Artist Lake Restoration Group

02/09/2023

Join us Saturday, March 4th, lakeside at noon.

12/28/2021

Invasive Species Plant Removed from Artist Lake in Middle Island

From the DEC newsletter:

On December 17th, R1 Fisheries, Town of Brookhaven staff, and members of LIISMA (Long Island Invasive Species Management Area) gathered around the newly identified patch of the invasive plant Ludwigia plepoides at Artist Lake in Middle Island. The 30-acre lake is a popular warmwater fishing location with a small boat launch area maintained and owned by the Town of Brookhaven.

During a fisheries survey on October 15th, DEC staff identified the invasive plant and immediately notified the Town encouraging the submission of a permit application for hand removal. This highly aggressive plant has been present in the Peconic River System for over a decade with very little success in removal and management. This new infestation is particularly worrisome due to the lake’s proximity to the Carmans River and warranted quick action from the Town.

Thanks to DEC's Division of Permits and Natural Resources staff’s collaboration, the Town was issued a permit in less than two months of the plant’s identification and within days followed by the removal of 150 pounds of the dying plant and hundreds of seed heads.

We believe the plant was spread from a boat or kayak recently used in the Peconic River only a few miles away. Signage was installed at the launch site reminding boaters of the risks associated with not properly inspecting and cleaning their watercraft when moving from one water body to another.

Proposed Action: Town of Brookhaven was issued five-year permit for additional removal events. Early detection and removal actions hopefully prevented further spread of this invasive species.

Artist Lake with and without invasive species

09/12/2021

TODAY ! Come on over and Get Happy with 45RPM at MIFD!

07/03/2021

HAB notification at Artist Lake

06/23/2021

Harmful Algae Bloom (HAB) at Artist Lake!

Information about blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) blooms on freshwater lakes and ponds.

04/21/2020

Full rainbow over the lake.

03/20/2020

TOB Parks remain open, but stay off playground equipment, please!

12/02/2019

All welcome!

Please join us on Saturday, December 7, 2019 at Bartlett Pond Park for our seventh annual Pearl Harbor Day Patriotic Holiday Tree Lighting. Start time is 12:30pm. Raindate is Sunday, Dec 8th.

We will recount the Day of Infamy and how the story of one man's survival inspired the Longwood Veterans Project. Holiday wreaths will be placed at each of our eight granite monuments by our MIFD volunteers. Our blue spruce will be decorated in a patriotic theme and we will turn on the red, white and blue lights. Carols, candy canes, cocoa, cookies and camaraderie will be shared, and we'll also give a round of thanks to all veterans in attendance, too.

This is a less formal, and usually much briefer, ceremony than Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Its midday timing will allow you to attend other holiday events in your area, too. All welcome!

12/02/2019

Middle Island resident Fran Battaglia posted this great update recently: "With the help of a few anonymous volunteers the Ennis house is lighting our lake this Christmas! Thank you all so much for taking time from your families to make the Ennis's Christmas the way they remembered. They were so surprised to see the outpour from our community that enjoyed their lights as much as they did. Merry Christmas and God bless all who came out to help." Thank YOU, Fran !

08/31/2019

Interesting info from a professional water management company. No HAB has been detected at Artist Lake this year.

By taking proactive steps to protect your lake or pond from harmful algal blooms, including aeration, nutrient remediation and regular water quality testing, you can help ensure the safety and enjoyment of your waterbody throughout the summer.

08/20/2019

Some great team work by Councilman Mike Loguercio, Assemblyman Joe DeStefano and their staffs resulted in this sight on Rt 25 yesterday and today: NYS DOT workers trimming overgrown branches and weedwhacking the heck out of all that stuff along the guardrail along Artist Lake. Many thanks to our elected officials for their continued support as we all work to improve and restore this amazing glacial "kettle hole" we call Artist Lake. The water level is way up and lots of folks are fishing regularly. We are looking forward to additional water analysis, an invasive species report and more later this year. As the sign erected by TOB there says, "Please Respect and Enjoy Artist Lake, MI, at the Heart of Brookhaven. Drive Carefully, Don't Litter, Smile!"

07/24/2019

Kayakers enjoying the lake!