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PLPA PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
It's a week before Easter and Winter has finally arrived. Just like last year, we're getting more snow in March than in January or February. The January ice storm that left a half-inch coating of ice on top of the snow almost cancelled our Winterfest. But -- several enterprising individuals carved an award-winning snow tube run out of the crust. There was even ice skating this year -- something that we were not able to do in previous years.
I want to thank all those people who made a special effort to make the Winterfest a success. Attendance this year was well over 200 people (a scientific count based on the number of hot dogs sold!)
Winter always brings problems and consistent mail delivery is one of them. Mail will not be delivered if the area in front of the boxes is considered unsafe. Many thanks to those persons who continue to shovel out the mailboxes.
On a more serious note, I receive more calls and concerns about loose dogs wandering on people's property or frightening people walking along the roads than any other complaints. We have to remember that not everyone is a dog owner or dog lover, and there are those who are afraid of all dogs.
Dog owners: You must be in control of your dog(s) at all times. If they are wandering outside and you are in the house, you are not in control. Additionally, dogs must be leashed between January and May in Bleecker. Please help your neighbors and all of Peck's Lake with this problem.
The dog wardens are:
Bleecker -- Steve Manger (773-8924)
Johnstown -- Nancy Hart (762-8763)
Dave Pratt, President
Spring Cleanup... if the snow is gone, it is April 27th! Join your neighbors Saturday at 9am to cleanup our roadsides and shorelines. For details, call
Canoe and Kayak Clinic - Saturday, June 29th
Note the date! Dave Pratt and Bob Ireland will again offer the popular canoe/kayak safety and paddling course. Come brush up your skills or learn the basics. Dave Pratt (725-6460) for more information or to volunteer to assist. Call Dave by June 26th to sign up to participate.
THANK YOU to all who are shoveling out the Mailboxes!!!
This month's issue, as always, included our Calendar of Events and a listing of our Officers, Board Members & Committee Chairpeople. A volunteer is needed to serve the PLPA Historian. To volunteer please contact Dave Pratt or Larry Doubleday.
Is this your LAST Newsletter? If the PLPA didn't receive your dues, the answer is "YES!" PLEASE MAIL YOUR DUES TODAY!! (A bargain, dues remain $25 per year.) Don't forget to donate to the fish stocking fund too! Support your PLPA!
Who Owns the Dams? The acquisition of Orion Power Holdings, Inc by Reliant Resources, Inc became final on 19 February 2002. Recall that Orion had purchased Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation's electrical generation assets as a result of theNYS power deregulation process.
Volunteers are always welcome for PLPA activities. Contact committee chairpersons for more information.
ICE OUT? For those of you that are interested in popping into the lakeearly in the swimming season, April is probably the month. For the last 19 years the ice has gone out between the 4th and the 29th of April. Any guesses on the 2002 date?
Maps, Guidebooks and Directories for sale for $3 each. Contact Larry Doubleday, 725-6680
FISH STOCKING COMMITTEE REPORT
On February 23rd, the Fish Stocking Committee purchased 1,000 pounds of Emerald Shiners from Hog Island Bait of Swanton, VT for an early stocking of Peck's Lake. It was estimated that there were 150 per pound, or 150,000 minnows, our largest stocking to date. The cost of this stocking was $2,500.
Emerald Shiners, also known as "buckeyes," are a native minnow to this area. They average three to four inches in length and have short snouts and large eyes. They are generally silver in color with green iridescence. They travel in large schools and are open water fish. Unlike other minnows, they do not spawn in the shallows but rather release their eggs in mid-water, when water temperatures reach 75 degrees. As plankton feeders, emerald shiners will approach the surface at dark to feed, but retreat to deeper water during the day. It was for this reason that emerald shiners were selected. Because they are deep-water minnows, it is hoped that they will not provide forage for the numerous fish-eating birds but rather forage for gamefish.
It was determined that forage fish be a priority of the Fish Stocking Committee after reviewing the 2000 Fish Study (available on the website). The Committee also has plans to stock additional Rainbow Trout and Largemouth Bass this year if funds permit. Also as a result of the Fish Study, the Committee will continue its efforts to create additional submerged structure throughout the lake to provide fish habitat.
The Committee will be conducting four Bottle Drives throughout the summer this year. PLPA members are encouraged to save their returnable bottles and cans in a clear plastic bag for Committee members to stop by and pick up. The dates for the bottle drives are April 27, June 8, July 13 and Sept. 7.
