2023 Fall Issue

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Keeper of the Lake 6 Story by MICHAEL DAIGLE Photos by KAREN FUCITO The rush of wind promised rain. Sitting on the shore of Lake Shawnee, Jeff Keith did a rapid calculation. “Rain can be our friend,” he said. “But it can also cause problems.” Rainwater is acidic and does not add oxygen to the lake, he said. The amount of dissolved oxygen, or DO, in the water can affect the lake’s fish life, he said. Rain also washes in nutrients that feed the lake’s invasive weeds, promoting growth. Keith equates it to “adding fertilizer to your lawn.” But the heavy rain the area experienced this spring also washed certain invasive weeds over the spillway and out of Lake Shawnee, he said. That’s his experience talking: Forty-four years of living in the community and 38 years of being in charge of the lake’s ecology put Keith in a position to know when things are good on the 89-acre body of water and when it needs help. He rattled off the numbers: “The DO is 8 (milligrams per liter), the p/h (acidity) is 7 mg/l, and the clarity is 3 to 4 feet, and the temperature is 82 degrees.” By the numbers, Lake Shawnee is healthy. Years ago, the lake was in some trouble with “more weeds, less treatment,” said the now retired 76-year-old. But a long-term program of vigilance, educating homeowners and proper treatment has produced a lake that is one of the cleanest in New Jersey. In a recent “Ask Jeff” column, which appears in the lake club’s newsletter, he informed lake residents of the environmental wins and losses around the lake, noting the sightings of freshwater jellyfish and so-called brain algae that are indicators of clean, fresh water. His column informs residents about catch basins and septic systems and lawn maintenance and the wells that supply water to the community and the microorganisms that are the basis of the food chain and beavers and Canada geese…the run of endless topics related to the health of their home lake. LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2023</strong> As he speaks, his eyes dart from behind his tanned, bearded face to focus on the landscape and calm water. A home and dock, a cove or a rocky outcropping reignites the tale-telling that punctuates the air with an auctioneer’s pace, jumping from dead beavers, to a drowned snapping turtle— “got turned upside down in a tire and couldn’t breathe”—then to a verbal frown about how the tire got into the lake, followed by an inventory of the weeds that require treatment. But it’s not just knowing the facts. It’s knowing the trouble spots, the coves that are weed breeders, alerting residents about practices that could harm the lake, getting after invasive plants and the bothersome, aggressive Canada geese whose waste is a potent polluter. It’s watching and acting. Caring. “The lake needs the personal touch,” Keith said. “If the lake goes bad, the community will suffer.” Which is why Keith surveys the lake daily— most often from his standup paddle board— noting the areas that might be trouble and calling for treatment if necessary. It’s an endless, unpaid job that he is happy to do. During the summer, he said he puts in 10 to 15 hours a week, and in the winter, when the primary duty is writing the column, it’s 15 to 20 hours a month. Just days before, he said he had called for a $2,500 herbicide treatment from SOLitude Lake Management, the national environmental firm that is hired by the club to help maintain water quality in Lake Shawnee. He estimated the lake club could spend $19,000 this year for such treatments. The concern is this: A four-acre spot of weeds in a cove is a worry. Left untreated the patch could go shore to shore, he said. Then it’s a real problem. Lake Shawnee was formed in 1946 when Sparta developer Arthur D. Crane dammed Beaver Brook. Crane’s company created the Lake Shawnee Reservation and later the Lake Shawnee Club. The first summer homes were built in 1948, Left to right: Jeff Keith patrols the lake looking for weed problems. Keith at home writing a column for the Lake Shawnee newsletter. Keith rides an airboat with Jeremy Parkhurst from SOLitude Lake Management. and within 15 years the club had 562 members. Today, there are 80 lakefront homes and a total of 540 homes in the reservation, Keith said. He has lived in the lake community for 44 years with his wife, Adrienne. It is where they raised their three now adult children. The Lake Shawnee Club’s newsletters show a community focused on engaging all the families to enjoy the lake and care for their neighbors. The club sponsors toddler days, senior days and celebrates every major holiday and the end of summer. There’s a swim team and a scholarship for lake kids heading off to higher education. It even sponsors a costumed dog walk. Jefferson mayor Eric Wilsusen is a lifelong resident of Lake Shawnee. He is also president of the Lake Shawnee Club. “It was a wonderful place to grow up,” Wilsusen said. “As a police officer I got to know all the communities in Jefferson, and they are all special. But for me this lake is home.” Keith credited Wilsusen with bringing dynamic leadership to the lake club board. “He gets things done,” Keith said. That attitude is crucial to keeping the lake clean, Keith said. Wilsusen placed lake