(Provided photo — Guy Middleton, Upper Saranac Lake Foundation)

PAUL SMITHS — A public participation meeting on a Upper Saranac Lake watershed management planning effort is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 18 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

This is to be the first of three public sessions hosted by the Upper Saranac Foundation and the Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute. The groups will present the results of the 2020 Upper Saranac Lake public survey and provide opportunities for the community to contribute ideas toward the future management of the watershed.

The Upper Saranac Lake Management Plan builds on decades of monitoring and management activities on the lake and throughout the watershed. The resulting document will define community priorities related to watershed resources and establish the framework for future state funding grant proposals.

Upper Saranac Foundation was awarded a $68,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Conservation to develop the plan, and contracted with AWI to assist.

“The watershed management plan is a guiding document to help resource managers, community organizations and landowners to protect the quality of the waterways,” said Dan Kelting, executive director of AWI. “It explores issues such as aquatic invasive species, road salt, recreation, septic systems, shoreline development, stormwater runoff and more.”

“We welcome anyone interested in the future of the Upper Saranac Lake watershed — which includes Lake Clear, Hoel Pond, St. Regis Canoe Area, Deer Pond, Fish Creek Ponds and Upper Saranac Lake — to participate in the public meetings,” said Guy Middleton, lake manager for the Upper Saranac Foundation. “We want the plan to reflect the concerns of the people who live or visit the lakes, ponds, rivers and streams in this watershed.”

The public meeting will take place online using Zoom. Anyone interested in joining should register in advance at www.adkwatershed.org/upper-saranac-meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing a link to join the meeting.