I’m about to do something I’ve never done before – and hopefully never do again. Quote Yoko Ono. Beatles fans, forgive me. In fact, maybe I should ask for forgiveness from all of you. But her quote about the seasons seems especially relevant to those of us who spend our winters in the Northeast – and particularly to those who spend winter here at the Lake.
“Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one’s reverence,” Ono is quoted as saying, and “Winter passes and one remembers one’s perseverance.” As someone who has spent a winter here at the Lake, I can attest to that!
For PLPA members it’s not just that we may have persevered through the winter weather, though this past winter in upstate New York, I am told, was the warmest on record – each month, December, January, and now February averaging about 7 degrees warmer than usual. It’s that we – the PLPA members and the greater lake community — have persevered, or are persevering, through some existential threats to the quality of life here at the lake.
One of the questions I get asked most often is about the status of the lawsuit challenging the deed restrictions prohibiting the business or commercial use of deed restricted properties, and of the prohibition on using properties to grant access to the lake to the general public. In November 2023 a State Supreme Court judge ruled that short-term rentals are prohibited by our deed restrictions, and that renters do not have access to the lake itself.
The judge’s decision was the culmination of more than two years of legal haggling, and a special note of thanks go to all who donated to defray the PLPA’s legal expenses, the PLPA membership who supported our cause, and to the Peck family for joining with us in this fight. You can read more about the lawsuit on the PLPA website (plpa.org).
Renters, unfortunately, haven’t been the only invaders to the lake. Many Adirondack lakes are threatened by widespread contamination from non-native plant and animal species. Our neighbors at Canada and the Caroga Lakes, for example, have been battling invasive species for some time. Though the infestations are not as prevalent here, Peck’s Lake has not been spared.
In January 2023 the PLPA Board created an Invasive Species Committee (ISC) to learn more about what we can do to both prevent invasives from entering the lake, and to combat those that are already here. Just this past January (2024), and thanks to the hard work of the ISC, Peck’s Lake has its first-ever “Aquatic Invasive Species Adaptive Management Plan,” developed especially for the Peck’s Lake.
You can read more about the invasion of invasives, and how you can help keep them out of our lake by visiting the “Invasive Species” link on the home page of the PLPA website (plpa.org). Many thanks to Invasive Species Chair Donna Coffey, Committee members Fred Greenberg, Kathleen Perrott, Tom Bielli, Bob Kossowsky, Lorrie Mott, Ellen Greenberg, John Blaum, Karen Jones, Lou Decunzo, and Peck family representatives Albee Peck and Tammy Warner for making this happen. Thanks also to Brian Greene of the AIPPP for his invaluable assistance.
Right now we’re in the middle of our annual membership drive – and the response so far has been very encouragingIf you haven’t joined or renewed your membership yet, please do so before March 31. In order to promote more timely renewals, the PLPA Board has instituted a new policy. For those who join or renew their membership AFTER March 31 the annual dues will be $75. The PLPA is funded entirely by member dues and donations, and our fiscal year begins January 1.
We can’t effectively budget without a good idea of how much we have to spend – so we’re trying this to see if we can spur our members to join earlier in the year so that we can make informed budget decisions. So PLEASE, join or renew your membership on or BEFORE March 31! You can pay your dues and make donations right on the website at plpa.org, or send a check to the PLPA at 1 North Shore Drive, Gloversville, NY 12078.
Over the past couple of years the PLPA has organized a number of social events –a “welcome back to the lake” cocktail party, kayak races, cornhole tournaments and a “Summerfest” weekend for the lake community. Participation in these events has been mixed – so we are rethinking the events calendar for 2024. If you have an idea for an event that the entire lake community can enjoy, please let us know. We’ll be discussing the calendar at the April Board meeting, and you’ll hear more about PLPA sponsored events after the meeting.
One last thing – another goal for 2024 is to promote the North Shore Trail system and to encourage more PLPA members to enjoy the 7 miles of trails that are maintained by the PLPA – as well as to enlist more members to help Arnie Henry maintain the trails. We will be reviving the Trail Committee and are thinking about ways to promote the trails. Last fall Arnie took me on a tour of the entire 7 miles of trails – you can read more about it by visiting the “News” section of the PLPA website and clicking the “Happy Trails” link.
Oh – that reminds me. The website. Last year we did a total makeover of the website. We’d like to turn it into a resource for the lake community. We will be posting events, the dates of the container drives, and articles and items of interest to the community. If you have an idea for an article or an event you’d like for all of us to know about, please let us know!