December 20, 2019 2019 Year-In-Review

Posted at 12:41h in Land Conservation, news, People, Public Events, Recreation, Stewardship by
Happy holidays and peaceful New Year, from the LGLC Staff

It’s impossible to near the end of 2019 without feeling proud of everything the LGLC has accomplished and the amazing people who made it all happen.

All of us at the LGLC extend our most sincere gratitude to you — our Board, volunteers, committee members, partners, hikers, event participants, and donors. Thank you so much for being a part of our work and making a lasting, positive impact.

Here is a brief rundown of some the successes that you made happen in 2019 and a bit of what to look forward to in 2020.

Enjoy the holidays and have a Happy New Year!

Conservation Projects

  • Twin Pines Uplands (212 acres – Dresden): The LGLC purchased this Bolton upland property on December 20, 2019, adding environmentally important lands to the Bolton Hub conservation area.  We will hold the property until early 2020, when we anticipate selling it to the Town of Bolton with a conservation easement. The uplands include about 20 acres of wetlands and 3,000 feet of stream corridor, and are adjacent to the NYS Cat and Thomas Mts Preserve. We will work with the Town to develop a trail system that will link to the NYS lands and add to the Bolton Hub’s recreational opportunities.
  • Foster Brook Headwaters (25 acres – Dresden) and Huletts Landing Uplands (112 acres – Dresden):  The two properties consist of a 112-acre forested parcel off of County Road 6, and the other a 25-acre upland parcel adjacent to Elephant Mountain. Combined, the properties include more than 7,800 feet of stream corridors that lead to Lake George. The 112-acre parcel also contains 2 acres of wetlands and beaver ponds, which are the headwaters of one of these now protected tributaries. (Click here for the full press release)
  • Warner Bay Wetlands (13 acres – Queensbury):  On January 15, 2019, the LGLC closed on the conservation of 13 acres along the edge of the Warner Bay wetlands in the Town of Queensbury. The strip of land adjoins the larger 1,400-acre Dunham Bay Marsh owned and protected by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation since 1980.  (Click here for the full press release)

Stewardship Overview 

  • Monitored all 16 of our conservation easements (1,194 acres)
  • Monitored 11,300 acres under LGLC ownership and approximately 3,500 acres of DEC land that the LGLC has agreed to steward
  • Completed the second and FINAL phase of the Pilot Knob Preserve Restoration Project This entire project has been funded through generous grants from the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust, the Adirondack SmartGrowth Grant and the Recreational Trails Partnership Grant. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held October 28 to celebrate the project’s completion. (See Facebook Post)
  • Working with the Towns of Queensbury and Lake George to complete new trails for hiking and mountain biking on French Mountain. We are also working with the Town of Bolton on trail improvements on the Pinnacle, and looking at adding new trails to the Bolton Hub.
  • Held workshops on HWA, mapped the watershed for hemlocks, conducted hemlocks surveys, worked with the Hemlock Initiative and DEC to create strategies for monitoring the watershed.
  • Treated and/or removed phragmites, shrubby honeysuckle, bittersweet, and other invasive plants on LGLC preserves and easement properties. We also worked with partners to exchange information on new treatment and monitoring methods and held numerous workshops to educate the public on how to identify and manage these pests.

