Making History in Saranac Lake

Making History in Saranac Lake. Where's the Gate. , The Adirondack Park has no gate. There is no forest ranger who opens and closes the entrance each day. Instead, an imaginary blue line surrounds a vast wilderness of old-growth forest and primeval wetlands. It is the largest protect area in the lower 48 states - roughly the size of Massachusetts. Unlike most state and federal parks, however, this park is a patchwork of public and private land, home to more than 135,000 residents., Saranac Lake Wild Forest , The 68,000-acre Saranac Wild Forest is home to a network of streams, ponds and lakes enjoyed by day-users and long-distance travelers. Many New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) campgrounds and waterway access sites have launches for canoes, car-top boats and motorized craft., Safe Boating , State law requires a lifejacket for each person in your boat. Never drink and operate a boat. And, of course, have a good time!, So, is this Saranac Lake? , The lake in front of you is Lake Flower, an impounded section of the Saranac River which flows northeast into Lake Champlain. Early settler Captain Pliny Miller damned the river for a sawmill pond in 1827. The lake is now named for Governor Roswell P. Flowers, who granted state funds to clear it of stumps. Over the next century the shoreline was heavily developed with eateries, gas stations, hotels and the local swimming beach. The transition to an improved highway bordered by a park came in time for the 1980 Winter Olympics. The Department of Environmental Conservation oversees the boat launch., On the Level , The lock system operated by DEC provides seasonal boat access to Lower and Middle Saranac Lakes., Wanted-The Invaders , Aquatic invasive species overwhelm native plants and animals, disrupting the park's natural ecology. Plants like Eurasian milfoil multiply rapidly, choking waterways while depriving them of sunlight and oxygen. Those striking stands of purple loosetrife flanking waterways are a danger in disguise; they smother surrounding vegetation, destroying plant diversity. These changes also affect the commercial, agricultural, aquacultural and recreational activities dependent upon waterways.