THE SCHROON WATERSHED,
STILL WORTH FIGHTING FOR 115
YEARS LATER
By Mark S. Granger SLA President
Many of you know that our organization was formed in 1911 to fight for the survival of our Watershed and our Town. Downstate
politicians had come up with a plan to dam the South Schroon River, south of the Lake, and flood the area into a giant reservoir.
They would have created a huge new body of water merging Schroon Lake and Paradox Lake, burying the Town under 25 feet of
water and flooding north into North Hudson. A group of citizens banded together to prevent this and formed the Schroon Lake
Association.
From the beginning they looked out for the quality of the lake which was being maintained by a small dam that kept water levels
predictable and encouraged logging, fishing and recreation. When the timber companies developed new ways to transport logs
to mills, they abandoned the dam which was leaking badly and causing big fluctuations in water level. The SLA rebuilt and
preserved the dam, using volunteer labor and materials and kept it going until municipalities and the Park District took it over.
The threats have changed but SLA’s mission has not. We are preserving and protecting our beautiful and critical watershed. We
have been successful in partnering with our elected and government officials who now realize that our Town and its people need
a viable, clean and beautiful lake for us to live here. A lake full of invasive species and pollution will wreck life here.
So on we go supporting the fight against invasive plants through surveillance and harvesting; Installing and manning boat
launches and boat decontamination stations to reduce the spread of Asian clams, hydrilla, zebra mussels and other animal
invasives that currently are in Lake George, Lake Champlain and in many lakes and waters south of us.
We monitor the lake yearly for pollutants, algae and contaminants such as silt, phosphorous and road salt. We check on the
health of the lake’s inhabitants by checking the status of phytoplankton and zooplankton which are the food source for the entire
lake. We encourage the testing and maintenance of septic systems bordering the lake and its tributaries.
We have supported and helped fund storm water runoff pollution by capturing the first 20 minutes of surface water flow in rain
storms. This stops many pollutants from reaching the lake and allows bacteria in the soil to eliminate oil and gas pollutants.
We provide part of the cost of boat launch stewards, hired by the Town which is our first line of defense in protecting the lake
from invasives. We work for greater funding and grant to protect our waters and inform the public of what is needed to do this.
The SLA supports education on environmental issues through its meetings and literature. Finally we support the community with
47 years of Craft Fairs every July and promote social events throughout the year.
All this takes volunteer efforts and money. We are very proud of our members, the work they do and the money they raise.
Won’t you join us or recommit to do more? Your donations to our 501 (c) (3), NY charity are fully tax deductible to the extent
permissible under the law.
Our volunteers are a dedicated, fun group of people of all ages and backgrounds. Whether born in Schroon or a brand new
“flatlander” we need and welcome you all. Our activities are listed in our website: www.schroonlakeassociation.org. You can join
and pay your dues or make a donation on line or by mail on the form in this Magazine to SLA, PO Box 5, Schroon Lake NY 12870.
We look forward to seeing you and hearing from you!
Mark
870 7th Ave, New York, NY, 10019
Mark S. Granger
+64-9985-3513
President
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