ecology at the top of the important board topics and supports all efforts to address key needs. Wilsusen, in turn, said the lake would not be in as good shape without Keith’s efforts, experience and knowledge. “He been doing this for 40 or 50 years. That’s unheard of,” Wilsusen said. Keith said he is seeing children who grew up on the lake returning to buy homes. “It says a lot about how they grew up here. I have three on my street. They are coming home,” he said. The lake has seen more rapid home turnover with rising real estate prices, Keith said. Up until the last couple years, there was an average of 12 to 14 homes for sale on the lake. Lately it averaged two, he said, reflecting quick sales. That rapid turnover means Keith must increase his vigilance, he said. Some of the new residents came from the
state’s urban areas, he said. They had public water and sewer systems and are often unfamiliar with septic systems and the rules in place to keep the lake clean. “It’s about education,” Keith said. But he is persistent because, he said, it takes the entire lake community to preserve the quality of Lake Shawnee. Originally, homeowner dues to support the lake were mandatory, but following a potential lawsuit in the 1960s, dues became voluntary. The number of residents actually supporting the club and the lake dropped to about 65 percent, he said. Following legal action about a dozen years ago, mandatory dues were reinstated, except for three homes that were grandfathered, until those homes are sold. “We’re all stewards of the lake,” he said. “We’re all responsible for helping to keep it clean.” Lake Shawnee environmental stewardship and Keith’s education background and experience are a perfect match. He grew up in Montville and graduated from Boonton High School—at the time Montville had no high school. After a two-year stint in the military, he earned a business degree and then a master’s degree in special education from then William Paterson College, later adding an environmental degree from then Montclair State College. He taught special education at Mountain Lakes Public Schools for 30 years, adding lessons in environmental science. Upon retirement, and with the encouragement of his former Mountain Lakes principal, he began offering environmental science workshops for special needs students in Newark, a program that expanded to other Jersey schools. Recently, he taught yet another workshop at Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area. The teaching—and learning—never end. Since 1991, Keith has visited a half dozen rainforests around the world with different environmental groups—he has a 6-foot blowgun he brought back from the Amazon. He also has a website where he answers questions from students and others about the need to preserve the rainforests. Each June, he gathers as many kids as possible from the lake community and teaches them about plankton and Secchi disks and aquatic vegetation and the importance of beavers on Lake Shawnee and the battle to addle Canada goose eggs to reduce the population. Because there is no end. Weeds still grow, rain falls and changes the lake chemistry, new goose families move in and someone has to be there to raise the alarm. As he sat at the lake clubhouse that September day, a few geese swam by, the squeals and laughter of kids filled the air and Keith told the truth about why it’s all so important: “If the lake goes south, we could lose it all.” Hearth and Home Fireplace And Chimney Specialists PELLET, WOOD & GAS STOVES SALES, SERVICE & INSTALLATION •Custom Mantels •Gas Logs •Glass Doors •Fireplace Refacing •Chimney Cleaning & Repair Accessories Gifts Charcoal Grills 1215 Route 46 West Ledgewood, NJ HOURS Monday-Friday 10-6 Saturday 9-4 Check our Facebook page for seasonal or summer hours @ Hearth & Home of New Jersey 973-252-0190 www.hearthandhome.net open every day 9 am - 6 pm 54 NJ-15, Wharton, NJ 07885 (908) 879-7189 invite us to your holiday gathering We carry a large variety of farm fresh produce, apple cider, home-baked pies, locally-raised turkeys, and much more! Pre-order by calling or visiting our website: www.AlstedeFarms.com lakehopatcongnews.com 7
Page 1 and 2: INFORMING, SERVING AND CELEBRATING
Page 3 and 4: Are All Grinder Pumps Created Equal
Page 5: RE/MAX Town and Valley II RE/MAX To
Page 9 and 10: Majestic Lakefront Estate Exclusive
Page 11 and 12: ‘Tonight Show,’” Kessel said.
Page 13 and 14: Need NEED more MORE Space? SPACE? N
Page 15 and 16: the ship and for the entire voyage.
Page 17 and 18: SERVING ALL NEW JERSEY! Family-owne
Page 19 and 20: “Twelve years later, here we are,
Page 21 and 22: 973-663-2490 • Connect with us! @
Page 23 and 24: his characters jumped off the pages
Page 25 and 26: BOOK YOUR NEXT PARTY WITH US RESERV
Page 27 and 28: Hopatcong Jewish Community Center.
Page 29 and 30: Jersey State Championship for best
Page 31 and 32: GET INSPIRED! Visit Metro’s new s
Page 33 and 34: A four-generation family run busine
Page 35 and 36: Lake Level Confusion? If you are pu
Page 37 and 38: Ribs & Sauerkraut This will stink u
Page 39 and 40: SEE THE LAKE FROM A DIFFERENT PERSP
Page 41 and 42: KatzsMarinaAtTheCove.com 22 Stonehe
Page 43 and 44: ORTHWEST EXPLOSIVES BLASTING CONTRA

2023 Fall Issue

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?