Congratulations to the
Mount Arab Preserve Association

The Mount Arab Preserve Assocation was awarded a North American Lake Management Society Technical Excellence Award in 2002 in recognition of their volunteer service in lake restoration, protection and management.
MAPA recognized the receipt of their award at their July 5 2003 annual membership meeting. Posing here with the NALMS Award placque are (from left): Jim Isaac, Keith Waltz, Ingeborg Sapp, Martha Stauffer, and Charles "Cappy" Stultz, III.See below for the complete story.

The Little Lake Association That Could

Ten years ago, the Mount Arab Preserve Association (MAPA) recognized that the excellent water quality they enjoyed in their two Adirondack lakes was a valuable asset that required vigilant stewardship to preserve. Even though they were experiencing no water quality problems, and in fact enjoyed oligotrophic water quality, MAPA instituted an annual monitoring program to identify current conditions and track water quality trends. The two lakes were sampled as often as three times per month during the summer season, through a combination of the state volunteer monitoring program and contracts with Michael Martin of Cedar Eden Environmental, LLC. This provided enough data for statistical trend analyses.

In 1993, total phosphorus concentrations averaged 6 to 8 µg/L and transparency averaged 6 to 8 meters. About five years into the program, a eutrophying trend was detected in one of the lakes, with increasing phosphorus and chlorophyll and declining transparency. Total phosphorus exhibited a steady increase from 8 µg/L up to 13 µg/L and transparency had declined from 6 meters to 4 meters. Since old septic systems were the primary cultural source of nutrients in the watershed, MAPA instituted an educational and peer-pressure effort to upgrade existing systems using alternative technologies. To date, at least 50 percent of the homes have converted to composting and incinerating toilets, using the old drainfields for grey-water only. The water quality has stabilized and ongoing lake monitoring is beginning to detect an improving trend.

Instrumental in the success of this lake management effort were Jack Clough and Joe Fazio, who spearheaded the establishment of the long-term lake monitoring and lake management effort. Keith Waltz took over from Joe Fazio as environmental chair at the time water quality decline was first detected. Already a proponent for alternative systems, Keith took on the often unpopular task of applying considerable peer pressure. The MAPA governing board has been very supportive throughout this process, even through several changes of administration. There have been six presidents during this period, without whose support this story would not have been a success: Jack Clough, Gordon Merrill, Robert Acker, Bruce Merrill, Charles Stultz, and Jim Isaac. Without the commitment of time and funds to annual monitoring, it is unlikely that the decline in water quality would have been detected so early, when simple actions were sufficient to affect a positive change. And without the dedication of a few individuals and the cooperation of many, the cultural eutrophication of these waters would have continued unabated.

MAPA members are not content only with protecting the lakes from nutrient enrichment. With some training and guidance, lake association members Martha Stauffer, Janet Paepke and Anne Gordon began an annual aquatic plant mapping program in 2001 to ensure that invasive species of aquatic plants do not invade these waters.

All of these efforts have been funded solely by the Lake Association and individual homeowners. The entire Mount Arab Preserve Association deserves recognition for their forethought and stewardship, protecting and preserving these two Adirondack lakes for generations to come.