Happy New Year 2026 from SLA
On January 2nd, 2026 the Schroon Lake Association Board of Directors met for our annual planning retreat. The meeting was very interactive, and we are looking forward to implementing as much of our plan as possible in the coming months.
After a short review of our 2025 efforts, we discussed a slight reorganization of our action committees, and we are confident this will help deliver not only continued excellent results for our lakes, we also believe it will help keep you, our constituents and members, better informed and involved.
Our first event of the year will be this year’s PaddleFest, scheduled for June 20th 2026. As before, paddlers will launch their boats off Route 74 and paddle to the Boat House. Once there, there will be live music, canoes and kayaks from local vendors to test paddle, food, and more. This year we intend to extend the day to include not only paddlers, but to the community who wish to join us in the afternoon. Last year’s weather could not have been better, so join me in hoping for the same this year.
Our efforts to better understand the issues related to weather extremes, like 2023’s excessive rain and 2024 and ‘25’s drought conditions, we have applied for funding for a study on the South River. While it is easy to point to the Starbuckville Dam as the culprit in flooding, the reality is much more complex. We expect to hear from Albany on the results of our grant submission, which will allow us to move ahead with the study.
Additionally, we have known for many years the issues with silting at the entrance to the lake from the river to the north. Aerial photos have shown the increased silting and shallow waters, and we are starting another project to understand what options might be available to us to mitigate this problem.
Please note our new website (you’re here if you are reading this) and our new Facebook page, located HERE. If you have photos of the lake, or people enjoying the lake, please feel free to share them to our social media…everyone love seeing the beauty of our most precious resource
And finally, I would like to thank our local partners, Paradox Lake Association (PLA) and East Shore Schroon Lake Association (ESSLA). We sit on a very large watershed, and only by working together closely can we continue to maintain our waters in the healthy and safe condition they are in. Many hands make short work, and we are grateful for the combined efforts of our partners.
We from the Board wish you all a Happy, Healthy and Successful 2026, and look forward to seeing you around town and on the water.
With gratitude,
Scott Ireland
President, Schroon Lake Association