Category: The Environment

Recent training offered by the Lake George Association and the Champlain Watershed Improvement Coalition of New York was well attended.

While not exactly your typical cocktail conversation, alternative septic system design was a hot topic for 90 people in Lake George last week.

Engineers, CEOs, municipal authorities and health professionals came to Lake George last Thursday to learn state-of-the-art design solutions for septic systems. The workshop was sponsored by the Lake George Association (LGA) and the Champlain Watershed Improvement Coalition of New York (CWICNY), and taught by a certified Onsite Wastewater Training Network (OTN) instructor. Jim Meacham from the New York State Dept. of Health answered questions and spoke about new revisions to the Wastewater Treatment Standards for Individual Household Systems that went into affect earlier this year.

“We were overwhelmed by the attendance and positive feedback this year, our first year of offering this workshop,” said Emily DeBolt, LGA’s director of education. “The Lake George Watershed is challenging for homeowners and contractors because lot sizes can be small, hilly and rocky for traditional septic systems. Proper wastewater design is of great concern for us at the LGA, and teaching and consulting with the public on effective practices is one of our highest priorities.”

“Our local professionals needed convenient, affordable and high-quality training; in the past they have had to travel too far and pay too much,” said Beth Gilles, of the CWICNY.

The LGA and CWICNY plan to offer additional workshops in the future which may include such topics as the installation of residential onsite wastewater treatment, wastewater phase II requirements for small projects under one acre, and alternative energy sources.

Thank you Lake George Association and Champlain Watershed Improvement Coalition of New York for a very worthwhile day.

The Lake George Association, a not-for-profit membership organization that protects Lake George, announced today that Lynne M. Rosenthal has joined the organization as Communications Coordinator. She will be responsible for print and electronic publications, media and government relations, and the organization’s website. Previously she served as the Assistant Director for the World Awareness Children’s Museum of Glens Falls, and as an Educational Program Manager for the WSWHE BOCES in Saratoga Springs. She holds a B.S. degree in marketing management from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.

“Lynne has joined us during our 125th anniversary year, and we couldn’t be more delighted,” said Walt Lender, Executive Director of the Lake George Association. “Lynne not only brings a strong background in communications and marketing to the LGA, but also a wealth of experience working for not-for-profit educational organizations. The LGA is proud of its leadership role in education, from the lake friendly outreach work we do for people planning projects on the lake, to our Floating Classroom and in-school programs. Lynne will play an instrumental role in all of our efforts.”

Ms. Rosenthal has lived in Lake George since 1999 with her husband and two sons. She is a flutist and vocalist with the Lake George Community Band and enjoys swimming, kayaking and camping on the lake in the summer, and hiking and cross-country skiing in the mountains surrounding the lake during other times of the year. “Just as the founders of the LGA said when they established the organization 125 years ago, I want to give something back to a lake which has given so much to me,” said Ms. Rosenthal. “I was amazed to learn the LGA is the oldest lake association in the United States. I am also impressed by the scope and number of projects the LGA has completed over the past year. While the amount of the work the LGA produces certainly will make my job challenging, the fact that so many of the organization’s projects produce concrete results, makes the job easier. I am eager to get the word out about the LGA’s many educational programs and lake saving projects.”