Adirondack Lakes Alliance Announces August 5th for its Annual Symposium

Adirondack Lake Alliance annual symposium brings together like-minded organizations and individuals to share best practices in lake and river management for the benefit of their home waters. (Credit: Guy Middleton)

Registration is now open for the Adirondack Lakes Alliance symposium, which will take place 8:30am – 4:00 pm on Friday, August 5.

The 7^th annual event will be held at Paul Smith’s College and there is a $25 fee to register, which includes lunch.

Attendees will receive an update from Dr. Dan Kelting, executive director of the Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute, on the progress of the Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force. Also featured is Chris Mikolajczyk, the current president of the North American Lake Management Society and senior aquatic ecologist at PrincetonHydro. Chris will present about the benefits to lake associations from developing a comprehensive lake management plan.

There will be a resource fair featuring regional organizations and agencies and a series of small group presentations focusing on three key topics. The first covers aquatic invasive species management tools including herbicide treatment and details about the new NYS Aquatic Invasive Species Spread Prevention Certification Program. The second topic is about on-site wastewater systems on our lake shores, specifically looking at impacts and solutions. The final topic will discuss community education and training resources for lake association members, specifically engaging youth, residents, and other members of the public. All attendees will have the opportunity to attend all three sessions.

The event is open to all members of the public. Registration details are available online adirondacklakesalliance.org/annual-conference-2022.html.

“This event is geared toward lake associations in the Adirondack Park but is really for anyone who has a connection with Adirondack waters and wants to learn more about watershed issues and solutions”, said Scott Ireland, ALA’s Executive Director. “Whether you’re a waterfront homeowner, a recreationist, or simply appreciate the importance of clean water, you will learn something new at the symposium and connect with other people who care deeply about our waterways.”

This year’s theme is theme is “Coming Together for the Good of Our Lakes” and is the first in-person ALA gathering in more than two years since the pandemic started.

“It is our hope that people will leave the symposium with stronger and more meaningful connections with other lake association members around the region and additional tools to help protect our Adirondack waterbodies”, Ireland added.

The Adirondack Lakes Alliance represents lake and river associations within the Adirondack Park and has as its primary mission the protection and preservation of Adirondack waters. ALA supports lake and river associations by making recommendations to appropriate state, county, and local municipalities, and educational and other relevant non-profit organizations, regarding environmental and ecological issues threatening Adirondack waters.

Those interested in becoming involved in the Adirondack Lakes Alliance can do so at adirondacklakesalliance.org.

About Adirondack Watershed Institute

The Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) is a component of Paul Smith's College (PSC). The program started in 1989 as a local-scale water quality monitoring program called the Adirondack Aquatic Institute (AAI) and expanded in 1999 to include invasive species management. PSC started the Watershed Stewardship Program (WSP) in 2000 as a separate initiative that focused on local-scale invasive species prevention activities. These two programs expanded over the years as separate efforts, in 2002 the college recognized the synergy of linking these programs and thus merged them to begin the AWI. The AWI has since grown into a regional-scale water quality monitoring and invasive species management program.

The mission of the Adirondack Watershed Institute is to protect clean water, conserve habitat and support the health and well-being of people in the Adirondacks through scientific inquiry, stewardship and real world experiences for students.