Deer ticks are the vector for Lyme Disease (as well as 15 other diseases, including erlichosis, babesiosis, and spotted fever) because ticks feed repeatedly during their life cycle and carry infection from one animal to another. No bigger than a poppy seed in their nymph stage, and the size of a pin head as adults, […]
Deer, usually an icon of nature’s pastoral beauty, can also be a pest when their population is in an expansion cycle. Residents are encouraged to landscape with plants that are generally unattractive to deer, such as mountain laurel, ferns, daffodils, and evergreens (but not arborvitae). Despite lists (such as this) of vegetation deer may spurn,
Erroneously considered to be larvae of gypsy moths, tent caterpillars emerge every several years in vast numbers and can severely defoliate trees. While healthy trees rarely die as a result of caterpillar action, the infestation is unsightly and damaging. Egg masses of tent caterpillars are easily seen in fall and winter, as black “bracelets” clasped
Canada geese are a protected species, yet without their natural predators to control the geese population they can become a pest. Their droppings may foul lawns and contribute unnecessary nutrients to the Lake. The Association annually receives a Federal EPA permit to have geese eggs addled, which has enabled control of their proliferation. Geese prefer
The normal yearly cleanup that most of us do in late summer or early fall affords a wonderful opportunity to increase the beauty and usability of our Lake. Every nutrient we keep out of the water will mean fewer weeds the following spring. Here are some suggested steps: Leaves and Cuttings: Rake your leaves and
Yard Maintenance, and Cleanup Read More »
The environment of our water, trees, and lake define the Lake Sagamore community. It is our responsibility to maintain and preserve our environment. Bug infestations in one area spreads to another. Septic systems leeching into the provides food for weeds and damages the water quality for everyone. Removal of mature trees around the lake removes
Today, New York City has the largest unfiltered surface water supply in the world — and Lake Sagamore is a part of the City’s reservoir system. The lake collects water from about 12 square miles in an area extending westward past the Taconic Parkway. Around 1830, the City of New York decided to satisfy its
The Reservoir System and the Development of Lake Sagamore Read More »
Lake Sagamore is in good health. Yet because of its small size and “softness,” it is relatively vulnerable. Two main factors protect our fragile lake: first, the care taken by residents to minimize human impact; and second, the fact that the lake watershed — an area of some 12 square miles extending beyond the Taconic
Our Lake – Ecological balance Read More »
Lake Sagamore, with maximum depths of around 18 feet, is a persistently stratified lake. Every summer, a layer of warm, well-aerated, sunlit water forms on top of the cooler and thus heavier water at depth. The two layers mix somewhat during storms, when wind and rain move things around, but the disturbance never reaches the
Our Lake – A quick look underwater – a two-layered lake Read More »
In the years since the farmers exited the area, forests have rapidly returned (although still not fully mature), bottom-lands have become reservoirs, and residential developments have replaced more accessible farms. It is said that the population of the Kent-Carmel area has only recently approached the numbers of 200 years ago. Yet, despite these changes Putnam