Category: The Landing

Lake George Association has been awarded a grant of $379,200 for lake-saving initiatives from the Helen V. Froehlich Foundation. This is the LGA’s twenty-first consecutive award from the Froehlich Foundation.

This grant award will provide $143,200 toward lake saving projects, $56,000 toward education and outreach programs, and $180,000 toward lake quality programs, including invasive species management, land use management and outreach into local communities and geographic information systems (GIS).

“This grant award provides crucial support for our lake saving projects,” said Walt Lender, the LGA’s executive director. “Through cost-sharing with our municipal partners, we are able to complete stormwater infrastructure projects like sediment basin construction, and streambank and wetlands restoration. These upstream projects dramatically improve the quality of the water entering Lake George,” he said. “This funding is key to our ability to protect Lake George for future generations,” he added.LGA’s Project Manager Randy Rath will now be able to move a number of previously identified projects forward thanks to the received funding. “With this grant money we will be able to fix a few previously identified stormwater issues, come up with some concepts for others and identify a few more issues that can be earmarked for future projects,” said Rath.

Funding was received to help address stormwater management at Rogers Memorial Park in Bolton Landing as part of the larger comprehensive update to the park designed by the LA Group. Stormwater improvements will include the implementation of a closed drainage system for surface runoff associated with pavement and roof areas in the park as well as the installation of bio-retention structures, swales, berms and land forms to collect and direct surface stormwater away from the hillside and the lake. Rain gardens will be installed to provide treatment for direct discharge of runoff and associated sediments from upland areas. In addition to the work in Bolton, other priority projects including a study of the Foster Brook watershed will also be completed as well as additional watershed studies. In addition, “the grant, when leveraged with funds from members and donors, enables us to secure significant funding from public sources, and in turn, extends our ability to complete more projects throughout the watershed,” Lender said.

The LGA’s popular Floating Classroom program will receive $25,000 to help teach lake science and watershed management to area students and the general public. Funding will also support the LGA’s environmental literacy and youth watershed education programs as well. “We are looking forward to creating even more stewards of Lake George throughout this school year through our Floating Classroom Program, in-school programs, and after school enrichment programs, said Kristen Rohne, the LGA’s Education Coordinator.” “Many people know us for our Floating Classroom program, and when they are on the boat in the summer ask us what we do in the winter. What they don’t know is that we also provide area schools with educational programming year-round, so we keep plenty busy even when the boat is off the lake for the winter,” said Rohne. Over 3,000 people benefit each year from the LGA’s Education and Outreach programs, which are largely underwritten through grants like the one provided by the Froehlich Foundation. Earlier this year, the LGA’s Floating Classroom won the EPA’s highest honor, the Environmental Quality Award, for this amazing hands-on program that teaches about watersheds and water quality while out on the Lake.

Andrew Hudon swimming Lake George on Saturday September 6, 2014.

Update: Sunday 9/7/2014 – 8:35 PM

Andrew reportedly got in to Lake George Village at about 7:00 pm, which makes it roughly 36 hours overall. Today the Lake was kinder, although the usual boat traffic in the south basin was a minor bother.

He demonstrated incredible endurance – doing a crawl all the way and was as powerful today at noon as yesterday at noon.

Congratulations to Andrew on a remarkable achievement.

Sunday 9/7/2014- 3:00 PM

Andrew Hudon’s swim down Lake George seems to be going well. Yesterday the Lake was rough, with a steady south wind, so going from Ticonderoga was rough as well, but Andrew made it down in to the Narrows by about 6:00 pm. As of Sunday late morning, he was just south of the Narrows and heading down the middle of the southern basin of the Lake toward Dome Island, with a late Sunday afternoon arrival anticipated in Lake George Village.

Andrew as he “rounded Bluff Head” from Adler’s and Lucy White’s.

This is a fundraiser for The Colon Club and The Colon Cancer Alliance. Please offer your congratulations to Andrew by donating a bit toward exceeding his $10,000. goal. (It has raised over $7,500 by Sunday afternoon, so why not go for $20,000.) Go to www.rippleeffectlg.com where there is a link to donate directly.

There were news crews in Huletts today as the disposal moved forward.