Greenwood Lake Gears up for Summer of 2024

By Peter Lyons Hall

There are many signs of spring to be found, despite the sudden burst of snow and cold temperatures that surrounded the community on Sunday evening, and in Greenwood Lake it shows up in the preparations and activity around Orange County’s largest freshwater lake.

The Village, which is celebrating its Centennial all year long, has begun to sell beach passes for families, hotels, motels, and B and B inns for guests at pre-season prices. Families, for example, can save $100 by purchasing passes now through May 31, 2024, and there are similar savings for other categories. This season, due to an early recruitment effort by the Village, has resulted in a full complement of lifeguards to allow a full schedule of beach accessibility throughout the season.

Beach passes are limited to these groups:

• Residents and/or property owners in the Town of Warwick, which includes the Villages of Greenwood Lake, Florida, and Warwick, together with the eight hamlets: Amity, Bellvale, Edenville, Greenwood Forest Farms, Little York, New Milford, Pine Island, and Sterling Forest.
  • NY Driver’s license or a utility bill associated with property in the Town of Warwick required. Village guests who can show they are staying at a local hotel, legal air bnb or rental may purchase a guest pass for the day.
  • Any employee working within the Greenwood lake school district. Whether they live here or not, may purchase a day or season pass.

Meanwhile, if you look carefully during the evening of the first spring rains spotted salamanders emerge to mate in vernal pools, making them the most vulnerable during their lives. Spotted salamanders are usually unseen, burrowing beneath rotted logs and leaf litter. They are large as far as salamanders go, yet have a certain beauty, almost black with yellow spots.

Spotted, blue-spotted and Jefferson salamanders and wood frogs emerge from hibernation on rainy nights in early spring, usually March or April, when the ground is thawed and air temperatures reach 40ºF. (Marbled salamanders breed in the fall.) When conditions are right, there are often hundreds, if not thousands, of amphibians on the move; amongst nature enthusiasts, these spring migration events are often referred to as “Big Nights,” reveals Marty Kupersmith, the Director of WARMnetwork.org, the Warwick Amphibian Rescue Mission. Those who know Marty, also know that he is the former songwriter and guitarist with the popular band in the 60s and 70s, Jay and the Americans, who has often been summoned to capture snakes in Greenwood Lake that may wind up in places where they don’t belong.

Salamanders are an indicator species. If you find one by a stream leading to the lake, you can be sure that the body of water is clean and pure. Amphibians also play a pivotal role in the ecosystem as secondary consumers in many food chains, according to the Indian Institute of Science. “Tadpoles, for example, have significant impact in nutritional cycling. They are herbivorous to omnivorous and are the prey items for both invertebrates and vertebrates. Adult amphibians are the best biological pest controllers, too.”