DEC Commissioner Joe Martens announces New York’s purchase of the 1,882-acre Cat and Thomas Mountains from the Lake George Land Conservancy. (Sarah Hoffman Photo.)
During a press conference held this morning at the top of Prospect Mountain in Lake George, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced the State’s purchase of the 1,882-acre Cat and Thomas Mountains from the Lake George Land Conservancy.
The preserve has also grown by 862 acres, by merging with adjacent State lands (including some recently purchased from The Nature Conservancy), to a total of 2,744 acres.
The Lake George Land Conservancy will remain the stewards of the Cat and Thomas trails through DEC’s Trail Cooperative Agreement program.
All of the money from the sale of Cat and Thomas will be applied towards paying down debt from the Last Great Shoreline, purchased in 2009 for $4 million. Fund-raising efforts continue, however, since once this payment is made, LGLC will still owe $300,000 on the land. The Last Great Shoreline in Putnam, with the Gull Bay Preserve to its south, is the heart of what will become the lake’s first managed wildlife refuge. To be part of this effort, please contact LGLC’s Executive Director Nancy Williams at 518-644-9673 or email nwilliams@lglc.org.