share some Holiday cheer with your lake friends and neighbors, and if youÕve never been to one I urge you to attend next year. Thanks again to Linda and Jim for hosting us. February offers two PLPA events. Saturday, February 19th brings the Winterfest; there will be outdoor activities in the afternoon, followed by a buffet at Liz and Dave PrattÕs that evening. The following Saturday (February 26th) is our annual cross-country ski day at Lapland Lake; Dave Pratt is the chairperson for that event. Both events are good opportunities to enjoy the winter. Arnie Henry also reports that thereÕs finally enough snow on the ground to groom the North Shore ski/snowshoe trail and that itÕs in great shape (thatÕs where IÕm headed as soon as I finish writing this message!).
On a more serious note, the important issues of property assessments and taxes are receiving continuing attention by the PLPA. The Town of Bleecker is currently conducting a town-wide revaluation of property assessments, and the PLPA recently hosted a meeting of lake property owners with the Bleecker Town Assessor to review the status of that effort and to express the concerns of property owners. Also, members of the Peck Lake PAC have been closely following the Towns of Bleecker and Johnstown, Fulton County and the Gloversville School District as they adopt their budgets for the coming year. We will keep you informed about these matters through this Newsletter, the PLPA website and e-mails to PLPA members.
Finally, the gradually lengthening days signal that spring and summer are surely on the way. As you can see from the Calendar of Upcoming Events, weÕre going to have a full slate of events of all types this year. If you see an event you would like to help with I welcome you to contact its chairperson, as we can always use another helping hand.
ThereÕs so much to enjoy at PeckÕs Lake, every season of the year. Lorraine and I hope to see you at this winterÕs events, but if you canÕt be here, we look forward to seeing you later this year.
Dick Carlson
WINTERFEST This yearÕs Winterfest will be held on Saturday, February 19th. The full slate of activities is still being developed as this Newsletter goes to press, but we currently plan to have outdoor activities (skiing and snowshoeing on the North Shore trail, tubing, a bonfire, etc.) that afternoon, and an evening buffet gathering at Liz and Dave PrattÕs later on. WeÕll post more details about the Winterfest on the bulletin boards and on the PLPA website as the date draws closer. If you would like to help out with the preparations, contact Dick Carlson (773-7571) or Liz Pratt (725-6460).
This month's issue, as always, included our Calendar of Events and a listing of our Officers, Board Members & Committee Chairpeople.
Maps, Guidebooks and Directories for sale for $3 each. Contact Jeanne Brenno, 725-9041
Newsletter Dates
WEB SITE REPORT The web site has seen a lot of traffic in 2004 with over 9,000 hits to date. Plans are to update the ÒlookÓ of the pages in 2005 and to add PAC pages to the site. Please donÕt forget about the FREE Classified Ad Page on the site when it comes time to sell your household items, boats or real estate. People from around the country can view this page.
Please Make Note of the Following Change: As of February 1st, the password will be changed from ÒholidaypointÓ to ÒstonebridgeÓ and the username name will remain ÒplpaÓ. Both entries are case sensitive and must be entered as lowercase letters.
MEETING WITH BLEECKER TOWN ASSESSOR On January 13, 2005, a number of lake residents met with Bleecker Assessor David Galarneauto review the status of the town-wide property revaluation now in progress. Mr. Galarneaureviewed the methodology he is employing to establish values for land and improvementson lakefront and off-lake properties on Peck Lake and other lakes in the Town of Bleecker.Mr. Galarneau explained that for lakefront properties, one major change in approach heis making from assessments in previous years is that land values will be based more onlakeshore frontage than acreage. He also went over some of the adjustment factors (for steep slopes, wet areas, etc.) he intends to apply to arrive at the value of land.
