I was supposed to lead the
Cranberry Lake Sea Kayaking trip this past year for Adirondack Adventure.
However, due to too many trips assigned to Cranberry Lake, my co-leader and I
were told only a few days before our trip that we would be going to Stillwater
Reservoir instead. We met with Andrew to discuss our itinerary, and after
listening to him gush about Stillwater’s beauty and tranquility for a while, he
mentioned as an afterthought that it was a manmade lake. This definitely struck
me; why would we lead an AA trip, all about appreciating and connecting with
nature, to a manmade lake? And why was this lake made in the first place? I
never got my answer to the first question,
other than it was still beautiful and we had a great time, but I decided to
look into answering my question about Stillwater Reservoir’s origin.
Stillwater
Reservoir is located in the western Adirondacks, and has become a pretty
popular recreational site during all four seasons (1). According to the Department
of Environmental Conservation, Stillwater Reservoir offers “remote wilderness
camping, canoeing, boating, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, and cross-country
skiing” (1). Stillwater is 10 miles long and a mile wide, making it the largest
man-made lake in New York State (2). The Five Ponds Wilderness Area and the
Independence River Wild Forest, both well-protected areas of the Park, surround
Stillwater Reservoir (1). The state recently added restrictions to Stillwater’s
recreational use, such as using only set campsites and camping a certain of
number of feet from the high-water mark, which lead me to believe that
Stillwater’s rise in popularity has resulted in some environmental consequences
(1).
The
high-water mark that I mentioned above refers to the change in water level that
comes from the removal of water from Stillwater; it is, after all, a manmade
reservoir. From what I can find, the reservoir’s origin can be traced back to the
creation of an unsuccessful dam on the Beaver River. The Beaver River extends
off of Stillwater Reservoir, and quickly becomes heavily protected private
land. In the late 1800’s, a dam was constructed on the river, but consistent
flooding from the dam plagued the Beaver River settlement (3). Due to the push
for flooding mitigation, and the growing need of freshwater reservoirs, the
Stillwater Reservoir was built in 1882 (3). The reservoir was initially too
small to do much good, and was enlarged in 1925 from inundating 2,800 acres to
inundating 6,700 acres, which included 3,092 acres of Forest Preserve Land (3).
However, the enlargement was largely considered successful, with the threat of
flooding greatly diminished and the added benefits of better sanitation and
more recreational space (3). One effect of the enlargement was the submersion of
the only road to the Beaver River Settlement; now, the land is accessible only
by boat, foot, or snowmobile, preserving a small settlement that has been
passed down for generations (3).
The
Adirondack Express called Stillwater famous for its remoteness, but that was
not my experience on our trip. I can vividly remember the anger I felt while,
on our fireside vigil on the last night, I could easily hear the radio from a
campsite across the lake. I was incredibly upset that the time to peacefully reflect
upon the trip was assaulted by pop music until three in the morning. Since
taking this class, and learning about the issues surrounding the park, I keep
coming back to this memory. At the time, I was righteously angry at our
neighbor’s “misuse” of the park, but now I’m not so sure how I feel. I remember
thinking that this wouldn’t be happening on a naturally-made lake, which is
silly and most likely false. While we were on a manmade feature, with the sound
of my participants giggling at the pop music clearly audible, we were still
enjoying a beautiful landscape in the company of others doing the exact same
thing. When it comes down to it, we were
both enjoying and taking advantage of the benefits of the Adirondacks, so
really who am I to judge?
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