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Lake George Land Conservancy Awarded $4.15M for Water Quality Protection


This pond in the Town of Bolton will soon be permanently protected by the LGLC with support from the recently announced grants from NYS DEC.

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded grants totaling $4.15 million for land acquisition for source water protection from the Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) grant program administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

The LGLC will use $3.5 million of the grant funds to permanently protect over 700 acres in the Indian Brook sub-watershed region of the Town of Bolton. Maintaining forested buffers around the streams and wetlands of this area will prevent erosion, filter sediment and pollutants from stormwater, and aid with flood resiliency.

The remaining grant funds will be directed toward the purchase of a 73-acre forested property in the Town of Lake George. This property contains 1,545 feet of streams with a healthy vegetated buffer that will further safeguard the water quality of Lake George, a drinking water source, and the surrounding watershed.

LGLC Executive Director Michael Horn said, “We are grateful to New York State and Governor Hochul for supporting our work to protect Lake George by protecting the land around it. By keeping our forests healthy and whole, we’re allowing the land to do what it does best – filter water, reduce pollution, and prevent stormwater issues downstream.

“With these grants we will be able to advance a number of projects over the next few years, but there is still much work to be done, including raising the more than $1 million in required matching funds.”

Land conservation is an efficient, cost-effective tool for protecting water quality. By focusing efforts on the most sensitive wetlands, streams, slopes, and shoreline, it can prevent costly issues that may arise from poorly designed development, non-porous infrastructure, and severe weather events.

These grants are part of a $166 million total announcement by NYS DEC for 187 projects statewide that will help protect drinking water, update aging water infrastructure, combat contributors to harmful algal blooms, and improve aquatic habitat.

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Lake George Land Conservancy Receives $86k Grant to Manage Invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid on Protected Land in Putnam


An infested hemlock branch showing the woolly masses of hemlock woolly adelgid, found at the LGLC’s protected Clark Hollow Bay Preserve in Putnam.

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant of $86,215 to support the LGLC’s rapid response and management efforts to control the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) on its Clark Hollow Bay Preserve in the Town of Putnam. The LGLC’s Land Steward discovered an infestation of HWA at its recently acquired 60-acre Clark Hollow Bay property in the spring of 2023. This was the first time HWA had been found on LGLC protected property, and is at the northern frontier of the HWA infestation at Lake George and in the Adirondack Park.

Hemlock trees play an important role in the forests where they grow, preventing soil erosion and providing habitat for both terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. Left alone, HWA will kill hemlocks within five to ten years, making early detection critical to effective management.

Hemlocks are a dominant tree species in much of the forest surrounding Lake George, making HWA especially dangerous for the preservation of water quality and health of the whole lake ecosystem.

This summer, LGLC staff identified 108 trees with known HWA infestations on the Clark Hollow Bay Preserve; the actual number of infested trees is estimated to be at least doubled, when taking into account those trees that were inaccessible for evaluation.


Dr. Mark Whitmore of the New York State Hemlock Initiative joined LGLC staff in 2023 to confirm the presence of hemlock woolly adelgid at the Clark Hollow Bay Preserve.

The LGLC’s HWA management plan for the Clark Hollow Bay Preserve includes the use of both biological controls for long-term management, and chemical controls in the short-term. In partnership with the New York State Hemlock Initiative (NYSHI), the LGLC released Laricobius nigrinus beetles on the property in fall of 2023. The beetle is native to the Pacific Northwest and preys exclusively upon HWA. Highly controlled chemical application was also conducted on the property with help from the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP).

The grant will fund three years of additional monitoring and management activity at the Clark Hollow Bay Preserve.

LGLC Executive Director Mike Horn said, “With this funding we are able to combat hemlock woolly adelgid on this important protected property. We are grateful to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, as well as the resources and expertise provided by NYSHI and APIPP, for making this work possible.”

This grant is part of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Invasive Species Grant Program, which provides funding for aquatic and terrestrial invasive species spread prevention, early detection and rapid response, lake management planning, research, and education and outreach.

The Invasive Species Grant Program is supported by the State’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and administered by the Bureau of Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health in DEC’s Division of Lands and Forests. For more information, please visit DEC’s website.

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Lake George Land Conservancy Receives Donation of Land in South Basin

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has been given a donation of 4.4 acres of undeveloped land in the Town of Lake George. This property borders the LGLC’s 12-acre East Brook Preserve and includes more than three acres of wetlands and 600 feet of forested steam corridor that help to naturally protect water quality.

The “East Brook Addition” donation was gifted to the LGLC by Karen Azer and her late mother Helene Horn.

“I am glad the parcel will remain forever wild,” said Karen Azer, “not only benefitting water quality but also protecting habitat for wildlife.”

LGLC Executive Director Mike Horn (no relation to Helene Horn) said, “We are incredibly grateful to Karen and Helene for their generous donation of land for conservation. Their gift creates a legacy that will forever work to protect Lake George.”

