July 21, 2017 Froehlich Continues Generous Support of LGLC Efforts

For Immediate Release: July 21, 2017

Bolton Landing, New York – The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has received a grant of $190,000 from the Helen V. Froehlich Foundation in continued support of focused conservation projects and initiatives that will help protect the land that protects the lake forever.

The grant will be used on priority projects, including $100,000 towards the LGLC’s Indian Brook/Northwest Bay Conservation Initiative, which includes focused land protection efforts in the Indian Brook and Northwest Bay watersheds in Bolton.

“We are so grateful to the Froehlich Foundation for its generous support,” stated LGLC Executive Director Jamie Brown. “Thanks to the Foundation, the LGLC is able to put in place lasting solutions that have been proven to protect water quality. With their contribution, our work, especially in the Indian Brook/Northwest Bay area, can make an even greater impact.”

Studies indicate that although Indian Brook is showing some impacts from development and other human activity, the watershed is still below the threshold of containing less than 10% of impervious surface, which is an indicator of overall health. Much of the watershed’s sensitive land is currently unprotected, however, leaving water quality vulnerable.

In December of 2016, the LGLC purchased the 159-acre Wing Pond property in Bolton that protects over 750 feet of a pristine stream that flows directly into Northwest Bay. Other completed projects in this region include:

• 95-acre conservation easement on Federal Hill Road in 1990;
• 500-acre Amy’s Park in 2012 – contains hundreds of acres of wetlands and a portion of the headwaters of Indian Brook;
• 115-acre Godwin Preserve in 2016 – contains acres of vernal pools and several hundred feet of tributaries feeding into Indian Brook;
• 130 acres purchased from SUNY Albany in 2016 – contains over 30 acres of wetlands and several thousand feet of the main tributary of Indian Brook.

The LGLC is currently working with a willing landowner to purchase a conservation easement on critical land near these other protected properties within the watershed of Indian Brook. Once completed, the easement will protect nearly 5,000 linear feet of stream corridor and associated wetlands on Indian Brook.

All of these properties play a role in protecting the water quality of Indian Brook and Northwest Bay, which in turn protects the water quality of Lake George. By protecting wetlands, vernal pools, riparian buffers, and forested areas, the LGLC not only protects the land that protects the lake, but also contributes to the vibrancy of the community by protecting viewsheds and habitats, and providing recreational opportunities.

The Helen V. Froehlich Foundation was created in 1993 with funds provided by the late Helen V. Froehlich to assist with the conservation and preservation of Lake George. The Lake George Land Conservancy is just one of several local organizations that benefit from the Foundation’s generosity. This most recent gift is the 23rd consecutive grant awarded to the LGLC by the Froehlich Foundation, a total of nearly $3.5 million.

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