
A detail of a whorl of hydrilla pulled from the shallow waters at O’Hara’s Landing Marina in fall of 2024.
Photo by Debra A. Aleksinas
A detail of a whorl of hydrilla pulled from the shallow waters at O’Hara’s Landing Marina in fall of 2024.
SALISBURY — The Twin Lakes Association is taking an earlier and more aggressive approach to fighting the spread of invasive hydrilla in East Twin Lake by dosing the whole northeast bay, from May through October, with low-level herbicide treatments instead of spot treatments.
The goal, said Russ Conklin, the TLA’s vice president of lake management, is to sustain herbicide concentration over the 2025 growing season.
That plan of attack will continue over a period of 60 to 90 days beginning May 21, Conklin explained during the association’s April 30 membership meeting via Zoom which drew 60 attendees.
TLA officials were encouraged by the chance to stop the spread and hopefully destroy the thick mats of the unyielding invasive plant hydrilla verticillata, referred to as the Connecticut River variant, after two years of chasing new growth around the lake’s north bay.
Dense patches were first discovered in the summer of 2023 in shallow waters around O’Hara’s Landing Marina and the nearby state boat launch and the plant has since migrated further into East Twin, following a pattern of boat traffic.
Past treatment efforts were hampered by delayed permits from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to treat the hydrilla with herbicides in an area where a rare plant had been identified.
This year, the TLA was granted an exception by DEEP, said Conklin, as any protected plant species in the path of hydrilla would likely not survive anyway.
“It is not dead now, but it is going to be if we don’t do something about the hydrilla.”
“This is a big year for us,” Conklin said. “Hydrilla is a real threat to the lake, and we did treat it this past year, but the permits only applied to the plant, so we spot treated it … and were always chasing it.”
The course of action this year, he said, is to treat the entire northeast bay with the herbicide Sonar in both liquid and crystal form at a very low levels so that the herbicide’s contact time with hydrilla will be extended for a longer period over 60 to 90 days.
“We know from past experience that it is much easier to kill the plant when it’s small,” Conklin explained. The goal, he said, is to attack the stringy, green weed before August when it crowns and splits into numerous growing points that are capable of growing at the rate of an inch a day.
During the hour-long meeting, discussion also focused on a pilot program for enhanced cyanobacteria monitoring at Twin Lakes to be headed by TLA director Jessica Swartz, a resident of West Twin Lake and biotech executive with Pfizer.
“It’s very visibly challenging to identify cyanobacteria blooms,” Swartz explained, as it can easily be confused with pollen on the surface of the water, dead vegetation or different types of algae.
Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are natural, important phytoplankton in lake ecosystems. Dense blooms, which release toxins, occur when there is an abundance of sunlight, elevated phosphorus levels and warm temperatures.
Given the current escalation in overly-nutrient rich waterbodies and rising temperatures due to global climate change, the frequency of cyanobacteria blooms is increasing, said Swartz, and Twin Lakes has occasionally experienced localized blooms.
As a result, the association will be implementing a pilot testing program with greater frequency and at more locations than currently conducted by the TLA’s limnologist, George Knoecklein. The goal of the pilot program is to work out the process of collecting reliable data over time that helps inform whether cyanobacteria blooms are occurring, where they are most frequently found, and assess the level of risk.
Sample test kits have been ordered for five or six testing sites across East and West Twin, including at the private Salisbury School.
TLA president Gant Bogle invited Swartz to give an update at the association’s upcoming June 14 membership meeting at Camp Isola Bella.
Despite rising lake management costs projected at $500,000 this year, Bogle reported that the TLA is in strong shape financially heading into the 2025 season, as it received another $75,000 grant from DEEP and $25,000 from the Bates Foundation to support the Watershed Study.
Also, the town of Salisbury has earmarked $75,000 for Twin Lakes this season, said Bogle, and the TLA membership has “responded generously” contributing more than $300,000 since August 2024 when the group started its 2025 fundraising campaign.
Bogle also encouraged members to attend the May 12 public meeting of the Salisbury Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission, which is expected to address proposed changes to the Upland Review Area encompassing the town’s lakes.
Warriors left-fielder James Singleton, no. 4, made it to base on all four at-bats he had Tuesday at Beekman Park.
AMENIA — The Pine Plains boys baseball team travelled to Beekman Park in Amenia to face off against the Webutuck Warriors.
The game ended with a Pine Plains win of 13-7.
The Bombers' Austin Mielich, no. 35, only made one hit in three at-bats, but it was productive. Mielich secured two runners batted in and a run himself in a later play.Photo by Nathan Miller
The Bombers racked up an early lead in the first two innings, scoring four runs in the top of the first and a fifth in the top of the second before the Warriors managed to score two runs in the bottom of the second.
Webutuck defenders held back the Bombers in the third inning and scored another run, bringing the score to a manageable 5-3 Pine Plains lead going into the fourth inning.
Then the Bombers let it rip. Six more runs in the fourth inning brought the score to 11-4 Pine Plains going into the fifth.
Webutuck managed to score another three runs before the end of the game, but the Bombers nearly matched with two more of their own for a finishing score of 13-7.