In total, the newly expanded East Brook Preserve includes more than 1,100 feet of East Brook, one of the top ten tributaries of Lake George, and is heavily forested with some impressive hemlock, white pine, ash and sugar maples scattered throughout.

The original 12-acre East Brook property was protected in 2018 with a bargain sale from the McPhillips family, who desired to see the land protected. Around the same time, the LGLC helped to protect the 317-acre McPhillips Preserve on neighboring French Mountain, in partnership with the Towns of Lake George and Queensbury. More than 2,000 feet of seasonal streams flow down the steep slopes of the McPhillips Preserve and join with East Brook far below.

Since Lake George flows north, protection of its headwaters in the south, including tributaries like East Brook, is imperative to its overall health. This region of Lake George is also facing intense development pressure, creating all the more urgency for conservation of key areas like streams, shoreline, and sensitive, steep slopes that are susceptible to erosion. For this reason, the LGLC’s South Basin Conservation Initiative focuses on key lands such as the East Brook Addition as important for long-term protection of the lake’s water quality.

To date, the LGLC has protected a total of 2,736 acres within the south basin. In addition to its important water quality protection, these properties provide significant recreational opportunities. The LGLC plans to open a trail on the East Brook Preserve which will include educational signage. Once completed, this trail will link to the Lake George Elementary School’s extensive nature trails. A crosswalk on Bloody Pond Road will ultimately connect the East Brook Preserve to the McPhillips Preserve. The Town of Lake George is working to create a multi-use trail system on the McPhillips Preserve. The finished trail system is expected to include several miles of challenging trails for hiking and mountain biking, and offer a clear view of Lake George’s south basin, including Prospect Mountain on the opposite side.

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Storm Raises Lake Level Significantly


This picture, taken on December 19, 2023, shows the water surface level of the lake reaching its highest peak in the last year after the storm at the beginning of the week.

This week’s storm has passed and things are beginning to dry out. At approximately 1:00 pm on December 19, 2023, the lake reached its highest level during the past year.

I use the USGS site here to check every once in awhile.

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DEC Forest Rangers in the News


Department of Environmental Conservation Officers participating in Lake George Village’s ‘Lite Up the Village.’

Village of Lake George
Warren County
Public Outreach: On November 25, 2023, Forest Rangers Donegan, Kabrehl, and Morehouse participated in the annual ‘Lite Up the Village’ event in Lake George. Rangers strung lights on a 6×6 with a litter basket, a Type Six Engine, and an inflatable raft boat to highlight the wide range of a Ranger’s duties.

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Recent DEC Forest Ranger Actions

Village of Fort Ann
Washington County
Wilderness Rescue: On July 5 at 4:24 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance with a lost hiker near the summit of Buck Mountain. Ranger Poulton found the 23-year-old from Troy and helped her back to the trailhead. Resources were clear at 7:30 p.m.

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Recent DEC Forest Ranger Actions

Town of Lake George
Warren County
Wildland Fire: On June 12 at approximately 11 a.m., a DEC docking crew noticed a fire on Floating Battery Island. Forest Ranger Donegan and a local fire department responded and quickly contained the fire. No structures or campers were threatened. The cause of the fire was a campfire that had not been properly extinguished. Campers are reminded to use a lot of water and make sure a fire is cold to the touch before leaving it unattended.

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Recent DEC Forest Ranger Actions

Town of Lake George
Warren County
Wilderness Rescue: On May 2 at 6:50 p.m., Forest Rangers Carabetta and Donegan responded to a call for an injured hiker on the trail to Prospect Mountain. Rangers reached the pair of hikers by 7:30 p.m. and stabilized the ankle of the injured 23-year-old from Latham. Rangers assisted the hikers back to the trailhead and then to their vehicle. The injured subject chose to seek further medical attention on her own. Resources were clear at 8:10 p.m.

Town of Lake George
Warren County
Training: On May 3-5, Forest Ranger Donegan led technical rope rescue operations training at Prospect Mountain. Twenty-eight Rangers took part in the training that included moving “patients” in steep technical terrain.


Technical rope rescue operations training at Prospect Mountain


Rangers Carrabetta, Hamm, and Nahor and Lieutenant Kerr at Prospect Mountain training


Technical rope rescue operations training at Prospect Mountain

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Judge Rules Public Hearings Must Precede ProcellaCOR Applications

New York State Supreme Court Justice, Robert Muller, issued a decision and judgement on Friday March 3, 2023 which:

a.) found that the Adirondack Park Agency’s decision to issue permits for the use of the chemical herbicide ProcellaCOR in Lake George without an adjudicatory hearing was arbitrary and capricious.

b.) has vacated the Lake George Park Commission’s April 14, 2022 decision (by a vote of 6-4) to proceed with the application of the chemical herbicide ProcellaCOR in Lake George.

The ruling means that any subsequent APA review of applications to apply ProcellaCOR in Lake George must be preceded by a hearing.

The entire 31-page decision can be read here.