As of this writing, Mr. Galarneau expects to complete his initial revaluation of properties on Peck Lake and other lakes in the Town in mid-February, and to complete revaluations forproperties in the remainder of the Town in early March. He plans to send out Change ofAssessment notices in mid-March, at which time property owners will be able to contact himto informally discuss their valuations, verify data, correct errors, etc. This schedule allows approximately one month for adjustments to be made to proposed assessments before the establishment of the Tentative Roll on May 1. After the Tentative Roll is published, property owners still may discuss their proposed assessments with the Assessor to arrive at adjustments prior to the formal Grievance Day hearing in late May.David GalarneauÕs phone number at the Bleecker Town Hall is (518)-773-5909. He canbe reached at the Town Hall every Wednesday; you can also leave a message on hisanswering machine at that number.
While it is still too early to know what the impact of the revaluation will be for individual properties on the lake, Mr. Galarneau projects that the total assessment for the Town of Bleecker can be expected to increase ten to twenty percent. A more complete summaryof the January 13th meeting will be e-mailed to all PLPA property owners in the Town of Bleecker, and will be posted on the PLPA website.
CELL PHONE SERVICE AT PECKÕS LAKE? Cingular has an application currently before the Town of Johnstown Planning Board to construct a cell phone tower along Route 29A near the Northward Inn (Dick and PegÕs). CingularÕs original proposal was to construct a 95 foot tower; however, this probably would not improve service to the lake area as Sugar Hill (the hill at the beginning of South Shore Road) would block the towerÕs line of sight. Cingular has longer range plans to construct additional towers to serve Caroga Lake (a location along the Hohler Road would provide coverage for the lake), but proposed locations inside the Adirondack Park make approval of those towers problematical.
The Planning Board, at the urging of John Peck and others, has suggested that Cingular come back with a proposal to construct a 150 foot tower instead, which would serve our lake and provide service to East Caroga Lake. A final public hearing for the Cingular proposal has been scheduled for Tuesday, February 8th at 7:30 PM at the Johnstown Town Hall.
This hearing is an opportunity for lake residents to advocate for the highest possible tower to provide service to PeckÕs Lake. Cell phone service is not merely a convenience; itÕs important to public safety, especially during storms and emergencies when our electric and regular phone service may be out. ItÕs important that we show up in numbers, to convince the Planning Board to have this proposal address our need.
PECK LAKE PAC REPORT During the fall, the Peck Lake PAC continued to monitor the activities of local governments and to voice the concerns of lake residents and property owners. A major activity during this time was the adoption of 2005 budgets by Fulton County and the Towns of Bleecker and Johnstown. PAC members reviewed budget materials and attended budget workshops and hearings, and spoke of our continuing concern over the heavy tax burden we all bear. Our group was very much a presence at all these proceedings, and we made certain that our concerns were heard.
The good news to report is that 2005 property tax rates at the Town and County levels will be maintained at approximately 2004 levels. While this is a welcome respite from the sharp tax increases experienced in recent years, the basic problems behind those increases have not been addressed, and continue to require resolution. Because of that, the PAC intends to keep the issue on the front burner for local officials.
This winter and spring, the PACÕs attention will also be focused on the 2005-06 Gloversville School District budget. As we did with the town and county budgets, we will be following the School BoardÕs budget deliberations very closely. The PAC also plans to present its case to our State representatives about the need to ease the burden that Medicaid and other unfunded State mandates have placed on local governments and property owners
.Changes to June 2004 PLPA Directory - January 31, 2005 Here is an alphabetical list of known changes, corrections, additions and deletions to last year's directory. I suggest you "pencil in" these changes to your directory. Maintaining the directory is always an ongoing project, so please let us know when changes occur in your information. Updated information is preferred to be received by e-mail to Russ Hogue.
Even though e-mail addresses aren't listed in the Directory it is important that we have your latest e-mail address if you want to be the recipient of "time sensitive" information regarding Lake or PLPA activities.
2004 BUOY REPORT In 2004, the PLPA purchased a 5 mph buoy that was placed in the channel leading to Beaver Bay. Despite this reminder, people still went too fast, not only in Beaver Bay but all over the lake! The 5 MPH SPEED LIMIT MUST BE OBSERVED WITHIN 200 FEET OF SHORE (200 feet equates to 10 car lengths). This is a New York State law! Not only is this law for your / others safety, but it also helps to prevent shoreline erosion and damage to boats and docks. Boats also were observed tied to the hazard buoys. The anchors that are used for the buoys are sufficient for the buoys but not boats! As a result of this misuse, buoys were moved out of place and required resetting. PLEASE DO NOT TIE UP TO HAZARD BUOYS.
