It might seem strange to be thinking about paddling, fishing and camping in the middle of winter.
But when the clock struck midnight Jan. 1, it meant the end of an era on a popular body of water in the north-central Adirondacks.
That is when public floatplane access to Lows Lake became no longer allowed.
Lows Lake, commonly referred to as the Bog River Flow, has some 30 miles of shoreline and 28,000 acres of water. A portion of the lands around it were acquired by the state in the mid-1980s. A historic chunk it is, named after the inventor and entrepreneur A.A. Low who opened shop here in the early 20th century, building two dams and a number of buildings while capitalizing on the railroad that passed nearby. One hundred years later, the confusion surrounding Low's holdings lingers.
After the state's purchase, Lows Lake immediately became a hit with canoe-trippers, wilderness campers, anglers and those who wanted access via floatplane. But the state did not purchase, and does not own, the entire lake. There are a handful of private landowners still there, including a Boy Scout camp.
In 2002, the Bog River Complex Unit Management plan stipulated that commercial and public floatplane use on Lows Lake would be phased out by 2008. Eventually, the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Adirondack Park Agency had second thoughts and sought a 10-year extension on the ban.
Then, for the first time, a 2011 lawsuit called for the APA to classify not only the land under the lake, which is an impoundment, but the water itself, as wilderness. As per the State Land Master Plan, a wilderness classification prohibits motors. It's also one that usually applies to remote areas with little sign of human interference. While Lows Lake is remote, those opposed to the wilderness classification(s) are quick to point out that dams, busy roads and Scout camps don't fit that classification. They're more in tune with that of a wild forest classification.
Supporters of a wilderness classification claim it was purchased by the state to be part of a canoe route, present and future, that extends west to the Oswegatchie River and hopefully someday beyond. Motorized activity by both boat and floatplane should be prohibited. Paddlers and campers also balked at the noise made by the planes as well as the fact that motorized users got the pick of the litter when it came to campsites.
"I think that was really a cheap excuse to get rid of motors when they say, 'Well we've paddled all the way up here,'" said Joe Hackett, a fishing guide from Ray Brook. "What if you paddled all the way up there and there's somebody there that paddled in before you?"
So what now?
The DEC and the APA signed on the dotted line to ban floatplanes, and environmentalists have pushed to make sure that decision was eventually upheld. The ban is in place. What does this mean to those visiting Lows Lake in the future?
I consider myself an above-average paddler and last summer I embarked on a trip to Lows Lake. I own a lightweight kayak and for my trip I brought along only what I needed for the day, along with some bass fishing gear. It took me less than three hours to paddle 7.5 miles from Lows lower dam, up through Hitchens Pond, where you carry 100 yards over to the upper dam, and then paddle up through the Bog River to the mouth of Lows Lake. That's where I basically turned around and fished my way back. It was a great day!
But I can't help but think about the average paddler with a canoe full of camping gear. Or, those with disabilities who just can't go that far and might opt for the floatplane to drop them off. I plan to go back and spend more time in Lows Lake with the intention of seeing more of the lake itself.
As of Jan. 1, a lot less people will be able to physically do the same.
Dan Ladd is the author of "Deer Hunting in the Adirondacks," outdoors editor for the Glens Falls Chronicle, columnist for Outdoors Magazine and contributor to New York Outdoor News. Contact him at www.adkhunter.com.