PLPA members are also encouraged to make monetary donations with their annual PLPA dues.
Grace and Warren Decker have resigned from the Fish Stocking Committee. We wish to thank for them for their many years of participation and support. Although they will be missed on this committee, they will still be working with the PLPA as representatives for the campers.
The Fish Stocking Committee members this year are Maurice Cea, Emilio Muscolino, Paul Nestork, Lou Desorbo, Jim Regan and, of course, Alby Peck with Bill Nitsche acting as mentor to the Committee. If you have any questions or would like to help, please feel free to call on them.
Advertisers Wanted The Peck's Lake Protective Association is looking for business card advertisers for their next Lake Directory to be published in April 2002. Over the 2-year life of the printed directory it is distributed to about 300 new property owners, members and affiliates. Interested parties should send:
Peck's Park Historical Society by Alice Peck
Another spring rolls around and it's time to houseclean the schoolhouse and spruce up the nature trail for the next season. We have school classes coming in May, so cleanup must be done during the first 2 weeks in May.
We hope to have another successful summer, with lots of visitors and at least one event held at the school.
We do need people to help, by being at the school at least one afternoon, on a Wednesday or Saturday, from 1 to 4, and also trail guides, especially on Saturdays. Also, if anyone has the time to help on May 21, 22, or 23, when school classes will be visiting, please contact John Mars at 725-9349. The children will arrive about 9:30 a.m., stay and eat lunch, then leave about 12:30.
I am very frustrated that I can't get around as well as I did before I broke my hip last year, and consequently can't do as much as I did before. So more help is always welcome.
Please all come and bring your friends and relatives to visit. Brochures are available if you would like to do a little advertising.
A visit is really a worthwhile journey back into the past!
COUNTRY LIVING by Esther P. Neal
At this time of year you can hear Woodpeckers drumming. This is both a territorial announcement and a mating call. Both Hairy and Downey Woodpeckers have been at suet feeders this winter. The Hairy is about two and one-half inches longer than the Downey and the bill is three quarters the width of the head. Placing suet outside for these birds in winter is important. The Woodpeckers must work very hard to reach the larvae of insects that are well concealed under the bark. A chunk of suet pushed down into a wire basket or a piece of hardware cloth can help many birds make it through the bitter, bugless winter nights.
Hairys are tree nesting birds. The male may drill several nest holds and not complete them. Sometimes the wood is just not right, or the female has drilled a hold elsewhere. While nest building is going on, there will be much activity in the area. If another bird comes along, the male may drive it away or may slide around the tree trunk out of sight and then suddenly attack. As egg laying time approaches, one bird will stay in the area, perched on a limb, resting and preening his feathers.
Woodpeckers love the varying sounds of their drumming and will drum on rain gutters, metal sheds, porch posts or a variety of trees. Along with drumming, there are various visual displays. Wings may flick while a bird is perched and a call is made. Sometimes the bird may make a deep swoop and come up just before landing.
Although Woodpeckers are non-migratory, they do sometimes fly a little south of their usual area. This is only a few miles due to the lack of food in the area. This is the main reason to keep suet available through the winter. Other birds will benefit from suet also; Chickadees, Nuthatches and the occasional Titmouse.
The male and female Woodpeckers both incubate the eggs, which are typically 4 to 6 in number. They are all white. The nest cavity is lined with a layer of wood chips. The male stays in the nest at night and his mate takes over at dawn. This goes on for just under two weeks until hatching occurs. The parents feed the chicks constantly, pick up the fecal sacs every now and then and dispose of them far away from the nest hole. By the time the young are able to fly out of the nest, they are strong enough to fly within minutes. They perch and beg for food for a few days until the parents ignore them. When the young can feed themselves, the family breaks up and young ones leave the area. The older ones come back to the same territory each year.
Woodpeckers eat a tremendous amount of insects, so they are extremely beneficial to us. Most fruits that they consume are wild, such as wild grapes and berries. You won't find them in apple and peach orchards as a rule.
This winter seems to be one for Common Redpolls and in some areas, Evening Grosbeaks. Some lucky residents are getting flocks of Finch, both Goldfinch and Purple. Watch for Red-wing Blackbirds, Grackles and Starlings which are already here!
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