In 2005 we are planning to increase the visibility of the buoys with orange paint on the flags and reflecting tape. Buoys will be placed in early May and will removed in mid-October.
FISH STOCKING REPORT Last year was another great year for fish stocking. We spent close to $8,000, stocking 200 10-12Ó Largemouth Bass; 200 8-10Ó Smallmouth Bass; 450 13-15Ó Rainbow Trout; 250 13-15Ó Brown Trout; 300 Bullheads; 200 Bluegills; 150,000 Emerald Shiners and 82,500 Fathead Minnows. We also purchased a fish tagger to assist in determining growth rates in future fish studies. In 2005 we are planning on stocking 500 13-15Ó Rainbow Trout; 255 8-10Ó Smallmouth Bass: 15-50 Northern Pike and $2,500 of minnows. Additional fish will be stocked as funds permit. Ten percent of all the game fish stocked will be tagged and recorded.
For fundraising in 2005, we are continuing with our bottle drives. The drives will occur on the first Saturday of each month, starting in May and ending in October (i.e., May 7th, June 4th, July 2nd, August 6th, September 3rd and October 1st). July 9th will be our Fourth Annual Benefit Barbecue which will feature both roasted pork and turkey. We will also be holding our second Fishing Derby this summer. Entry fees for this event go to fish stocking. All of the fish submitted for weigh-in will be tagged and recorded. This year we will be offering 16Ó x 20Ó full color posters depicting all of the species of fish that can be found in PeckÕs Lake. The posters will be suitable for framing, with laminated versions available as well.
Fulton County Recycling Calendar was published this month and is available at Garbage Schedule page with acceptable items for recycling.
Country Livingby Esther P. Neal
In the bitterest weather we may not enjoy walking in the snow, but the little Chickadee seems to actually enjoy a snowstorm as he flits busily from bush to tree and back again.Within a Chickadee flock, which numbers only six, there is a rigid hierarchy. The flock will consist of the breeding pair that bred during the summer in this particular area plus four other birds. The breeding pair is called the alpha male and alpha female. The alpha male dominates the rest of the birds in the flock and any other birds that might join the flock in a good feeding area or around a good backyard feeder. All males, including the juvenile males, dominate all females including the alpha female. The alpha female dominates all other females. During the winter months you may see which is the most dominate bird at your feeder.
As April arrives, the mating and breeding time is at hand. Unless the alpha male has died or disappeared, he will mate again with the alpha female. If she is gone, he will take one of the other females from his flock. If the alpha male is gone, the beta male will move up from his second place to the dominate role and mate with one of the females, not necessarily the alpha female. At this time the surveillance area of the alpha birds has shrunk from several acres to about one third of this territory. Now the less dominate males who have been members of the flock (probably 2), find mates and may or may not breed on the fringes of the territory.
Chickadees raise about six young. Breeding time is sometime between April and June. When the young are fledged, they move out of the breeding area to find new territory and join neighboring flocks sometimes several miles away. Apparently, there is no inbreeding.When a dominate bird comes to the feeder, he (or she) makes threatening movements towards another bird. He puffs out his feathers and opens his bill and visibly threatens the other bird. The less dominate bird may react in two ways: usually it flies away, but it can make what is called Òthe appeasement moveÓ where it shrinks down on its legs and turns its head away and in general makes itself appear as small as possible. In this case, the more dominate bird usually will ignore it and start to feed.
The ÒChickadeeÓ call is an alarm call and is easy to imitate, but in the summer the call is Òfee-beeÓ Ð not to be confused with the Phoebe which has a similar two-tone call. The ChickadeeÕs call is very clear and sweet, while the PhoebeÕs is wispy and unclear.In the bitterest weather, be sure to watch for this lovable, carefree bird, - the Chickadee. They can be quite tame and can be coaxed to your hand with sunflower seed!
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