SOMERS, N.Y. - April is Earth Month, a global celebration focused on environmental awareness and action.
In light of that, residents of Lake Lincolndale, a private community in Somers, are once again reaching out for help protecting what they feel is a “vibrant” ecosystem.
Several years ago, the Lake Lincolndale Property Owners Association (LLPOA) began efforts to secure grant funding for a mandated state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) engineering assessment of – and possible upgrades to -- the earthen dam that holds back its 21-acre lake.
The circa-1930 steel-reinforced structure is 22 feet high and 580 feet long. The lake itself, which is used for nonmotorized boating, swimming, and fishing, drains into Plum Brook.
Lake Lincolndale started out as a summer community and later transformed into a year-round residential area.
To raise cash for the dam assessment, the LLPOA hosted many social activities and events.
However, that wasn’t enough to cover the project’s anticipated $100,000 cost.
Homeowners have since formed a 501(c)(3) public charity -- Lake Lincolndale Land Preservation Association Inc. (LLLPA). All donations are tax-deductible.
Last year, it went after a noncompetitive grant that would have been administered by Fordham University’s “Flourishing in Community” initiative as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program.
According to Lake Lincolndale resident and LLPOA chair Thomasine Mastrantoni, that particular funding has since dried up.
“Without outside support, a small neighborhood community is now racing to raise the funds needed to protect a lake that serves as an important ecosystem for wildlife and a natural resource for hundreds of local families,” she told Halston Media.
The dollars that had been allocated to support dam inspections and engineering assessments “ultimately ceased following changes at the federal level, which included reductions in DEC staffing and funding,” Mastrantoni explained, adding: “Our lake and dam are critical assets to the community and the surrounding environment.”
The LLLPA has been working on the problem with local leaders such as Somers Town Supervisor Robert Scorrano and state Sen. Pete Harckham (D-South Salem), both of whom “have been supportive and helpful” as it navigates DEC compliance requirements.
Because Halston Media had already reported on the situation, Mastrantoni thought that a follow-up article linked to upcoming Earth Day observances could be “especially meaningful, as Lake Lincolndale is a thriving ecosystem that supports native flora, fauna, and wildlife, and plays an important role in our broader community environment.”
DEC EXPLAINS
Asked to sum up the situation, the state DEC issued the following statement last week:
“The Lake Lincolndale Dam (DEC Dam Id: 231-1030) is classified as a Class C – High Hazard dam. The hazard classification of a dam identifies the severity of potential consequences in the area if a dam were to fail but does not reflect the condition of the dam.
Under New York’s dam safety regulations, the owner of a High Hazard dam must retain a professional engineer to perform an engineering assessment of their dam every 10 years and submit a report concerning it to DEC.
An engineering assessment for Lake Lincolndale is years overdue.
DEC assigned a “condition rating” to the dam of “Unsound-More Analysis Needed” based in part on the absence of an engineering assessment.
Dam owners must at all times operate and maintain their dams in a safe condition and comply with state dam safety regulations. This includes inspecting their dams on a routine basis.
The Lake Lincolndale dam has an inspection and maintenance plan that includes a schedule for inspections by its association members and by a retained engineer.
DEC generally conducts visual inspections of “High Hazard” dams every two years. The Lake Lincolndale dam was last inspected on Jan. 2, 2025.”
LAKE WATCHDOG
LLPOA board director Mike O’Keefe is also a longtime volunteer for the Citizens Statewide Lake Assessment Program (CSLAP) who helps monitor and maintain the lake's ecosystem.
As chair of the lake management committee, he's been involved in efforts to secure grants for dam repairs and for monitoring water quality.
Pointing to the community’s origins as a summer colony, O’Keefe said that, over time, as the bungalows morphed into year-round residences, association membership “dropped off.”
At the same time, the lake and surrounding environment has become an “important ecosystem, from plankton in the waters to fish and amphibians to a large variety of aquatic and migratory birds,” he said.
The lake itself has also become “a little limnological laboratory whose collected data the state DEC uses to better understand freshwater systems.”
O’Keefe acknowledged that homeowners there “also enjoy enhanced property values thanks to the lake’s viability and continued recreation value.”
More recently, the LLPOA created a charitable entity to help it both fund things to protect the lake’s health and the “compliance requirements of maintaining a dam.”
“Prevention of harmful algal blooms and remaining in compliance with state DEC dam safety regulations are very expensive, and sadly more costly than the voluntary association dues can cover,” O’Keefe said.
On the bright side, thanks to its new 501(c)(3) status, the LLLPA can now seek grants that “aren’t available to private lakes.”
The organization also hopes to raise money to fund scientific studies of aquatic ecology by partnering with public schools and institutions of higher learning, he said.
TRUE NATURE LOVER
One of the manmade lake’s newest champions is LLPOA board president Jose Hernandez.
Bristling at the DEC’s suggestion that it’s somehow a “luxury,” he told Halston Media that the lake is “very vital to the ecosystem.”
Hernandez and his family moved to Lake Lincolndale from the Bronx about six years ago and fell completely in love with its natural beauty.
One of his favorite things to do is to take his two children – ages seven and 11 – on little wildlife walks where they’ve spotted fox, hawks, bobcats, and deer, or fishing for largemouth bass, black crappie, and bluegill.
“The most amazing animal I’ve seen was a bald eagle,” that had expertly snatched a fish out of the lake for its dinner, Hernandez recalled in wonderment.
He reminded folks that the lake and its sandy beach and clubhouse aren’t just for Lake Lincolndale property owners. It’s open to the Somers public through a seasonal membership fee system.
Lifeguards are present from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
(Somers has no public pool.)
Hernandez has set up a GoFundMe account -- Keep Lake Lincolndale Ecosystem Alive Fundraiser! – with the goal of raising $100,000. As of April 3, it had taken in $6,061.
“This is our opportunity to come together and care for the lake that gives us so much. Your donation directly supports environmental conservation, water quality, and the long-term safety of our lake. Every contribution -- no matter the size -- brings us closer to preserving this picturesque slice of heaven for our families, neighbors, and future generations,” the online appeal reads.
TO DONATE
To donate, visit: www.gofundme.com/f/keep-lake-lincolndale-ecosystem-alive-fundraiser
For more information, email Hernandez at jjhm_5@me.com.
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