Bombers catcher Matthew McGhee, no. 10, put out six batters, including Webutuck's Albert Bailey as he tries to cross home plate on Tuesday, May 13, at Beekman Park in Amenia.Photo by Nathan Miller
The Bombers’ pitchers — Warren Lounsbury, no. 11, and Luke Blackburn, no. 4, only gave up four hits to Warrior batters through the game. Between the two pitchers, the Bombers struck out 13 of Webutuck’s batters. The Warriors’ pitchers — Zach Latrell, no. 1, Gabe Domingez, no. 9, and Pearse Williams — managed to strikeout 11 of the Bombers’ batters.
Mickey Stringer of of North East, left, checks in with Chris Virtuoso, volunteering on Saturday, May 12 at the Old Town Garage on South Center Street as a Climate Smart Task Force member. Stringer’s loaded pickup was part of a long line of vehicles along South Center as residents used the opportunity to dispose of air conditioners, mattresses, lumber, and other bulk items. Town Supervisor Christopher Kennan said he didn’t recall seeing such a long line of vehicles in past years.
Elm Drive Elementary School in Millbrook.
MILLBROOK — Preparing for the village-wide vote on the proposed 2025-26 school budget scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, the Millbrook Central School District held a public hearing on Tuesday, May 6, to review the budget and hear residents’ comments.
The CSD proposed 2025-26 budget to be voted upon as Proposition 1, showed total expenditures of $35,649,651, an increase of $1,074,576 (3.11%) over the current year.
“We’re trying to trim as much as we can,” said Elliott Garcia, Assistant Superintendent for Business, during his budget summary.
Two additional propositions are included on the ballot, both anticipating a bond issue to fund repairs, renovations and improvements to school buildings.
Proposition 2 would bring repair to the Middle and High School buildings, with more work at the middle school estimated to cost $37,381,383. Work would include HVAC, electrical, window replacement, roof and ceiling repair, elevator service and doorway improvements.
The high school work would include HVAC at a total estimated cost of $1,883,099.
The total amount would, however, be reduced by $12 million in currently available funding, so that a bond issue would be needed to cover a total of $27,264,482, to be repaid over a number of years. Taxpayers would need to pay the annual interest on the bonds during the life of the bonds.
Separate funding of energy efficiency improvements at the middle school and high school would carry at total estimated cost of $3 million that would also need to be bond-financed, but that funding would return to the school budget in the form of energy cost savings.
Proposition 3 would bring HVAC, electrical and window replacement at the elementary schools at an estimated cost of $21,779,259, also to be financed by bond issue.
Students from the Middle School Student Council presented a report on a recent survey they conducted and analyzed. Their report was titled, “Repair Our School.”
For their building conditions study, the nine students conducted an in-school survey of students, teachers and staff, receiving 228 responses.
Interpreting the responses as percentages, the students reported that 90% indicated that the middle school does not look as good as it could; more than 80% said they were concerned about the state of the building; 67% had classes interrupted by roof leaks; 75% said it was difficult to learn because of the roof leaks; and 94% said that if the school were their home, they would not stay.
“Our student government never stops working,” said Principal Steven Cabello, adding that the students’ efforts have been invigorating.
School superintendent Caroline Hernandez-Pidala praised the students’ project, the time and care invested in their survey study and their reporting of the results.
“I’m super impressed,” Hernandez-Pidala told the students.
The May 20 polling location is at the Middle School, in the Band room adjacent to the auditorium. Polls will be open between noon and 9 p.m.
The proposed budget, details of the propositions and a copy of the ballot are posted on the CSD website at www.millbrookcsd.org.
Voters in two other school districts will decide on higher spending plans for the coming school year on Tuesday, May 20.
Webutuck Central School District and Pine Plains Central School District propose higher K-12 budgets for the 2025-2026 school year.
The proposed budget for Webutuck, with an enrollment of 637 students from K-12, shows a 5.96% increase from the previous year to $28,665,850. Pine Plains proposes spending $38,712,336, an increase of 2.71%.
Ray Nelson, Earthwise Architecture, requested two variances for 7-9 Main St., one to allow a 9-unit floorplan and another to waive the parking requirements for the building, at a public hearing held by the village Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday, May 6.
MILLERTON — Ray Nelson of Millerton presented two possible updated floorplans for the apartment building at 7-9 Main St. to the Zoning Board of Appeals at a public hearing on Tuesday, May 6.
Nelson, on behalf of the building’s owner, is seeking two variances for the property: one allowing a density increase and another waiving the parking requirements for the property.
Village code requires at least 5,000 square feet of lot space per unit for multi-unit properties and 1.5 parking spaces per unit.
The building was configured with 12 units under previous ownership, a non-conforming use.
Nelson submitted a 9-unit plan and a 6-unit plan. He argues the 9-unit plan, which would house one fewer total bedroom than the 6-unit layout, would not require additional parking because the smaller units attract tenants that use fewer parking spaces — young couples, single people and very small families.
“There’s a need for apartments that are in the village,” Nelson said.
The submitted 9-unit floorplan is a reduction from a previously declined 12-unit plan that sought to maintain the current number of units in the property.
Zoning board members concluded the public hearing after brief discussion with the three Millerton residents that attended the meeting.
Zoning board members could not reach a final decision on the variances that night, citing required further deliberation, but they indicated a positive attitude to Nelson’s new plans.