About Ry Rivard

Ry covers water for the Explorer. Before coming to New York, he reported on water and energy for Voice of San Diego.
He can be reached at ry@adirondackexplorer.org.

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Comments

  1. sailboat scotty says

    Seem like this line says it best: “Jorling argues that it looked at boat traffic and didn’t consider “quiet, solitude, and preventing conflicts” among other people on the lake.”
    This is about one man telling everyone else that he owns the acres of water in front of his lake front property and doesn’t like the sound of motorized vessels, so he will express his will upon everyone else. It’s common knowledge that marina infrastructure in the Adirondacks is in need of investment. These businesses operate at best 6 months out of the year and capital improvements and simple maintenance can be challenging – there are not a lot of folks lining up to run an Adirondack marina. “Carrying capacity”, while understandable to a degree, can also be used as a guise to unfairly prohibit boating access and benefit a select few, typically those with power and wealth.

  2. Bill Wooginowski says

    What’s the difference between an environmentalist and a developer?

    The environmentalist already has his cottage with a boat on a lake.

  3. Adirondack Observer says

    >> “The Town of Santa Clara, which governs part of the land on Upper Saranac Lake, has paused approval of an LS Marina project there, citing the need for further study of the zoning laws around the lake. The Upper Saranac Foundation has called for a carrying capacity study there, too, citing more intense use of the lake. Guy Middleton, the lake manager for the foundation, said different levels of government need to know what a lake can withstand before they approve new projects. ‘Each should understand the carrying capacity from the jurisdiction that they rule over,” he said.'”

    Why don’t you do your due diligence as a reporter? Town of Santa Clara’s paid councilman Dave Perry is married to Town of Santa Clara Board of Assessment Lynne Perry, an Upper Saranac Lake Association (USLA) Director. USLA has stated their opposition to the marina project. Didn’t stop Dave Perry from voting on the moratorium though or grants going to his wife’s foundation (she is a director of the Upper Saranac Foundation).

    Guy Middleton, lake manager quoted in your article, is employed by the Upper Saranac Foundation, of which USLA’s and Town of Santa Clara’s Lynne Perry is a director. USF is the foundation with direct ties to USLA (most of the same directors, for one). The lake manager also happens to be an ad hoc member of the Town of Santa Clara planning board. You should state this when writing your article.

    >> From Foil Request by the Marina: “Enclosed is a copy of an email chain initiated on August 18, 2020, by someone using the email address of Mr. William Curran and Mrs. Patricia Curran, Lower Saranac Lake residents (hereinafter referred to as the “Curran email”). The Curran email opposed LS Marina, LLC’s Lower Saranac Lake marina project and warned that “the same developer” is coming to Upper Saranac Lake with the purchase of Hickok’s Marina (It is true that Mr. Michael Damp is a member of LS Marina, LLC and USL Marina.) The Curran email suggests that a “mega-marina” is planned for Upper Saranac Lake. The Curran email was sent to Mrs. Lynne Perry, a member of the Town of Santa Clara Board of Assessment Review and the Upper Saranac Lake Association. Additionally, Mr. Tom Phillips, upon information and belief, a member of the Upper Saranac Lake Association or Upper Saranac Lake Foundation or both, also emailed Mrs. Perry about my client and Hickok’s Marina by forwarding the Curran email. Included as recipients of this email to Mrs. Perry were Upper Saranac Lake Foundation and Upper Saranac Lake Association members Messrs. Gregory Bebernitz and Stephen Maikowski. As the email chain demonstrates, the Curran email states that USL Marina was intending to change Hickok’s Marina to model the larger marina that was proposed on Lower Saranac Lake by LS Marina, LLC. This representation is false. Nonetheless, it had a rippling effect, instilling fear in Town officials and some Town residents that a big bad developer was coming to town to create a behemoth marina that would adversely impact Upper Saranac Lake and the Town of Santa Clara.”

    Town didn’t waste time getting that moratorium passed soon after. I’m thinking septic system program is next.

  4. Susan Weber says

    I am am elitist, too, with family property on a popular Adirondack lake. It saddens me to see the lake more degraded year by year. It scares me to be kayaking while pontoon boat renters race past within a few feet of my boat. It scares me to see these rental boats full of people drinking and cavorting all day with no place to pee or shit except the lake water we drink. It bothers my heart to see the trash floating in the bays and the beer cans on the bottom. It is unfortunate that the boat wakes and lack of boater politeness discourage me from sailing every weekend in the summer. Tom Jorling is right. There IS a point at which our resources are over-stressed,over developed, and over-used. It is the State’s job to monitor use and protect these delicate resources that belong to EVERYONE so everyone can enjoy them…but NOT all at once! Properly fund our agencies and let them do their jobs.

    • MICHAEL DUMAS says

      ok then I’m for that……but let’s also start removing these “camps” on our wild lakes through Condemnation and Escheat..lets make them truly wild as intended..lets return our land for public use…..we can start with your camp and Mr. Jorlings….I’m sure both of you would be fine with that correct?….how about all these camps on the chain lakes in old forge?…how many “camps” use motorboats compared to the current proposal?…I’m very curious about this…….I can site many others….I don’t care if you have a pump back system or not!….time to pay the piper!!!……..too much lip service and “woke” individuals pointing fingers at others and not enough accountability….walk the walk if you’re a true environmentalist…like I said…not in my backyard right?

  5. nathan friend says

    It has become almost impossible to fish on many lakes because there are nonstop motor boats racing all over and often way less than 50 feet away, beer guzzing tourists, beer cans and bottles tossed all over. try taking a canoe across saranac and see how unsafe it has become with huge boats drag racing by you.
    The lovely morning, afternoon, evening roar of boats, the loons cant be heard.
    personally i think there needs to be a limit on motor size to 10hp on saranac, noise level limits. all lakes less than a mile~total ban on gas boats. no noise pollution, gas/oil scum or fumes on lake. make it back to forever wild.

  6. Boreas says

    “Here is the heart of the matter: neither APA nor DEC want to engage the carrying capacity issue because they lack the political will power to address what will be the result — the need for regulations and restrictions on the amount and type of recreational boating facilities and use,” Dawson said in an email.

    Change the last part of the sentence from boating to hiking and you will see a strong similarity. Commissioner Seggos – are you listening – or even caring??

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