It’s not only Milfoil that our divers find on the bottom of the lake. Recently they found a handgun located in the muddy sediment of Fish Creek Pond Campgrounds. While finding items like fishing poles, bottles and anchors are a fairly common occurrence, this is the first time a handgun has been found. Thoughts of uncovering a key piece of evidence in an unsolved mystery quickly came to mind. Actually, the story is much more mundane.
The gun, found in approximately eight feet of water, was first turned over to the Forest Rangers and then passed along to State Police investigators. The investigation revealed that the registered and legally possessed firearm was lost from an overturned canoe in 2007. The owner immediately reported the incident. State police and the owner conducted their own underwater searches at that time, but to no avail. It was presumed that the gun was lost for good. After being notified of the recent find, the owner was relieved to know the handgun was safely retrieved.
Upper Saranac Lake has revealed numerous interesting finds by our divers; Go-pros, boats, engine parts and even wallets have been found over the years while diving for aquatic invasive species (AIS). One of the more interesting items found was a prosthetic leg. Imagine coming across that in the Lake?
The Upper Saranac Foundation contracts out AIS hand harvesting from Invasive Solutions Dive Company, LLC. This year divers spent fifteen weeks on Upper Saranac Lake and seven at the Fish Creek Campground. For weekly reports where and how much milfoil has been harvested, visit the USF’s web page at https://usfoundation.net/programs/milfoil-control/