 |  |  |  |
 |  |
PLPA ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING The year 2000 Annual Meeting will start at 9:00 am; Saturday, September 2nd at the boat storage barn at the Peck's Lake Marina. Please bring folding chairs to sit on and coffee mugs if you don't like foam cups. The meeting will be held inside the storage barn in case of inclement weather.
ROAD REPAIR The Town of Bleecker is completing major repair and resurfacing of the North Shore roads this summer/fall. Please drive slowly and be considerate of the workers. Leave early if you have an appointment, as there will be some delays.
CONGRATULATIONS & THANK YOU Belated congratulations to John Mars, ( reelection to Bleecker Town Board ) and thanks to John Peck ( Bleecker Town Board ) and Bob Allen ( Bleecker Grievance Committee ) for their unselfish work on our behalf.
CANOE CLINIC The canoe clinic on Saturday, June 17th was a resounding success. In spite of some showers, the attendees enjoyed the companionship and the insights from Dave Pratt and the Irelands on some of the subtleties of graceful and effortless motion in a canoe on an Adirondack lake.
PECK'S LAKE FAMILY PICNIC & CONCERT This now traditional affair will be held on Sunday, August 20th at the West Bay Picnic Area, now referred to as Peck's Meadow by the dam.
The day starts with an 8 am hike starting from the end of South Shore Road. wear hiking footwear, bring water and insect repellent.
This is followed by a 1 to 2 pm picnic in the meadow with games from 2 to 4 pm. Bring a dish to share and your own dishes, utensils, drinks folding table and chairs. Cookies and coffee will be provided by the PLPA. Games include whatever you bring and volleyball, chipping contest and Boccee.
The day will conclude with the highlight of the summer, the Ernie Williams and the Wildcats concert in the meadow from 4 to 6 pm.
ANNUAL DINNER / GOLF TOURNAMENT A BIG SUCCESS Over 100 Peck Lake Residents and guests attended the annual dinner held at the Pine Brook Golf Club on Saturday, July 29th. Michelle Coons and her staff provided us with a great dinner, and the Mario Brothers with a great array of danceable music.
Our thanks to Katie Bergmann and her committee for organizing the event. Kudos to Esther Neal for providing the golfers with coffee and doughnuts. The Bernie Sleeper Memorial Golf Tournament was equally successful.
Sixty-four golfers attempted to conquer the Nick Stoner Golf Course. The winners were recognized and received their appropriate gifts and tributes at the annual dinner. We thank Russ Hogue and his committee for the great job in organizing the tournament.
THANKS Thanks for the assistance in the road and lake cleanup. For North Shore: Larry Doubleday, Priscilla & Emilio Muscolino, Dave Pratt, Kathy & Arnie Henry, Bob & Nancy Allen and Pat & Phil McCabe. For South Shore: JoAnn & Larry Wheelock, Neil & Lynn LeFevre, Carol & Bill Nitsche, Carol & Bob Persse, Doug Moore and Carl Gohlke.
BLEECKER ASSESSMENT REVALUATION The last revaluation of assessments in the Town of Bleecker was in 1989. The state recommends that localities do revaluations much more often than that, but Bleecker has opted not to do a "reval" due to the expense involved and the turmoil introduced into the taxpayers' lives if the process is not done correctly. Remember the infamous "Finnegan" reval in 1989?
The state cannot mandate that locality to do a reval, but they can and do apply not-so-subtle pressures, such as decreasing the town's equalization rate. we have been experiencing this over the past few years. The lowered equalization rate causes an elevation in the tax rate a diminishment of the benefit of the STAR program.
The town board has been struggling with this issue for some time. We cannot put off another reval indefinitely. If the process were to be started in late 2000, it would still be 2002 before the results kick in. The board is in the process of making a decision that needs to be completed before the budget process this fall. We always welcome input from the citizenry. Town board meetings are held at the town hall the third Thursday of every month at 7:00 pm.
