LETTER FROM PRESIDENT PRATT The ice is out and the lake is full. The Bufflehead ducks arrived and have already departed. Purple finches have taken over the bird feeder and loons are in the bay. Spring has arrived and with it the anticipation of another summer enjoying the lake with friends and family.

Please note that a new Peck's Lake Directory will soon be published and sent to all paid members of the Association.

As usual, a number of events are scheduled for this summer. Please check the calendar in this newsletter. Ernie Williams has agreed to come for a second concert at Peck's Lake this year. This is a special event and a great time to invite friends and family.

Have a great summer,
Dave Pratt, President

SPRING CLEANUP The traditional "All Hands" spring cleanup is Saturday 20 May at 9 AM. Call Lorraine Carlson (518) 773-7571 or (518) 355-8942 to volunteer on the North Shore and JoAnn Wheelock (518) 773-3271 for the South Shore. Lots of fun, fellowship and a chance to catch up on the winter happenings. Oh yes, the place also gets cleaned up.

LAKE SHORE CLEANUP The community wide lake shore cleanup is Memorial Day weekend. We are asking each lake shore resident to pick up man-made debris along their shore. In addition, as you motor or paddle along undeveloped areas look for and pick up anything you can reach. A boat hook will help.

CANOE CLINIC Learn how to be safe and secure in your canoe. Dave Pratt and Bob Ireland will offer canoe instruction on June 17th. If you are interested, sign up with Dave (725-6460). Children aged 10 and above are welcome with an adult participant.

4TH OF JULY FLARES Tradition suggests that 9 PM the evening of Independence Day would be a good time to relax from a day of festivities and light a safety road flare on our docks. Together we can silently celebrate our sense of community at Peck's Lake.

CAROLING A big "thank you" to all the folks who came out to carol this past Christmas. Although it's cold outside you always walk away with warm feelings. Special thanks to Joan and Bob Ireland for hosting the chili and Christmas cheer bash after the Christmas caroling last year.

FISH STOCKING The Peck's Lake fish stocking committee is currently reviewing the feasibility of a lake fish survey to determine if the lake is stocked appropriately. The survey would also include physical and chemical parameters to determine water quality and what species can live in such conditions. The data from this study will be compared to the last study done by the DEC in 1984. The results will help us to determine if there have been any significant changes to the fishery and water quality. Throughout the 1990 's the lake has been stocked with several species, mostly Bass. During this period the committee members have often been asked several questions:

Although the answer to the first question is mixed, the committee feels the fishing has improved. We can only assume this is in part due to the stocking effort.

After a decade of stocking and 16 years since the last study the committee is recommending a technical and comprehensive study to enhance the overall knowledge of the lake fishery, allowing us to make appropriate stocking decisions and hopefully answer all your questions. In conjunction with the study it is our intent to do some stocking late this spring or early this summer.

If you have any questions or suggestions please call Bill Nitsche 725-1849 or Alby Peck 725-3673.

911 ADDRESSES Did you ever wonder where the number for your property at Peck's Lake came from? The Peck family originally assigned all the properties at Peck's lake a unique number for development purposes. If your property has no building on it you are probably still using the original lot number. The Fulton County Sheriffs Office assigned a 911 number when you built a house and established a driveway, That number is directly related to the distance between your driveway and the nearest major intersection. In fact it is the number of 22' segments between your driveway and that intersection. Why 22'? It is easily divisible into a mile and accurate enough for emergency/fire vehicles to quickly and accurately find your driveway. Reminder! Always use your 911 street address, not your lot#, when calling in an emergency. If you are on an unimproved property without a 911 number and have an emergency, use the 911 number of an adjacent neighbor. And please remove all signs showing your lot number. Only 911 street numbers should be posted on the road. Otherwise it can confuse the 911 emergency teams not to mention other people trying to navigate local roads.

RECOMMENDED MAILING ADDRESSES FOR Peck's Lake If your property is on the North or South Shore Road at Peck's Lake then your CORRECT ADDRESS IS ### NO. (OR SO.) SHORE ROAD Peck's Lake. Properties on Maplewood Drive, Little Gem Terrace, Hemlock Drive and Evergreen Drive do not have to add Peck's Lake, as there are no duplicate addresses in the Gloversville Zip. However there are other North and South Shore Roads in our zip so the addition of Peck's Lake in the second line of the address reduces the ambiguity.

