The LGLC has chosen six remarkable women whose conservation legacies can still be seen and enjoyed today. As pioneers in conservation philanthropy, activism, and leadership, these women led the way for many others who wished to make a difference for Lake George and future generations.
Click on their picture to read their story!
Do you know someone who deserves to be recognized for her contributions to the conservation of Lake George? Maybe she instilled a love of the lake and its natural beauty to those around her. Or actively campaigned – personally or professionally – to protect land, a stream, wetland or other element of the landscape.
Celebrate the women in your life whose actions have made a difference to Lake George and this special place. Submit her story here! The LGLC will collect these stories and share them publicly this fall. See the form for more details.
This campaign was inspired by the LGLC’s partnership with the Wiawaka Center for Women to permanently protect 47 acres of its forested uplands through the purchase of a conservation easement. The easement will allow Wiawaka to retain ownership, and the LGLC will ensure the land’s permanent protection and assist with its stewardship.
Located in the Town of Lake George, Wiawaka is a non-profit organization and the longest continually operating women’s retreat center in the country. The center was founded in 1903 by Mary Wiltsie Fuller as a destination for women working in the factories of Troy, NY, to escape the city and enjoy an affordable vacation.
In addition to its historic buildings on the Center’s waterfront, the organization owns 47 forested acres at the foot of French Mountain that contain over 1,500 feet of stream corridor and five acres of wetlands. Once protected by the LGLC, these lands will be forever protected, and continue to slowly filter and clean rainwater and runoff from upland storm events, before the water reaches the lake. This project will also provide public educational and recreational opportunities, and will protect precious habitat and scenic views.
Town zoning would allow for residential and commercial development on the site, which would be visible from the lake and surrounding lands. In its natural and undeveloped state, the land will continue to slowly filter and clean rainwater and runoff from upland storm events, before the water reaches the lake. In addition to protecting the water quality of the lake, this project will also provide public educational and recreational opportunities, and will protect precious habitat and scenic views.
The total project cost of this Wiawaka Uplands campaign is $850,000. We have received or been awarded grants and individual donations, leaving us with a goal of raising $335,000 in order to complete this project.
Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated, and may be made in the form of pledges, cash, or through gifts of stock, IRA, or Donor Advised Funds. Questions and comments may be directed to Helen Barton Benedict, LGLC’s development manager, at 518-644-9673 or hbartonbenedict@lglc.org.
The LGLC’s South Basin Initiative focuses on protecting land in the southern-most area of Lake George that encompasses the “headwaters” of Lake George. Protecting land in the south basin has tremendous benefits for the water quality of Lake George.
Lake George flows south to north. Water entering the Lake from the south end, the Lake’s headwaters, travel the greatest distance – some for the entire 32 miles – before emptying into the La Chute River in Ticonderoga, and then to Lake Champlain.
Because these headwaters persist in Lake George for so long, they can have the greatest impact on the water quality of the entire Lake. The protection of these waters, and the land that surrounds them, is therefore a very important conservation priority for the health of the Lake George watershed.
Now, more than ever, there is urgency to this work at the southern end of Lake George. Development pressure within the south basin is tremendously high because of its convenience: properties in the south are closer to transportation, the amenities that come with the urban area of Lake George Village, and zoning that is more favorable to development.
