In the early to mid 1900’s, Mary Loines was a wealthy widow, leader in the New York State Suffrage movement, and mother of three then-unmarried daughters, Hilda, Elma, and Sylvia. Their wealth extended to land holdings, including 12,000 of acres on Northwest Bay.

In addition to being good stewards of their land, the Loines’ were active conservationists. They were vocal supporters of creating a Lake George Park, and attended meetings and petitioned to prevent the construction of Rt 9N along the shoreline of Tongue Mountain. In fact, they donated some of their own land in order to provide a more ecologically friendly alternative to the road’s construction, keeping it away from the sensitive shoreline.

Activist and conservationist John Apperson was a close family friend and ally of the Loines’, and provided and received support from the Loines daughters, especially the youngest daughter, Sylvia.

Sylvia Loines was an especially vocal conservation advocate, causing criticism from some, and praise from many others. After local editorials spoke negatively about the Loines family, millionaire George Foster Peabody defended Sylvia, saying, “Miss Loines is one of our most public-spirited citizens and without any selfish instincts at all.”

The Loines’ family legacy of conservation carries on in the work of the LGLC.

The Loines Preserve is a 36-acre preserve along Northwest Bay that was donated to the Eastern New York Nature Conservancy in 1964 by the sisters, and subsequently given to the LGLC in 2004. In 2000 and 2001, the LGLC purchased 1,310 acres that had once been part of the Loines estate; this land is now the Pole Hill Pond Preserve owned by New York State. In 2016, the LGLC purchased the 160-acre Wing Pond tract that adjoins the Pole Hill Pond Preserve.

Tim Barnett, a founder of the LGLC and first director of the Adirondack chapter of The Nature Conservancy, commented that the Wing Pond purchase, “would appear to complete a four decade-long project to protect the Loines holdings.”

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