For those who sometimes receive mail addressed to N (or S) Shore Peck's Lake Road It is usually attributed to third party software used by large organizations to manage their mailings. The software will try to clean up the addresses by, amongst other things, adjusting the suffix in the second line. It will add or move Road, Avenue, and Street to the end of the line. If you are receiving your mail with an "adjusted" address, it is because the post office maintains a list of acceptable addresses for you and delivers it in spite of the adjusted address.

ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER CHANGES Please forward all address and phone corrections and additions to Larry Doubleday. Call him at 518 725-6680, e-mail to dday@superior.net or mail to PLPA, 1 N Shore Road Peck's Lake, Gloversville, NY 12078

RENTERS & GUEST CODE If someone other than you as the responsible property owner is using your home, please make them aware of the restrictions/protections in your deeds and covenants. This is especially true for use of the lake by boats and canoes. Note that PFD's are required when canoeing. Towing tubes behind a boat is strictly prohibited anywhere on the lake except in the skiing area within the approved times. Your deed contains the details; a summary of the protections is available in your PLPA Guidebook. Extra copies are available from Larry Doubleday (725-6680) for $3.00 ea.

DOG CONTROL For your information ( and protection ) the Peck's Lake deeds say the following: "No vicious dog, or any dog which chases wild game, or any dog which causes annoyance to any person or persons in, about, near, upon, or adjacent to the above described premises, or said Peck's Lake, by barking, howling, or otherwise, shall be kept or harbored upon, the above described premises."

The Towns of Bleecker and Johnstown follow the Marketing & Agricultural code which "requires dogs to be under the owners control at all times."

Common courtesy to your neighbors should also play a role. Bottom line - The cats got it lucky, although the birds probably don't agree.

PROPANE GAS CO-OP (ENERGY CO-OP?) There are about 25 homeowners at Peck's Lake currently buying their heating propane through an agreement negotiated in 1996. Any one wishing to join the co-op can contact Hal Clark 725-6296, Dave Pratt 725-6460, or Larry Doubleday 725-6680 for information. Note that the co-op price advantage is available for users of 500 or more gallons a year. One of the original negotiators Hal Mumford, has since moved from the lake so any one who is interested in replacing him can call one of the above.

There has been some discussion on the possibility of a broader based energy co-op to include electricity and oil as well as propane. The primary interest here is electricity as everyone uses electricity. To date individuals have probably not been able to negotiate any significant savings due to the relatively small amount used by a single homeowner. As there are now more than 150 homes/camps on Peck's Lake there may be significant purchasing power if there is enough interest in pursuing a broader based energy co-op Comments may be directed to Larry Doubleday 725-6680.

WINTERFEST The fifth Annual Winterfest was held on February 12, 2000. What a day! Clear blue sky, little or no wind. Lots of snow - perfect! Nearly 200 people attended (judged by the number of hot dogs sold). Prices at the snack bar were unbelievable. Twenty-five cents for whatever you wanted-Hot dogs with Johnnie Lynn's famous sauce, cookies and brownies, hot cocoa, coffee, mulled cider - each for 25 cents. A whole group of snowmobilers descended like a flock of goldfinches in a feeding frenzy - as well as many tubers, watchers skiers, etc. A huge success. But as most people know, success does not just happen. It happens with a lot of hard work. We owe more thanks than can be spoken to the people who gave two weekends plus preparation, to make the Winterfest a success. Carol and Bill Nitsche, Joanne and Larry Wheelock, Lorraine and Dick Carlson, Priscilla and Emilio Muscolino, Nancy and Bob Allen, and Dave Pratt were the Backbone of the event.

BURNING PERMITS Call your Forest Ranger, John Floss (518) 429-3261

KEEP EXOTICS OUT OF THE LAKE Eurasian Milfoil and Purple Loostrife are exotic plant species from Europe and Asia that are very troublesome to lakes. Milfoil is an underwater plant and Loostrife is a wetland plant. Milfoil grows into thick floating mats, crowding out native vegetation and becoming a hazard to boats, fishing, and swimming. Milfoil tends to invade areas that have been cleared of native vegetation, and spreads when subject to mechanical cutting. Milfoil can spread easily from lake to lake from small pieces left on boats and trailers.

Loostrife forms very dense groupings along marshes, lakeshores, and ditches that threaten rare and endangered plant species and is not suitable habitat for waterfowl, turtles, frogs, muskrats and so on. Maintaining your lake's natural shoreline plantings-by avoiding cutting, dredging, and the use of chemicals- is the best way to prevent the invasion of these troublesome species.

