Lake George, NY – Nearly 30 community members and local representatives joined the Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) on Friday, April 24, to celebrate a $2,500 gift from the Sunmark Credit Union’s Charitable Community Foundation. The gift was directed to the LGLC by Seth Harris, recipient of Sunmark’s 2025 Susan V. Siegel Community Service Leader Award, which provides a cash prize to be donated to the awardee’s nonprofit of choice.

After a welcome and introduction by LGLC Executive Director Mike Horn, Sunmark Credit Union Chief Experience Officer John Prividera spoke and presented the check to Horn and LGLC Communications and Outreach Manager Sarah Hoffman.

“Sunmark Credit Union is all about people helping people,” said Prividera, “and our Charitable Community Foundation has helped advance the missions of local organizations like LGLC over the past ten years. One of our pillars of giving is community development, so we are proud to support the generous matching campaign that Seth Harris has launched to benefit the Lake George community and its environment.”

“As a lifelong Lake George resident and community member,” said Harris, “I knew that I wanted this donation to do the greatest good for our Lake George community and environment. I decided to donate the money to the Lake George Land Conservancy to be used to promote outdoor education, stewardship, and responsible recreation in the Lake George basin.”

Harris recognized and thanked many of those in attendance for their influence on his career path as an educator and love of exploring and being in nature. He then surprised the audience with an announcement that he will match all donations, dollar for dollar, up to $5,000, to fund two projects: interpretive signage for the hiking trails at Wiawaka Center for Women, and a lake-wide outdoor education backpack loaner program in collaboration with libraries throughout the Lake George watershed.

“I can’t thank John and Sunmark Credit Union enough for honoring me in this special way,” expressed Harris. “I look at it this way: the donation from Sunmark is a seed, and given the right ingredients and cultivation, it will grow so much larger. If you can help us with this challenge, we can make this donation into $12,500, five times larger than the original seed donation, for outdoor education, stewardship, and responsible recreation in the Lake George basin. Together, we can create a new generation of people who love, enjoy, and respect the outdoors.”

LGLC Executive Director Mike Horn said, “We are incredibly grateful to Seth Harris and to Sunmark for their generous support of the LGLC’s education and outreach efforts. Seth’s passion for education about the natural world is truly inspiring. He recognizes the incredible power that a positive experience with the natural world can have on people of all ages. We are excited to be working with local libraries and with the Wiawaka Center for Women to help create these opportunities at Lake George.”

The LGLC and Wiawaka partnered to protect 42 acres of forested uplands with a conservation easement in 2024. This land’s existing trail system will be professionally improved and opened to the public in 2027, at which point the interpretive signage partially funded by Seth Harris’ donation and matching challenge will also be installed.

Wiawaka Executive Director Doreen Kelly said, “Wiawaka is proud of this collaboration with the LGLC. Each step forward is stronger when walked together – where inclusion widens the path and collaboration, championed by the LGLC, ensures that these trails remain open, welcoming, and cared for, and with Seth’s support, a wonderful educational resource.”

The backpacks will include supplies that teach “Leave No Trace” principles, outdoor skills, and responsible outdoor recreation, and provide activities for all ages looking to explore the natural world, including at LGLC parks and preserves.

Bolton Free Library Director Christiann Gibeau said, “The Bolton Free Library is grateful to Sunmark, and especially Mr. Harris, for helping us expand our Library of Things collection with these informational backpacks. They will provide the necessary skills and resources for families of all ages to enjoy the great outdoors here in Lake George, as well as bring these skills back to their own neighborhoods. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that organizations work together to leverage their resources in support of community interests and initiatives. We welcome the continued partnership with the LGLC and look forward to more community engagement as the seasons change.”

Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce & CVB Executive Director Gina Mintzer said, “This is a wonderful example of how our community comes together to invest in both people and place. By connecting families, visitors, and residents to the outdoors through education and access, this initiative helps ensure that Lake George remains a destination to be enjoyed—and protected—for generations to come.”

In addition to LGLC and Sunmark staff, those in attendance included Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce and CVB Executive Director Gina Mintzer, Lake George Town Supervisor Vinnie Crocitto, Village of Lake George Mayor Ray Perry, Town of Queensbury Supervisor John Strough, Warren County Clerk Carrie Black, Wiawaka Caretaker Jeff Wilson, directors and representatives from the Caldwell-Lake George Library, Bolton Free Library, Hillview Free Library, and Fort Ann Old Stone House Library, and Adirondack Mountain Club Executive Director Cortney Koenig Worrall.

Donations to the Challenge may be made at https://givebutter.com/harris-challenge.

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