Category: The Environment

The Helen V. Froehlich Foundation has granted the Lake George Association $327,000 for 2016, a significant investment in the future of Lake George and the twenty-third year that the Froehlich Foundation has financially underwritten the LGA’s programs and projects that protect Lake George water.

That money will go directly to work in Lake George, said C. Walter Lender, LGA Executive Director. “We’re pleased to see the trust that the Helen V. Froehlich Foundation has again put in the Lake George Association to wisely invest the foundation’s money in projects and programs that benefit the whole lake.”

This grant award will provide $119,000 toward our Lake-Saving Projects that include “priority” projects that slow or stop stormwater from entering Lake George, identified as the largest threat to Lake George water quality.

It will also provide $66,000 toward our education and outreach programs like our EPA award-winning Floating Classroom, our in-school programs and our Lake-Friendly Living educational program.

It will also provide $142,000 toward our Lake Quality Programs, including invasive species management, land use management, winter road maintenance (including salt reduction strategies and equipment) and outreach into local communities.

The Lake George Association focuses on actions that, if taken now, will protect the Lake’s water quality now and for the long term – including using the grant money to help pay to clean the Beach Road porous pavement, install stormwater reduction projects on the east side of Lake George, and reduce runoff in Glenburnie and Huletts Landing.

The Froehlich Foundation grant money will also be used for stream monitoring and water quality testing, as well as to continue our regular testing and experiments performed during the Floating Classroom programs.

In some cases, the money that the LGA invests in projects is used to fulfill matching grant requirements for municipalities – grants that ensure projects to protect Lake George water are able to be completed.

All of the money donated to the Lake George Association stays in Lake George and is focused on projects that benefit the Lake George watershed from Ticonderoga to Lake George Village.

“We’d like to thank the Froehlich Foundation for their grant and their trust. With these resources, we can continue our mission as guardian of Lake George water, and continue our century of service to the Lake,” said Lender.

It was windy and cold out on the lake today.(Click image for larger view.)

Yes, I know. It’s been quiet here on the Huletts Current for about a week. It’s been busy in Huletts and I will be getting caught up with some posts but there’s nothing I can do when the Internet goes down. You see we arrived last week but our phone and Internet have been “iffy.” Lots of work has been going on so don’t give up stopping by. I’ll be getting caught up in the next few days. See you soon!!

An aerial view over the wetlands of Amy’s Park, which is a major part of the Indian Brook watershed. The peak in the middle is Pole Hill; on the right is High Nopit, and on the far left is Walnut Ridge. Walnut Ridge is part of the New York state Pole Hill Pond Forest Preserve, and the future Isabel La Roche Godwin Preserve lies adjacent, to the east. (View southeast toward Bolton, (near side of lake) and Diamond point, (opposite side of lake).(Click image to see full-scale.)

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has acquired one parcel and expects to close on another within the Indian Brook watershed in Bolton. The lands, totaling 245 acres, include wetlands, a large section of stream corridor, and scenic and recreational value.

The acquisitions are part of a larger effort to protect Indian Brook, which is a major tributary of Lake George. The protection of this important tributary provides a safeguard against excess storm water and stream bank erosion, further protecting the lake’s water quality.

In January, the LGLC purchased 130 acres on North Bolton Rd from the University at Albany Foundation. Once used as an observatory for the school, the property contains important wetlands and hundreds of feet of stream corridor, representing the confluence of the two main branches of Indian Brook. The proceeds of the sale will be dedicated by the University at Albany for scholarships for its Biodiversity, Conservation and Policy, M.S. program.

The LGLC expects to close shortly on a 115-acre property on Padanarum Rd. The land will become a public preserve, with a 0.6-mile trail that could connect the neighboring NYS Pole Hill Pond Preserve and the LGLC’s Amy’s Park. Named the Isabel La Roche Godwin Preserve by the sellers, the preserve includes views of High Nopit and Pole Hill. The trail system is anticipated to be in place mid-summer.

The LGLC is in the process of engaging residents of the Indian Brook Conservation Area in discussions about the lands surrounding the brook and their impact on the lake’s water quality. A recent round-table meeting included Bolton Town Supervisor Ron Conover and several others who voiced concern about stream corridor protection as a priority. The LGLC created this focus group in order to better understand and appreciate the needs of the community, and to focus its efforts to efficiently address storm water and erosion issues within the Indian Brook watershed based on recommendations from the group.