What should the future look like for Bear Gulch Lake?
That’s the question the Town of Summit is asking in a 20-question survey that’s being mailed out to 93 property owners in the Bear Gulch Lake watershed—some on the lake, others not—Friday.
The survey is as an effort by the Bear Gulch Lake Watershed Committee—11 Town of Summit residents appointed this spring—to look at everything from the lake’s history, to recreation, to the dam, to needed water quality improvements.
The group’s being advised by Shane Nickle from Schoharie County Planning and Pete Nichols from Soil & Water.
The survey is a way to ask the question: What do you want for the lake? Mr. Nickle said.
The answer may be to leave it alone.
Or, it could be something like creating a taxing district to fund upgrades and improvements; some property owners have already reached out to the state over dam safety other concerns.
“The Town Board’s been asking a lot of questions and they reached out to Pete and I for help,” Mr. Nickle said.
“They’re the ones steering this. It’s really just an attempt to find out how people feel about the lake.
“Are there any projects they see that need to be done? Are there any grants they want to apply for? Those are questions that have really never been asked.”
Deadline for returning the surveys is Monday, August 14.
They can be mailed back in the self-stamped and addressed envelope included with the survey or dropped off at the Summit Town Hall.
The 93 people in the Bear Gulch Lake Watershed—they’re the ones getting the surveys—were notified in June that they’d be coming.
They can be filled out anonymously—though there’s a place to include contact information; comments and questions can also be directed to Mr. Nickle at (518) 295-8770 or nickle.shane@co.schoharie.ny.us.
There’s also more information on the town’s website at www4.SchoharieCounty-NY.gov/government/Town-of-Summit; scroll down to the bottom for the Bear Gulch Lake Watershed Plan.
The Watershed Committee meets every fourth Monday at 1pm at the Summit Town Hall and all are welcome.
Members are: Marion Bird, Bob Coats, John Foote, David Jones, David Knight, Fern Kovac, John Meaney, Mark Nadeau, Wayne Stinson Jr., Harold Vroman, and Jesse Wilcox, with alternate Tom Lutsic.
Among the questions the survey asks is whether residents are fulltime or seasonal, is their property considered waterfront, and whether they have a septic system and how do they manage it.
It also asks respondents’ thoughts on how to fund specific projects to improve the lake, whether they think it’s under private or public ownership, and whether they’re members of the Bear Gulch Lake Association.