What’s at Stake?

Lake George’s world-famous landscape, breathtaking in beauty and rich in biological diversity, has been cherished by many generations for its rejuvenating effect. Poets, writers, and artists have long celebrated Lake George’s wonders—including dramatic calcareous cliffs, pure lake water, forested hillsides and stunning views boasting picturesque beauty year-round.

Stretching from Queensbury to the northern edge of Ticonderoga, and across the Northern Appalachian and Lower New England ecoregions, Lake George is an ecological microcosm of New York State. From the Red Cedar rocky summits of Rogers Rock and Tongue Mountain, the Northern White Cedar swamps of Sucker Brook and the Sandstone pavement barrens of the Dollar Islands, we harbor a vast array of ecological treasures. Large expanses of the watershed remain undeveloped, unfragmented and connected to wilderness areas by wildlife corridors.

What’s the Threat?

Today, Lake George’s natural values are at risk from a swelling population and accompanying development. Lake George is an increasingly popular tourist destination and a desirable place to live and engage in recreation. The entire watershed and the residents’ bucolic way of life are vulnerable to the large-scale conversion of privately-owned tracts of land to subdivisions and land uses that provide no corridors for roaming mammals or habitat for waterfowl, including indicator species like the Great Blue Heron that help us gauge the health of Lake George. These threats are compounded by the need for a broadly accepted regional vision to protect the watershed’s finest natural areas and to guide growth into less environmentally sensitive locations. Despite economic pressures, many landowners are looking for ways to keep their lands intact and unspoiled—a goal shared by the Lake George Land Conservancy.

What’s Our Plan?

We seek to safeguard the pure water quality of Lake George by protecting the areas that are the most biologically rich and that harbor the most important natural resources. To do this, the Lake George Land Conservancy is cooperating with numerous partners, including private landowners and local conservation organizations to implement collaborative, habitat-friendly land management practices. This will help preserve the landscape and the healthy ecosystems that sustain biological diversity. Our preferred methods of working with landowners include conservation easements that keep lands in private ownership and fee acquisition when appropriate.