A Center for Land Conservation on Lake George

For more than ten years the Lake George Land Conservancy was housed in an office building located off the municipal parking lot in Bolton Landing, a small thriving community located near the midpoint of Lake George and the geographic center of our project area. The building provided convenient, professional office space — a place to hold private meetings with land owners, supporters, board members, government officials and volunteers who share their time and talents with LGLC.

However, LGLC more than doubled in size since moving to Bolton Landing. The time finally came to expand our offices in order to give staff the room they need to work effectively, as well as to provide meeting space with state of the art audio-visual equipment where conservation and community groups can share ideas.

Rather than build a new facility, we chose to stay in Bolton Landing. We purchased an existing larger building located just a short distance south of our previous office along Route 9N. The grand opening ceremony for the Macionis Family Center for Conservation was held on Saturday, July 28, 2007. The center, located at 4905 Lake Shore Drive in Bolton Landing, New York, has been reconstructed from its prior use as a restaurant to provide office and meeting facilities of LGLC.

The facility in Bolton Landing is named in honor of the outstanding contributions made by John and Amy Macionis of Hague, New York, and Mount Vernon, Ohio, and their children, McLean and Whitney. They have resolutely committed to the LGLC mission of land protection through their volunteer leadership (John and Amy serve LGLC as board president and advisory board member, respectively) and a generous financial gift and lead donation in excess of $300,000 toward the purchase and reconstruction of the building.

The expanded work areas at the Macionis Family Center for Conservation have provided LGLC staff with sufficient space to meet the organization’s ambitious land protection goals by bolstering their ability to set conservation priorities, involve partners, negotiate complex transactions, identify ecologically important sites and raise money—all of which are vital to conserving Lake George’s natural treasures. A new addition to the current structure provides meeting space where conservation and community groups, as well as the general public, can share ideas, programs and educational exhibits through lectures and special events to help further strengthen dedication to water quality protection through land preservation. The planting of native flora in new gardens, the rebuilding of the spillway from Dula Pond, and the improvement of water quality inflow to the lake via much-needed stormwater mitigation are all examples of an environmentally friendly, sustainable landscape that will improve the health of Lake George.

To date, more than eighty percent of the funds needed to complete the building reconstruction project has been raised.  Click here for our building project fundraising thermometer and list of donors. Donations to support LGLC’s conservation gateway in Bolton Landing are greatly appreciated.

Cotler & Horsch Architects of Latham, New York, and the L.A. Group, of Saratoga Springs, New York, have provided design services for the reconstruction of the building and the site improvements. Kevin Kershaw of Adirondack Builders is serving as the general contractor.

A patio area and walkway at the building has been dedicated as Preservation Patio, a common area for welcoming visitors, outdoor events, press conferences and the recognition of the significant conservation accomplishments in the Lake George Basin. Click here to learn how you can purchase an engraved brick for Preservation Patio and create a lasting tribute to the protection of Lake George's special places.

The very nature of our land protection work requires a permanent organizational commitment to the Lake George watershed, and LGLC's Macionis Family Center for Conservation and Preservation Patio stand as a symbol of that permanence.