Community Outreach

  • Our events and programs reached over 2,200 people, including over 530 hikers who participated in the Hike-A-Thon, and 52 runners in our 3rd annual Amy’s Adventure Race for the Lake. Programs included a wilderness survival workshop, paint and sip, guided hikes, and volunteer work days.
  • Our annual Living Lands Series offered free presentations on a wide-variety of topics, including our hemlock forests, what’s behind Adirondack place names, loons, underwater life, and Lake George railroad history, educated nearly 240 people this past summer. The series also included a companion presentation about the Bolton Historical Museum’s exhibit, “Landscapes Lost and Found.”
  • More than 240 people attended the 2019 Land & Water Conservation Celebration which raised over $240,000, including $143,000 raised specifically for three projects: terrestrial invasives management, the protection of property within the Bolton Hub focus area, and the protection of land within the Huletts Landing Conservation Area.
  • 250 people attended our Annual Meeting and Block Party held at Up-Yonda Farm (a partner) in Bolton Landing, which had local food trucks, live music, face painting and more for family and friends. We celebrated three volunteers-of-the-year: Mary Lou Doulin, Todd Earl, and Steven Schonwetter.
  • LGLC honored five major partners and supporters during its 7th annual President’s Reception, held Friday, July 26 at the Bolton Historical Museum: Judy Larter, who received the LGLC’s Henry M. Rowan Conservation Award, and four new members of the LGLC’s prestigious Apperson Society: the Makowski Trust, Bernice McPhillips and the McPhillips family, Lisa and Bill Stromberg, and Lora and Craig Treiber.
  • Our Next Generation (NextGen) Committee continues to grow (now with 21 members) and meet monthly, discussing new ways to engage people around the lake and the younger members of our communities.

Looking ahead to 2020

  • Hulett’s Landing Initiative– This continues to be an active conservation area and the LGLC staff have been working with landowners and donors on the east side to continue conserving land in and around this special area, which is largely undeveloped.
  • Bolton Hub Plan– The Bolton Recreational Hub (the Hub) is an innovative, collaborative initiative between the LGLC and the Town of Bolton that will build on the efforts of both to provide a high quality eco-tourism experience to locals and tourists. With the Twin Pines uplands protection, we continue to expand our efforts within this focus area for conservation and recreational benefits.
  • Continued HWA Monitoring – We want you to know that the LGLC is not resting on the HWA front. Winter is the best time of year to monitor for HWA, and our staff has already started our wintertime monitoring. We will be continuing outreach events to teach more people about HWA, and will be able to treat any infested treat hemlocks in timely manner to defend our watershed.

Save the Dates for Upcoming Events

Check our events page for information and registration forms, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with us on upcoming events for 2020!

Thursday, January 16: Cabin Fever Open House, 3 – 5 pm @ LGLC, 4905 Lake Shore Dr, Bolton Landing

Saturday, February 1: Cross-Country Ski, 9:30 am – 3 pm @ Cat and Thomas Mts Preserve, Bolton

Saturday, February 15: Walk on Water to Dome Island, 10 am & 2 pm @ LGLC, 4905 Lake Shore Dr, Bolton Landing (Registration will open Monday, January 6)

Saturday & Sunday, March 21 & 22: Adk Sports Expo, Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4 @ Saratoga Springs City Center

Wednesday, April 22: Paint & Sip for Earth Day, 5:30 – 7 pm @ LGLC, 4905 Lake Shore Dr, Bolton Landing

Sunday, July 5: 8th Annual Lake George Hike-A-Thon  Registration opens March 2

Wednesday, July 8: Living Lands Series – Conservation through the lives of Adirondack loons, 5:30 pm @ LGLC, 4905 Lake Shore Dr, Bolton Landing

Wednesday, July 15: Living Lands Series – A Hemlock Forest Story, 5:30 pm @ LGLC, 4905 Lake Shore Dr, Bolton Landing

Wednesday, July 22: Living Lands Series – Lake George’s Sunken Colonial Bateaux: Transport Boats, Warships, and Today, Historical Treasures, 5:30 pm @ LGLC, 4905 Lake Shore Dr, Bolton Landing

Friday, July 31: LGLC Land & Water Conservation Celebration, 5:30 – 10 pm @ Inn at Erlowest

Wednesday, August 5: Living Lands Series – What we know (and don’t know) about Lyme and tick-borne diseases, 5:30 pm @ LGLC, 4905 Lake Shore Dr, Bolton Landing

Saturday, August 15: LGLC Annual Meeting and Block Party, 11 am – 2 pm; Up Yonda Farm, 5239 Lake Shore Dr, Bolton Landing

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