One-hundred-twenty-seven members and friends of the Lake George Association gathered at the Lake George Club on Friday, August 19 to learn about the organization’s lake protection and conservation efforts, elect new directors of the board, and receive program updates for the past year.
Here are some of the highlights of this years meeting.
Lee Woodruff – Featured Speaker
Lee Woodruff, a New York Times bestselling author and fifth generation summer resident of Lake George, shared memories of her experiences on the Lake, and how it was a powerful healing force after her husband Bob was injured while reporting for ABC news in Iraq. Reading from her latest book, Perfectly Imperfect, Lee shared her perceptions and emotions while swimming in Lake George, including:
There is always a moment, in the center of the bay, when I stop, roll over onto my back, and just float in the blue-green womb of the lake waters. I marvel at the sapphire sky, the puffiness of a cloud or the way the mountains roll down, deep and dark pine green, to meet the shore. I began this ritual as a teenager, and as a young adult the moment of calm became a welcome reflection, silent as a prayer, for whatever excruciating life forces were buffeting me.
LGA President Victor Hershaft commented on Lee’s speech afterwards: “Her words and experiences really bring home why this Lake is so special and so worthy of everything we can do to protect it. As a result of her inspiring talk, I hope our members and friends will have an even greater sense of commitment to this Lake,” he said.
New Directors
At the meeting, LGA members elected six directors to its governing board. Three will be returning for a second three-year term: Madison Finley of Bolton Landing, Cheryl Lamb of Bolton Landing, and Michael Grasso of Assembly Point. Three are beginning new three-year terms: James Casaccio of Bolton Landing, Cathy LaBombard of Huletts Landing and Queensbury, and Karen Larkin of Cleverdale.
James Casaccio has 18 years of experience in human resources and the software field, and is a salesperson for McDonald Real Estate Professionals. Madison Finley retired as associate professor of computer information systems at Dutchess Community College and is a professional jazz musician. Michael Grasso is the vice president and an owner of Cool Insuring Agency and chairman of the Warren County Republican Committee. Cheryl Lamb retired from business after 31 years as owner and operator of Norowal Marina. Cathy LaBombard taught high school chemistry for 32 years and spent 10 years as a member of the town of Queensbury Planning Board. Karen Larkin is a financial analyst for the Encompass Group of the Ayco Company, LP, a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs. Larkin and Lombard are returning to the board after a year-long hiatus.
Ken Engler Honored for Long-time Service to the LGA
Ken Engler, the secretary of the LGA board of directors, was honored for his many years of service to the organization. Since 1997, Mr. Engler has at different times served as treasurer, secretary, vice president and chair of the water recreation committee, in addition to participating on the human resources, building and grounds, finance and nominating committees. “Ken has been dedicated to the Lake and to the LGA for over a decade,” said Walt Lender, LGA executive director. “His leadership on the board and the accuracy and care in which he prepared his reports will certainly be missed, but we look forward to him being available as a volunteer on our committees,” Lender added.
LGA Staff Reports
During the meeting, LGA staff reported on the status of educational and lake saving projects around the Lake. Randy Rath, the LGA project manager, provided updates from the past year on the LGA’s lake saving projects. Foster Brook was cleaned out and restored. On English Brook, an Aqua-Swirl stormwater separator was installed. At Indian Brook, construction of a new off-line sediment basin with a new wetland is nearing completion. In the West Brook Watershed, the town of Lake George highway department received a major stormwater retrofit. Lastly, the West Brook Conservation Initiative realized significant progress, with the clearing of the Gaslight Village site. Walt Lender, the LGA executive director, then shared the latest design concepts from Elan Associates for the new environmental park on the site.
Watershed Educator Kristen Rohne gave updates on education, lake quality, and lake awareness programs. In 2010, the LGA Floating Classroom served 2,063 participants, a significant increase over the previous year’s level. Over 800 students participated in stream monitoring programs during 2010, and the LGA launched a new Salmon in the Classroom program. Volunteer monitors continued to provide data for the Citizens Statewide Lake Assessment Program, now in its eighth year. As of July 16, the LGA’s 2011 Lake Steward program interacted with over 4,000 boats, inspecting for invasive species, and educating boaters about spread prevention.
Education and Outreach Director Emily DeBolt presented on the status of the Asian clam eradication project, showing the four current locations, explaining the project cost of over $400,000 to date, and the recent commitment by Warren County of $100,000 to help finish the work at the village site this fall. In addition, Emily explained the damage the rapidly-spreading clam has caused in Lake Tahoe.