PECK'S LAKE HISTORICAL SOCIETY The Peck's Park Historical Society has been working since spring to finish the nature trail and it is almost done. The new section is finished with an observation platform, overlooking various trees, bushes and plants. Wildflower seeds have been planted as well as trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit, lilies and other plants. Benches have been ordered, and trees and plants will be identified. We invite you all to come and see it.
The building will be painted the first part of August. The south and west sides badly need attention.
we have had many interesting guests this summer, including former students, a teacher, and a student's mother who wrote some of the excuses displayed in the hallway. There was also a class of Head Start three and four year olds. John Mars did a great job of making the visit interesting and enjoyable for them and their teachers. We hope to do more this fall to promote visits by other school classes.
It would be greatly appreciated if more members would participate in hosting at the school Wednesdays and Saturdays 1 to 4, doing nature trail tours, and helping with maintenance of the building and grounds.
we will be having an open house for all members on September 9th from 1 to 3 at the museum. we hope to see everyone, especially new members. Come and see the schoolhouse and walk the nature trail.
Also everyone is invited to our next meeting on August 22, at Alice Peck's home.
FISH STOCKING SURVEY The fish stocking survey started in early July and is currently underway. To date drop netting and seining and the water quality testing is complete. Electrofishing is scheduled for August 3rd and will be done at night. If electrofishing does not produce the fish required we will use an old fashion method. We have planned a fishing day for August 5th. Hopefully some of Peck's Lake's fishing experts will get a chance to show off their stuff. We are targeting completion in time for the Annual Meeting. We have asked Lori Trotta to give a brief presentation at the annual meeting to discuss the results of the survey.
It should be noted that many people volunteered to help with the study.
COUNTRY LIVING by Esther P. Neal Occasionally someone will tell me they have seen a male and female pair of loons; one in typical black with white spots and one gray. Not So. This is not a mated pair. When you spot a pale gray loon it is in fall and winter plumage. The chin and neck will be white; the rest a soft gray-brown.
Loons congregate in large groups in the fall and head for the coast for the winter. The acid rain that has hit northern lakes has caused the disappearance of loons. We are fortunate to have at least one nesting pair on Peck's Lake.
Although they lay up to three eggs, it is seldom that we see more than two chicks survive. Recently a resident here saw four young with the parent bird. We do find the unusual in nature from time to time. Loons feed on small fish, frogs, insects and some vegetation.
Recently reading an article on how smart some birds are and how non-thinking are others, it seems that when small song birds are caught in a trap ( usually a funnel type ) they cannot figure how to back out. The only bird that seems to be able to do this is the Finch, who once in, goes in and out as often as it seeks feed there. If you tie a peanut on a string to a branch, birds will try to fly up to reach it or will walk along the branch and try to pull the string up. They do not seem to know that they must hold the string with their feet and pull again. Titmice, on the other hand, think or know they must hold the string with one foot and continue pulling until the treat is within reach of their beak. So much for bird brains. Tests given to crows prove they are very intelligent birds. They always post a sentinel when a group is feeding. They call out a warning that someone is coming in their direction. They alert their kin to any suspected danger from predatory animals or birds. Although very noisy most of the time, during nesting time they are very quiet. They slip in and out of the trees with food for the young trying hard to keep the nest site a secret. they are monomorphic birds.
Another such bird is the Blue Jay. We usually see them up here all year long. Their showy plumage is so beautiful they are a joy to see. They do have a very objectionable habit of sometimes eating other birds eggs and young. However their brassy behavior is tempered by their antics and relative fearlessness of humans and their devotion to their mate while nesting. The pair build a large bulky nest of twigs lined with mud and the female lays 3 to 6 blue or buff eggs, spotted with gray. They are incubated by both parents.
We often see ten or more in winter, feeding together. They are very sociable and most often close family relatives. Winter is brighter with the snow splashed with Blue Jays!
 |  | |  |  |
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.
