August 4, 2022 LGLC 23rd Land and Water Conservation Celebration Comeback Raises $250,000
Bolton Landing, NY – After two years of going virtual, the Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) once again hosted guests for its 23rd annual Land and Water Conservation Celebration on Friday, July 29th. More than 250 people joined together to raise over $250,000 to directly support some of the LGLC’s most pressing and urgent projects around Lake George.
A true celebration of both land and water, the evening started at Peggy’s Point in Hague, then continued halfway through onboard the Lake George Steamboat Company’s Mohican boat for a tour to showcase the LGLC’s recent conservation accomplishments.
The beautiful summer evening featured music by the Silver Bay String Quartet on land, and DJ Trumastr for dancing on the Mohican. Delicious dinner fare was provided on land, catered by The Lily and the Rose, which also generously donated beer and wine.
The LGLC held the event at Peggy’s Point to showcase extensive work that had been done to restore its shoreline and stream bank. The 3-acre park was donated to the LGLC in 2004 by Margaret “Peggy” Darrin. In 2021 and this past spring, the LGLC oversaw a major restoration project at the park to stabilize the shoreline and stream bank, which had deteriorated over time and with recent severe storm events.
The water portion of the evening allowed guests to see the 60-acre Clark Hollow Bay property. This conservation effort is the LGLC’s largest financial commitment to date, and marks the completion of the Northeastern Shoreline Initiative: the permanent protection of a contiguous stretch of 3 miles of shoreline and 1,075 acres. Located in the Town of Putnam, the Clark Hollow Bay property itself includes half a mile of untouched shoreline and 1,300 feet of stream corridor.
While on land, LGLC Executive Director Michael Horn thanked the event guests for their dedication to the protection of Lake George, saying, “The LGLC’s success is driven by this unique community that recognizes permanent land protection is the best way to protect Lake George.”
The fundraising portion of the Celebration focused on three featured projects: the Clark Hollow Bay, Wiawaka uplands, and stewardship.
The LGLC purchased the Clark Hollow Bay property at the end of June, and as a result of the generous donations that evening, and supported by a matching challenge by the Beaty Family, the $5 million Clark Hollow Bay project is now complete and fully funded. Any further donations received for the Clark Hollow Bay project will be used to continue to protect the north basin and provide stewardship for these lands.
The Celebration marked the official start to the Wiawaka Uplands fundraising campaign, to support the purchase of a conservation easement on 47 acres of forested uplands. Under this conservation easement, the land will continue to be privately owned by Wiawaka, and the LGLC will ensure the land’s permanent protection and assist with its stewardship.
Stewardship is an ongoing need and critical part of the LGLC’s overall programs to ensure permanent protection of its lands. Funds raised will support its invasive species management program, particularly focused on the monitoring and treatment of the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA).
“The Celebration was a true testament to the power of community,” said LGLC Fundraising and Events Manager Giulia Casella, who started at the LGLC in March of 2022. “Working on an event of this magnitude in a place where so many people are emotionally invested in protecting the land that protects the lake was an exciting challenge, but everything came together effortlessly and the feeling of collective gratitude and love for our lake was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.”
Casella continued, “It was amazing to feel so supported by our staff, the Events Committee, and our volunteers. The board and Honorary Committee were all so invested in ensuring the success of the evening, and you could really tell we work well together in a way that is not always easy to achieve. There is a special dynamic between this group of people.”
More information about the LGLC’s current projects can be found at https://lglc.org/projects/. Photos from the Celebration have been shared on the LGLC’s page on Facebook @HikeLakeGeorge.
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