Zebra Mussels are very small mussels that were brought to the US in the ballast water of foreign ships. These tiny mussels have spread throughout the Great Lakes Region in just a few short years and are now being spread to inland lakes by boats and bait buckets. Once these critters reach an inland lake they can spread rapidly and become a nuisance as they cover docks, rocks, boats and anything found in the lake. Thoroughly wash the bottom of your boat and motor right at the other lakeshore after you take it out of the water. Let it dry for two days before placing it in Peck's Lake. Flush the motor, bilge areas and live wells with hot water. Do not use chemicals. Dump your bait buckets and discard all bait on land before leaving. Do not dump it near any lake, river or other body of water This is IMPORTANT. It's YOUR lake and YOUR property values.

SNOWFALL HISTORY FOR PECK'S LAKE AREA Only 108 inches this year.

COUNTRY LIVING by Esther P. Neal Sometimes seeing a female bird with out a male of her kind for identification is confusing. At this time of year two female birds about the same size and markings could appear in your yard. They are between 7" and 9", one a Black Bird and one a Grosbeak. Both these birds will be on or under your feeders: in fact the Blackbirds have been here since March. They eat whatever they can find, seeds, or old bread. The large striped female (and male) Rose-Breasted Grosbeak will come to the seed feeders and they provide a great opportunity for photos. Both females are like large Striped Sparrows. The main feature to look for is the beak. The Blackbird's is slender and and pointed. The Grosbeak's is cone shape made for cracking seeds.

The Blackbird's belly is heavily streaked with dark brown. There are very inconspicuous wing bars. The female Grosbeak is brown above with a white line from the beak to the back of the head and a white mustache with a dark area between the two lines. While the Grosbeak is either alone or with her mate.

When it comes to the Finch Family, it is a little harder to distinguish the Purple from the House. Both are about 5-5 1/2 "--both have cone shape bills for cracking seeds. The female House Finch is streaked with brown on the belly and has little or no red color. The male is streaked and has a rose-red forehead and breast. The Purple female is brown, heavily streaked on the underside with a definite dirty white line through the eye from the beak. This is the best identification mark. The male Purple is brown above with a deep red head, back, rump and breast. He seems thicker in body than the House Finch, but individual birds vary somewhat in size so that is not always a good identifier.

The same feature to distinguish a Downey from Hairy Woodpecker is the bill. The Downey's is very short and pointed. The Hairy's is long, about 3/4 the width of the head. The Downey is 6-7" in length. (I have seen some even smaller) and the Hairy is 8 to 9". Since they both perch with their tails pushed back against the bark of a tree as a prop, they appear much shorter. Use your binoculars. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker male is easily set apart from the other woodpeckers by his red crown and throat. The female has only a white throat. Again, black and white is the predominant color.

March and April are great months for observing birds that will delight us all summer. Fox Sparrows have just arrived. Enjoy the newcomers as they arrive in the next few weeks.

PECK'S LAKE HISTORICAL SOCIETY The Peck's Lake Historical Society will have its first meeting of the season on Tuesday May 16 at 7:15 PM at the home of Alice Peck. There are many items to be discussed. Part of the building needs to be scraped, sanded and painted. Picnic tables need to be cleaned up and painted. The big item is the completion of the nature trail. There was a workday on Saturday, May 6th. Some of the boy Scouts who worked on it last year cleaned up the branches that were left in the wood and spread more wood chips. There is more to be done so whoever would like to help is welcome.We have a grant of $3000 to extend the trail, build bridges and benches. This work will have to be completed by June 30.

We have school classes coming on May 16, 17,18 & 19 from Meco School. They will be at the school house from 9 to 11:30 AM each day.We hope to have a good attendance at the meeting.

Alice Peck

ADVERTISING SPACE (FOR SALE ITEMS, ETC.) Advertising space is available in this newsletter to PLPA members for personal "For Sale" items, etc. It is available on an "as available basis for a nominal $2.00 fee. Contact Larry Peck, Editor (518) 773-3786.

CABLE TV/HIGH SPEED INTERNET ACCESS Cable TV is finally here. Recall that John Mars, Bleecker Town Councilman, was instrumental in laying the groundwork. Call and thank him, then call Time-Warner if interested.

WELCOME TO OUR (RELATIVELY) NEW NEIGHBORS AT PECK'S LAKE

Locations of properties and lots are shown on the maps in the PLPA Guide Book. Note that you (relatively) new property owners at Peck's lake will soon be visited by the PLPA Welcoming Committee, Chairwomen, Dianne Lang.

ARTICLES WANTED! Articles are wanted for publication in the upcoming newsletter and later on the Web Site. Submit your article, saved as a simple text file to Kathy Henry, Newsletter Editor.

Copyright © 2004 Peck Lake Protective Assoc.   Last Update 03-14-04