MTC 2023 EVENT
2023 Maintain the Chain Event
An EcoArts Festival at View Arts Center in Old Forge, NY launched the weeklong 3rd annual MTC event. Sixty-one teams and approximately 200 participants registered for the event. Thank you to all of the representatives from the many organizations for sharing their expertise with our festival attendees including, the Fulton Chain of Lakes Association, Adirondack Council, Adirondack Watershed Institute, Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation, Hamilton County NY Soil and Water Conservation District, Raquette Lake Preservation Foundation, Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, ADK Action and more!
See photos from the EcoArts Festival and of the self-directed projects completed by our participants below!
First Annual MTC EcoArts Festival at View Arts Center
Attendees of the 2023 MTC EcoArts Festival enjoyed numerous hands-on science and art activities at the festival!
2023 MTC Participant Self-Directed Projects
The Adams Family, winners of the "Best Project" award, collected nearly 20 bags of trash on Hackensack Mountain near Warrensburg, NY, for their self-directed MTC project. They even brought home two tires to upcycle!
Owen and Peter Hotaling (left), Carin Gonsalves, Maurits, Nolan and Isabella Boon spend a couple of days cleaning-up the bottom of Fourth lake.
The Adirondack Council collected trash along Route 28 from the Seventh Lake boat launch to Raquette Lake.
Charlie and Nate Boon collected trash from the bottom of Fourth Lake using stand-up paddle boards as their home base.
Josie removed terrestrial invasive plants from around her camp on Fourth lake. Gift of Appreciation winner!
Isabella Boon evaluated water clarity from First to Fourth lakes using a Secchi disk.
Josie and Ellie took water clarity measurements on Fourth lake with a Secchi disc for their MTC project. Gift of Appreciation winners!
The Kenmore Cottages collected an enormous amount of trash including a couple of tires from the bottom of Fourth Lake!
Catherine, George, Nicole, Maggie and Will (taking the photo) picked up trash along North Star Road.
Gideon planted and watered flowers in his pollinator garden. He also helped take care of his family's compost bin. We particularly love his awesome drawing of a Common Loon!
Rex and Bambi Niles built a rain garden using a combination of native bushes and flowering plants to absorb run-off streaming from their driveway.
Winners of a Gift of Appreciation for exceptional effort! Brian and Andrew McKittrick snorkeled and collected trash from both Fourth and Seventh Lakes.
Sherrill Barlow and her team removed trash from Fourth Lake near their home.
Jocelyn and Brad Pearson removed trash from DeCamp Island which they do all summer long. They also dismantled illegal fire pits on the island.
Bambi Niles and her Inlet team picked up trash from the lake near their home.
Judy and Bill from Old Forge removed trash from alongside Route 28 in Old Forge, NY.
The Apgar family did not make it to the ADK for the event but participated anyway. Their family did a lake clean-up at Cazenovia Lake!
Karen picked up trash from alongside Route 28. She collected two large bags in just 1-mile! Remember to Leave No Trace!
Susan, Mary and their dog, Habi collected garbage around Eighth lake and Brown Tract Pond. They found a couple of tires (one at the bottom of the lake - image with paddle). They also found a chair on the shore of Eighth lake, a bit of a peculiar find.
Darlene, Rick, Rayna and their dog, Pascha helped clean-up Seventh Lake. They collected 22.3 pounds of trash!
Ray, Janet, and their dog Luke as well as Joann and Jay cleaned Sandy Beach on Sixth Lake.
