August 17, 2026
Jeremy Farrell, Sr. Lecturer of Biological Science at RPI
Over the last several decades, public observations and concerns have grown over a perceived increase in benthic algae along the nearshore. In response, and with LGPC support, we developed the ALGAE (Assessing Lake George Algal Ecology) project to ask a simple question: what controls where different algal communities grow? Over the past year we visited 100 sites around the lake across three seasons, measuring the algae, water chemistry, lake bottom, and the wind and weather each site experiences. From this we identified five distinct algal communities and the conditions that favor each one. The result is a data-driven framework that helps Lake George managers anticipate where nearshore algae are most likely to shift, and a transferable template that other lakes facing similar concerns can adapt to use on their own shorelines.